Last night Austin showed more self-control and restraint than I think I could have had in his situation. He was responsible for being on "suicide watch" for a pedophile. It's safe to call him a convicted pedophile, I think, given that he is pleading guilty today in court. Without going too much into detail, partially because it will just make you sick and partially because it is technically confidential, I will explain the situation.
When Austin got back from Iraq one of the first "jobs" he had was to receive text messages 4 times per day from a soldier who was required to "check in" with an NCO in their unit. Austin wasn't given much more information than that, so we made light of the situation because it was not only a little annoying, but it also seemed to be a pointless requirement. His text messages said "checking in" and Austin never replied. That doesn't require a person to be in a specific location or to be away from whatever activity for which he was in trouble, so we couldn't ever figure out what purpose it was serving. After a few months, the job got handed off to another NCO and we thought we were through with this kid. (kid being 32 years old)
A couple months later we found out that he was, in fact, on trial for sexual abuse against a child.
His own child.
He had performed heinous acts against his own daughter while his wife video taped each scene. The recordings were later found on his computer, which made the case a pretty simple one to prosecute I would think. His wife has already been tried in civilian courts and is serving her time in jail right now. I'm not sure what her sentence was, or where she is in jail. The daughter, who's age I do not know, is in foster care now and is ruined for life. The soldier hadn't been tried yet because I believe the military proceedings take longer, and his charges were more severe than the mother's so there was a longer period of negotiations between the lawyers. Earlier this week Austin told me that he thought the case was going to be finished soon, as he had received a plea deal from the prosecution that his attorney felt he should take. The DEAL was 40 years in prison with no opportunity for parole.
I can't even begin to imagine the severity or the longevity of abuse that calls for a DEAL of that magnitude. And every time I begin to wonder, I quickly stop myself because I don't want to know.
I think about the baby inside of me. My baby is 14 weeks old right now. 14 weeks and I would give my life if it would better that child. How do you go through what I'm going through and get to a point where you would be willing to kill the life inside of your child? I just can't fathom it.
As the anger grows inside of me I take two issues with this; two issues that I have more with God than with this person. I know there are sickos like this everywhere (one of the million reasons I never watch the news...ever.) I choose to not surround myself with the knowledge because it makes me sick, and it brings up these unanswerable questions.
#1 Why are dirtbags like this soldier and his wife given the blessing and miracle of a child? There are plenty of people who would make excellent parents who, for whatever reason, aren't able to have children. Why would God create a situation like that? The willing yet unable parents would be able to provide a GOOD life for that daughter, whereas this soldier and his wife destroyed her. Why did they even have the opportunity?
#2 When there are men out there like him, fathers out there like him, why do they get to live and my dad had to die? Wouldn't the world be a better place, wouldn't my life be better and wouldn't that child's life have been better if this man had suffered through 4 years of leukemia rather than my dad? Where's the fairness or justice in that?
These aren't new questions or struggles that I am facing; I've dealt with these issues numerous times over the last 11 years as I've seen friends' fathers mistreat, or even abuse, them. But it never fails to just slap me in the face and boil up anger inside of me when a new situation brings the old questions back.
I know the Bible tells us to pray for our enemies. I've never met this soldier, but I would count him an enemy. And although I know what the Bible says, I'm not sure I'm ready to pray for him. I would love to inflict pain on him, I would love for him to go to prison and be tortured by the other prisoners, but PRAY for him? I don't know. I've thought about it all day - is that good enough? That's all I can muster up at this point.
Maybe the Bible calls us to pray for our enemies as much for ourselves for them. Obviously the anger and frustration that is building inside of me is having no effect on the man causing the anger; he doesn't even know I exist. Not that he would care if he did. And obviously the anger is affecting me, otherwise I wouldn't be ranting about it in my blog. So maybe, if I am able to muster up the ability to pray for him, God will also bless me by releasing the anger? Just a thought...and maybe one that will make me able to do so.
In any case, I will be praying that he went through with his plea and he is on his way to Leavenworth, KS until 2049.
Aug 27, 2009
Aug 25, 2009
Tough Times for a Mom
I realize that as I write this, some of you may think I'm crazy because I'm referring to myself as a mom, inferring that I have the burden of worry and fear and anxiety and all that comes with being a mom, when my "child" is a cat. But I'm not crazy. I know that this is just a fraction of what it will be like to actually be a mom; to actually have the constant concern for my child/ren's well being.
For now, though, my pets are my kids and I worry about them probably more than I should. Especially Reagan.
For now, though, my pets are my kids and I worry about them probably more than I should. Especially Reagan.
Meet Reagan (if you haven't already) - our little monster. He is about 5 1/2 years old. I acquired Reagan via adoption thanks to Alexis in college. Previously I had not been a cat person - take them or leave them really. I didn't HATE them, I just wouldn't have ever seen myself buying a cat or choosing to have one as a pet.
Until one rainy night at 1am when I was working on a floor-set change at the Gap and the phone rang. We weren't supposed to get personal calls during work hours, but on floor-set changes it wasn't really a policy. It was Alexis; "I found 4 kittens" "you WHAT?" "They are in my bathroom. It was raining too hard and their mommy wasn't around..." "what are we going to do with them?" "I don't know - they're so cute..."
I don't remember exactly what transpired in the rest of the conversation, but I do remember the following weeks fairly well. We kept 4 tiny kittens first in Alexis's bathroom, then in our spare bathroom, then in my bathroom. There were 3 boys and one girl; 3 black and one orange - and all together they might have weighed 2 pounds. They were TINY. The orange one was not the cutest, and he was certainly the protector of the litter. When we would try to get near them the orange cat would hiss with all his might (which was hardly audible, yet frightening to us nonetheless) Over the course of 2-3 weeks the cats grew to love us and became very playful little kittens. We weren't sure what we were going to do with them yet, but we knew we couldn't keep 4 kittens! Alexis called a pet store in college station to see how they handle adoptions, and the store said they had room for one kitten. The female was the least playful, and had been named after Alexis's boyfriend's mean sister, so we decided she was the first to go. That left us with Alfredo's favorite, "rascal", Emily's favorite, "pumpkin", and my favorite: a black fur-ball that we called Meatball.
Some events transpired that caused me to decide to move back to Houston for the second half of the summer, and my mom told me that I needed to get rid of at least 2 of the cats. I could not bring 4 kittens into her house, and on a college budget I couldn't really afford any. But I had grown attached to these little things! They all slept with me at night, Reagan liked to drag fluffy items such as make up brushes from Alexis's room to mine, they played with my hand under the blankets - they were each gaining so much personality. My mom said that before I moved back to Houston we'd take 2 of the kittens to CAP (citizens for animal protection) and we'd drop them there in hopes that they would find homes. Throughout this time I knew Meatball would be the one I'd keep - but then something changed. It was like "pumpkin" knew that he wasn't the chosen one, and he was doing everything in his power to win me over. He wouldn't leave my side! Meatball grew more distant as pumpkin grew more affectionate, so when the day finally came to take the 2 to CAP, pumpkin had successfully changed my heart.
I cried the whole way to CAP, cried as we waited in line, and then I went out to my explorer and cried with pumpkin while my mom handed meatball and rascal over to the volunteers at CAP. Pumpkin wasn't one for car rides and he had been persistently trying to escape from his box the entire ride from College Station to Houston, but when I sat in the explorer crying he calmed down and just sat there silently. He was calmer on the ride back to my mom's house, as if he knew that I had had enough for the day and he was being compassionate.
When we got home my mom and I discussed his name. We didn't really like the name pumpkin, but I hadn't cared to give him another name because I thought I was keeping Meatball. As we were having this conversation, we were watching Ronald Reagan's funeral on TV. The name just worked. I liked Reagan as a president, and I loved learning about his economic policy (that Bill Clinton takes credit for...oops, another tangent) and Reagan was a better name than pumpkin! So - it was settled. My new best friend and dependent was an orange cat named Reagan.
Reagan lived with me in Houston, moved with me into my duplex in college station, travelled with me back and forth, and eventually made the long journey to Denver (which he hated - and frequently told me so) He slept with me at night, annoying me well before my alarm was to go off, and ran around the house all day chasing strings and bugs and anything that happened to be on the floor. I don't think my roommates were thrilled that I had chosen to bring a cat into our house, but I think his weirdness grew on them. He's not a normal cat - we've known he's had issues since he was a few months old. He's just WEIRD!
But he's my baby. And a complete "mama's boy".
2 years ago Reagan started chewing on his tail until it was bleeding. We took him to the vet, got penicillin, and it went away. It didn't occur again so we never really thought of what may have caused the episode. Until over a year later when I was living in Houston and was out of town for 5 days. He attacked his tail so much there was blood splattered everywhere. The episodes became very frequent, and they were accompanied by what appeared to be paranoia. He would tuck himself into as tight of spaces as he could find (which isn't easy, for a 22 lb cat!) and he would wail at the top of his lungs. It broke my heart because I didn't know why he was doing this or how to stop it. I eventually determined that he only did it when I was out of town for work, which was often last summer, so I moved him to my mom's house so he wouldn't ever be alone and scared. He seemed happier there, and why wouldn't he be? His "papa" gives him treats and cheese and cooked chicken - Papa's house is like Heaven!
Since we've moved to Denver the tail chewing has been less frequent, but when it does happen it seems worse than ever. In February we went to the vet and were told (third diagnosis by the third vet, mind you) that it is either a neurological symptom or it is painful nerve damage from his tail that was broken at birth. The vet suggested we try putting him on Prozac to see if that would solve the problem. It was HORRIBLE. Reagan wouldn't come out from under the guest bed, wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink...it was terrible. After 3 days we called the vet and said no thanks on the prozac. IN that time, though, his tail healed and then he never messed with it again.
But this morning - he let loose in the bathroom and went wild. I was trying to take a bath and he joined me in the bathroom, which isn't uncommon. But his frantic running around, running under the vanity, around the toilet, INTO THE TUB even - that's not normal. There was blood everywhere. I had to end my bath because Reagan was trying to climb up the door to get out, and Austin came in to help me clean his tail.
We've decided, at this point, to go ahead and try the partial amputation. They will cut off about 4 inches of his tail. My concern is that he will just continue to chew on the new "end" of his tail, or find some other body part to mutilate. But, he may not - this may solve the problem. He is obviously in pain, obviously uncomfortable, and this is the only thing that we know to do to try to help. It breaks my heart to think of cutting his tail, but it is less painful for me than seeing the terrified look in his eyes when he has just reopened the wound. He looks so miserable, so lost, and so scared. So - to sum up an unbelievably long blog (that has taken me 6 hours to complete) - this has been my difficult "mom" decision - because there's no guarantee this is the answer. How awful will I feel if we amputate part of his limb and that doesn't solve his problem? And if that is the case, what then will we do? I'll feel so helpless.
So, let's just hope this is the cure. I just want my poor baby Reagan to be happy!!!
Aug 24, 2009
28 paperclips
The approximate weight of jelly belly this week. My weekly email let me know that baby weighs in at .9 ounces - which, if you do a unit converter (because I don't know what one ounce is) that comes out to be 28 grams. And in our school system which likes to teach the ridiculousness of the metric system, we learned that one gram is approximately the weight of one paperclip. I wish we had learned something useful to compare to an ounce - I remember these useless facts all too easily. Regardless - 28 paperclips. The paperclips at work come in boxes of 100, so about 25% of the weight of one box of paperclips. And about 4 inches long. Remember when he/she was the size of a pencil eraser? My, how our little jelly belly is growing!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!
Today Austin turns 27. I like to call him "old man" every year on his birthday. No, 27 isn't old...but when you're 25 it sounds old! As did 26 when I was 24, and so on. Plus, he can never call me old...cause he's always older :) We are having a few of his friends over for enchiladas (I think his friends may soon think the only thing I know how to cook is enchiladas...cause they're his favorite, so he invites friends over a lot and requests that for dinner...) and tres leches cake for dessert. I'm mostly excited for the dessert :)
I talked to Mimi on Friday. Austin and I had planned to drive up to Dallas just for an afternoon when we're in Houston for Alexis's wedding. We don't have much time to spare during this quick jaunt down south, but its too important to us to not go up there. I asked Brian if he'd like to go with us, since he'd be in Houston too, and he said yes. So I had let Mimi know, earlier last week, that the 3 of us would be there for the late morning/early afternoon of the 10th. She mentioned that she'd be so "tickled" to see the 3 of us together, and its just too bad its not a weekend so Brandon and Dana could join us. I figured that the 5 of us may not be together again, in Texas, anytime in the next couple years so I called Brandon to see if it'd be possible for the 2 of them to use vacation time and go up with us. He said it'd definitely be doable and worth it - so what was originally just Austin and I making a quick lunch trip turned into a pretty big gathering. Then I told Mimi, "well, if you're feeling up to it that day we'd love to take you out to the new Cowboys' stadium to get a picture by your brick!" Austin had found out that the Cowboys were doing a "legacy walk" around their stadium and you could purchase a brick to be laid in the ground. So the 4 of us (this was before Dana and Brandon were married) gave that to Mimi last year for her birthday. When I talked to Mimi on Friday she said she had talked to Bert, my dad's brother, and Bert was going to arrange an appointment through the stadium for all of us to take a guided tour. Laura had decided to take off work, and now apparently Bert and Carol would be taking a day, or a few hours, off so we can all go see the stadium. It will be QUITE the event, and Mimi couldn't be more excited - which makes me so happy :) I'll definitely take my camera and post pics later of the BILLION dollar stadium, our family gathering, and Mimi's brick in the ground.
I think that's about all that's going on in the Wallis house. Pretty random post here - don't have one particular thing to write about today so I'm just rambling on, spending what I like to call my "smoke breaks"
Oh yeah - let me explain my smoke breaks. I'm catching a little bit of grief from people about my blogging at work. When I say "people" I don't mean people AT work, none of them know. But here's how I see it. I spend MAYBE 20 minutes blogging. And aren't we legally provided 2 15 minute breaks for every 8 hours we work? OSHA or something? Anyway - clearly I don't smoke, so if blogging is my nicotine - isn't that ok?
I'm desperately trying to get all my work done, though, so I'm not working Labor Day so maybe I should cut back on the blogs just a bit. So far its not looking good though. I already am pretty sure I'll work that Saturday, so it'd be nice to have the holiday off! But there's just so much work to do, and not a lot of time to do it. I can't believe Labor Day is 2 weeks from today, then Alexis's wedding is 5 days later - time flies sometimes huh? Can't wait!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!
Today Austin turns 27. I like to call him "old man" every year on his birthday. No, 27 isn't old...but when you're 25 it sounds old! As did 26 when I was 24, and so on. Plus, he can never call me old...cause he's always older :) We are having a few of his friends over for enchiladas (I think his friends may soon think the only thing I know how to cook is enchiladas...cause they're his favorite, so he invites friends over a lot and requests that for dinner...) and tres leches cake for dessert. I'm mostly excited for the dessert :)
I talked to Mimi on Friday. Austin and I had planned to drive up to Dallas just for an afternoon when we're in Houston for Alexis's wedding. We don't have much time to spare during this quick jaunt down south, but its too important to us to not go up there. I asked Brian if he'd like to go with us, since he'd be in Houston too, and he said yes. So I had let Mimi know, earlier last week, that the 3 of us would be there for the late morning/early afternoon of the 10th. She mentioned that she'd be so "tickled" to see the 3 of us together, and its just too bad its not a weekend so Brandon and Dana could join us. I figured that the 5 of us may not be together again, in Texas, anytime in the next couple years so I called Brandon to see if it'd be possible for the 2 of them to use vacation time and go up with us. He said it'd definitely be doable and worth it - so what was originally just Austin and I making a quick lunch trip turned into a pretty big gathering. Then I told Mimi, "well, if you're feeling up to it that day we'd love to take you out to the new Cowboys' stadium to get a picture by your brick!" Austin had found out that the Cowboys were doing a "legacy walk" around their stadium and you could purchase a brick to be laid in the ground. So the 4 of us (this was before Dana and Brandon were married) gave that to Mimi last year for her birthday. When I talked to Mimi on Friday she said she had talked to Bert, my dad's brother, and Bert was going to arrange an appointment through the stadium for all of us to take a guided tour. Laura had decided to take off work, and now apparently Bert and Carol would be taking a day, or a few hours, off so we can all go see the stadium. It will be QUITE the event, and Mimi couldn't be more excited - which makes me so happy :) I'll definitely take my camera and post pics later of the BILLION dollar stadium, our family gathering, and Mimi's brick in the ground.
I think that's about all that's going on in the Wallis house. Pretty random post here - don't have one particular thing to write about today so I'm just rambling on, spending what I like to call my "smoke breaks"
Oh yeah - let me explain my smoke breaks. I'm catching a little bit of grief from people about my blogging at work. When I say "people" I don't mean people AT work, none of them know. But here's how I see it. I spend MAYBE 20 minutes blogging. And aren't we legally provided 2 15 minute breaks for every 8 hours we work? OSHA or something? Anyway - clearly I don't smoke, so if blogging is my nicotine - isn't that ok?
I'm desperately trying to get all my work done, though, so I'm not working Labor Day so maybe I should cut back on the blogs just a bit. So far its not looking good though. I already am pretty sure I'll work that Saturday, so it'd be nice to have the holiday off! But there's just so much work to do, and not a lot of time to do it. I can't believe Labor Day is 2 weeks from today, then Alexis's wedding is 5 days later - time flies sometimes huh? Can't wait!
Aug 21, 2009
Costco or Sams?
Its funny how time changes things. 10 years ago I was trying to figure out which store was better: Abercrombie or American Eagle (for bigger chested, bigger hip-ed people...American Eagle definitely) Today, I'm trying to figure out which is better between Costco and Sams. How fun life has become.
I've heard from many people that the 2 are like comparing Walmart and Target. So one is cheaper, one has more fun stuff; that's how it translates in my head. There is a Costco across the street from my office, and there is a Sam's at the outdoor shopping center that is closer to home. So both are fairly convenient. There are a few people at my office who have memberships to BOTH which I just think is a little excessive. So, I've been asking around to find out which is better.
I've learned that the baby formula at Sam's is a better deal. They have their own brand which has the same ingredients and same nutritional information as Enfamil, but the jars are bigger and its cheaper. I've also heard that, as long as your baby doesn't need sensitive diapers, the Sam's brand diapers are a lot cheaper and come in higher quantities. I haven't heard anything good about the Costco diapers, but as far as baby "gear" and accessories, Costco has a wider selection of that (proving the "more fun stuff" comment I made earlier)
Most people who are Costco shoppers seem to be very impressed with their paper products. My mom likes the individually wrapped toilet paper. I haven't figured out what the individual wrapping does to enhance the toilet paper, but she likes it. One of my coworkers has a membership solely to buy the Costco brand of bleach-wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, and the meat. Everything else she gets at Sams.
I have another coworker who goes to BOTH stores every weekend with his wife and baby to look. Sometimes they even go to 2 different Sams locations. I can't imagine that a family of 3 would need to make purchases at a super-center more than once a month, but maybe they just like to look? He raves about Costco's selection on electronics, baby toys, and other non-grocery items. Sams tends to be his stop for the grocery goods.
Personally I don't want to spend $80 a year to have 2 different memberships, which I will use MAYBE once a month. I like the thought of the formula and diapers at Sams - our main reason for getting a membership is for baby stuff. But I also like the idea of the "fun" stuff.
Anyone else have any other thoughts on either place?
We are planning to "tour" both stores on Sunday to see which we like better. Last weekend, Babies R Us; this weekend - super-centers. Jealous?
I've heard from many people that the 2 are like comparing Walmart and Target. So one is cheaper, one has more fun stuff; that's how it translates in my head. There is a Costco across the street from my office, and there is a Sam's at the outdoor shopping center that is closer to home. So both are fairly convenient. There are a few people at my office who have memberships to BOTH which I just think is a little excessive. So, I've been asking around to find out which is better.
I've learned that the baby formula at Sam's is a better deal. They have their own brand which has the same ingredients and same nutritional information as Enfamil, but the jars are bigger and its cheaper. I've also heard that, as long as your baby doesn't need sensitive diapers, the Sam's brand diapers are a lot cheaper and come in higher quantities. I haven't heard anything good about the Costco diapers, but as far as baby "gear" and accessories, Costco has a wider selection of that (proving the "more fun stuff" comment I made earlier)
Most people who are Costco shoppers seem to be very impressed with their paper products. My mom likes the individually wrapped toilet paper. I haven't figured out what the individual wrapping does to enhance the toilet paper, but she likes it. One of my coworkers has a membership solely to buy the Costco brand of bleach-wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, and the meat. Everything else she gets at Sams.
I have another coworker who goes to BOTH stores every weekend with his wife and baby to look. Sometimes they even go to 2 different Sams locations. I can't imagine that a family of 3 would need to make purchases at a super-center more than once a month, but maybe they just like to look? He raves about Costco's selection on electronics, baby toys, and other non-grocery items. Sams tends to be his stop for the grocery goods.
Personally I don't want to spend $80 a year to have 2 different memberships, which I will use MAYBE once a month. I like the thought of the formula and diapers at Sams - our main reason for getting a membership is for baby stuff. But I also like the idea of the "fun" stuff.
Anyone else have any other thoughts on either place?
We are planning to "tour" both stores on Sunday to see which we like better. Last weekend, Babies R Us; this weekend - super-centers. Jealous?
Aug 20, 2009
6 months and COUNTING
6 months from tomorrow is jelly belly's expected arrival - and of all the countdowns I've done over the past 7 years, this one seems to be the most excruciatingly slow. I started my countdown process my senior year of high school during the second semester. As excited as I was to go to college, I had a very rough time that semester with the drastic change looming ahead. So that countdown went by much faster than I would have liked. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to so many people, because I didn't have to sugar-glazed eyes that made me falsely believe that friendships wouldn't change. I wasn't ready to leave the school I was so comfortable in, the band that had become my family, or my actual family. But, the days ticked down and, well before I thought I was ready, I was graduating and moving on. Once graduation was over, the pain and anxiety subsided and I was just purely excited for college - which was an awesome 4 years! (definitely should have made it 5...only of my roommates would have been on board though) In college I counted down the last 3 months of Austin's first deployment, then quickly counted down the 1.5 months until I turned 21, and then in my last semester I began the countdown until graduation again. This time I was less anxious and more excited - I was moving to DENVER. Could life have been more of a blessing? Once in Denver, the countdown shifted to our wedding - which was the LONGEST one I'd ever had...558 days from the day I arrived in Denver. I truly thought I was about done counting down, I was turning in my ticker board and pencil, and then Austin's deployment came. 270 days from the day I dropped Austin off at DIA to the day I picked him up (I think there were more tears on the second day)
But of all those countdowns...even the whopping 558 day count to my wedding...the next 186 days will more than likely prove to be the most agonizing of all. Because in all the things I was looking forward to, you could combine all that excitement together and it still wouldn't come close to the excitement I have for the day I'll hold our baby.
Everyone keeps telling me - don't rush things, enjoy the pregnancy as much as possible because its an awesome time. As if I have any power over father time? Trust me - if I could speed up the clock I would have done it quite a few times already in life, and I would most likely skip the next month too. I'm enjoying being pregnant - I'm enjoying learning about the miracle that is a baby. I'm enjoying how much Austin adores me, as if he didn't already :), and I'm enjoying being treated like a queen. I always knew I was a queen, I just didn't know this was all it took to be TREATED that way! But you can't tell me that any of this process will rival the day that the baby is born. So if I could have begun my pregnancy at 4 months, when I already knew the baby's sex, I would have been a happy camper. At least then my visits to the baby's room wouldn't be so useless. As it is now I go in there, look at the furniture, look at the few little outfits that we have, sit in the glider, and day dream. But once we know the sex...I can paint, begin buying clothes to wash, wash sheets, make my highly anticipated trip to the Container store to get the closet in usable condition...there are so many things that will help the time go by at that point. Until then, its all in the waiting.
Let me digress back to the comment I made about enjoying the miracle that is a baby. It blows my mind that people can experience the birth of a child and still not have faith, still not believe that there is something/someone bigger than us who is in charge of it all. How else could one tiny little lifeless egg turn into a human being with organs and limbs and fingernails and hair and...everything...in 9 months? Or at all, for that matter.
Detour ended. We are doing as much as we can think to do during this time (you know, while we're painfully waiting) We've been researching baby products, looking at various products at different stores and trying to decide which will be the best for us. Candace's friend has offered a bassinet to us, so we will use that during the time that jelly belly isn't sleeping through the night. We have the crib, and we have decided on a pack-n-play that we like best...so the sleeping arrangements seem to be settled. Last weekend it was stroller time. We know we would like a jogging stroller - lots of people have said they are too bulky when they are folded down, but we compared a few to some of the regular strollers and the difference is hardly noticeable. I think its worth the extra space to have the maneuverability and durability of the 3 tires. Plus, Layla and I intend to walk/jog with the baby a lot...a LOT...so the rubber tires should be useful. Once we had nailed down that we wanted a jogging stroller, we were comparing brands. We looked at customer reviews on a few different sites, looked at misc features (its insane what they think to include in a STROLLER these days...) and then it was time to make our 100th trip to babies r us. Boy were we a sight to see?
First, you have to look at the clothes. That's the most fun part! Austin found a little boy's baseball onsie that had #36 on the front (that was his number in football) so that was his favorite outfit of the day. Funny - my favorites are usually pink, and his are usually blue. Weird. Anyway, we decided we needed a "model" baby, so we carried the onsie around the store as we looked at different products. When we found the stroller we like best, we layed the baby in there, gently so as not to wake it up, and began pushing the stroller around the store. I kept attempting to look at the pack-n-play that we like, but some other RUDE couple was hogging the aisle. Never mind that she was probably 7 months pregnant (so more in need of a pack-n-play at this point in time) We kept trying to return to the aisle, but they just wouldn't leave. So, we moved on to car seats. I wanted a matching one - why the car seat and stroller must match I'm not sure - but there isn't one that matches the stroller we picked. The worst part is...the stroller is green and brown, but the car seat that safely snaps into it is black. Black and brown? Do these people know nothing? Oh well, the baby won't ALWAYS ride in the car seat right? So, we lifted baby out of the stroller, placed it into the car seat, then snapped the car seat into the stroller. At this point Austin thought doing donuts in the aisles was the best idea - needed to test out how safe baby would be in the event of a dangerous situation. The car seat never budged, and our little mock baby never made a peep (odd huh?) so we decided it was safe. So - car seat and stroller, done.
And by "done" I mean picked out. Clearly we are not planning to purchase every item the moment we decide on it. I don't make millions, you know.
Austin usually enjoys our babies r us trips, but it is also Austin who always initiates the leaving. I think there's only so much he can take in one day. Plus, if we decide on everything now what will we do for the next 6 months? So, it was after the stroller-donuts that we decided it was time to leave.
Not without the baseball onsie though. You have 90 days to get a refund - and it was on sale for $8. What's the harm?
Our next focus: a high chair. This one is more intimidating to us both - not sure why. Stay tuned!
But of all those countdowns...even the whopping 558 day count to my wedding...the next 186 days will more than likely prove to be the most agonizing of all. Because in all the things I was looking forward to, you could combine all that excitement together and it still wouldn't come close to the excitement I have for the day I'll hold our baby.
Everyone keeps telling me - don't rush things, enjoy the pregnancy as much as possible because its an awesome time. As if I have any power over father time? Trust me - if I could speed up the clock I would have done it quite a few times already in life, and I would most likely skip the next month too. I'm enjoying being pregnant - I'm enjoying learning about the miracle that is a baby. I'm enjoying how much Austin adores me, as if he didn't already :), and I'm enjoying being treated like a queen. I always knew I was a queen, I just didn't know this was all it took to be TREATED that way! But you can't tell me that any of this process will rival the day that the baby is born. So if I could have begun my pregnancy at 4 months, when I already knew the baby's sex, I would have been a happy camper. At least then my visits to the baby's room wouldn't be so useless. As it is now I go in there, look at the furniture, look at the few little outfits that we have, sit in the glider, and day dream. But once we know the sex...I can paint, begin buying clothes to wash, wash sheets, make my highly anticipated trip to the Container store to get the closet in usable condition...there are so many things that will help the time go by at that point. Until then, its all in the waiting.
Let me digress back to the comment I made about enjoying the miracle that is a baby. It blows my mind that people can experience the birth of a child and still not have faith, still not believe that there is something/someone bigger than us who is in charge of it all. How else could one tiny little lifeless egg turn into a human being with organs and limbs and fingernails and hair and...everything...in 9 months? Or at all, for that matter.
Detour ended. We are doing as much as we can think to do during this time (you know, while we're painfully waiting) We've been researching baby products, looking at various products at different stores and trying to decide which will be the best for us. Candace's friend has offered a bassinet to us, so we will use that during the time that jelly belly isn't sleeping through the night. We have the crib, and we have decided on a pack-n-play that we like best...so the sleeping arrangements seem to be settled. Last weekend it was stroller time. We know we would like a jogging stroller - lots of people have said they are too bulky when they are folded down, but we compared a few to some of the regular strollers and the difference is hardly noticeable. I think its worth the extra space to have the maneuverability and durability of the 3 tires. Plus, Layla and I intend to walk/jog with the baby a lot...a LOT...so the rubber tires should be useful. Once we had nailed down that we wanted a jogging stroller, we were comparing brands. We looked at customer reviews on a few different sites, looked at misc features (its insane what they think to include in a STROLLER these days...) and then it was time to make our 100th trip to babies r us. Boy were we a sight to see?
First, you have to look at the clothes. That's the most fun part! Austin found a little boy's baseball onsie that had #36 on the front (that was his number in football) so that was his favorite outfit of the day. Funny - my favorites are usually pink, and his are usually blue. Weird. Anyway, we decided we needed a "model" baby, so we carried the onsie around the store as we looked at different products. When we found the stroller we like best, we layed the baby in there, gently so as not to wake it up, and began pushing the stroller around the store. I kept attempting to look at the pack-n-play that we like, but some other RUDE couple was hogging the aisle. Never mind that she was probably 7 months pregnant (so more in need of a pack-n-play at this point in time) We kept trying to return to the aisle, but they just wouldn't leave. So, we moved on to car seats. I wanted a matching one - why the car seat and stroller must match I'm not sure - but there isn't one that matches the stroller we picked. The worst part is...the stroller is green and brown, but the car seat that safely snaps into it is black. Black and brown? Do these people know nothing? Oh well, the baby won't ALWAYS ride in the car seat right? So, we lifted baby out of the stroller, placed it into the car seat, then snapped the car seat into the stroller. At this point Austin thought doing donuts in the aisles was the best idea - needed to test out how safe baby would be in the event of a dangerous situation. The car seat never budged, and our little mock baby never made a peep (odd huh?) so we decided it was safe. So - car seat and stroller, done.
And by "done" I mean picked out. Clearly we are not planning to purchase every item the moment we decide on it. I don't make millions, you know.
Austin usually enjoys our babies r us trips, but it is also Austin who always initiates the leaving. I think there's only so much he can take in one day. Plus, if we decide on everything now what will we do for the next 6 months? So, it was after the stroller-donuts that we decided it was time to leave.
Not without the baseball onsie though. You have 90 days to get a refund - and it was on sale for $8. What's the harm?
Our next focus: a high chair. This one is more intimidating to us both - not sure why. Stay tuned!
Aug 19, 2009
Cousins, Cousins
Everywhere!
Austin's cousin Kelly emailed me this morning. Kelly is definitely the person in the family who keeps up with everyone's news, which is good because they have a bigger than average family and people are all spread out. She was emailing to see how the pregnancy is going, if we have shower dates, when we'll know the sex, etc. Then she filled me in on some other family news.
Ryan and Shannon are pregnant with baby #2 and expecting in March! Shannon had told me in June when I saw her that they had been talking about baby #2 more lately, and weren't sure when they'd start trying. (these are the parents of precious Lily, if you read my June post about falling in love) They are also moving to Dallas, so Austin and I should be able to see them more often - when we're in Texas at least. I wrote Kelly back, saying I hadn't heard and that was good news, and she filled me in on some more. Their cousin Jenny and her husband Jason are expecting baby #2 also. She didn't tell me when they're due - but I got the impression it is after March. Jenny is a school teacher and she planned their first baby, Jack, pretty well - he was born at the very end of the school year so she had his first 3.5 months with him before going back to work. Jack was born in 2008 - so he's about 15 months now. I'm assuming Jenny was hoping for #2 to be born as close to summer as possible also.
Then Kelly forwarded me pictures of their cousin Mickey and his wife Kate's baby Gianna. She was born last month so she is still brand new.
Add these 3 additions to the existing clan of Nicole, Cameron, Brittany, Kelsie, Sherrie, Brooke, Lily, Jack and Nick's daughter whose name I do not know (and, actually, I think their cousin Todd may have a toddler also) - Jelly Belly will have quite the mess of cousins to play with. Kelly is working on trying to organize a 2011 family reunion so that all the babies can meet...my guess would be someone will be pregnant then too. LOTS of babies!
My family is a little slower on the baby front. Granted Austin's cousins are all a little older than he is, whereas I'm right in the middle of my family, so I guess its not surprising that his family has already gotten started on spreading the family genes. But I need to recruit some help on my side - Jelly Belly needs cousins to play with at those family reunions too!
Speaking of - I have been nominated to organize a Thanksgiving 2010 family reunion for my mom's family. It wouldn't be the t-shirt wearing, chant-singing, 100+ attendant reunion...we are a small group...but it's difficult with Jesse, Brian and Austin in the Army, and now Chelsea and Kyle in Ohio, for all of us to ever be together. My wedding was the closest attempt at that, but Brandon wasn't there. Brian and Austin weren't able to make Chelsea's wedding (love that Army) so we've never been all together since we've had spouses...and I'm not sure it would ever happen unless we purposely arrange it. Since I feel I've missed my calling as an event coordinator, I probably shouldn't take my name off the nomination list (and right now its the only one) so I better start thinking. We definitely need a location with plenty to do - if we all sit in one room for too long, a fight is sure to break out. We love each other, just not in too strong of doses I guess :) Those genes come from Granny! So if anyone has any suggestions of good locations for a group of about 12 plus a baby in November (that isn't too pricey) I would appreciate it! My first pick would be disneyworld, but I don't think I'd get anyone on board. My second pick would be a cruise - but I'm not guessing anyone would get on board there either. So - all suggestions are appreciated :)
I'm excited though - cousins are good, and the more the better I think!
Austin's cousin Kelly emailed me this morning. Kelly is definitely the person in the family who keeps up with everyone's news, which is good because they have a bigger than average family and people are all spread out. She was emailing to see how the pregnancy is going, if we have shower dates, when we'll know the sex, etc. Then she filled me in on some other family news.
Ryan and Shannon are pregnant with baby #2 and expecting in March! Shannon had told me in June when I saw her that they had been talking about baby #2 more lately, and weren't sure when they'd start trying. (these are the parents of precious Lily, if you read my June post about falling in love) They are also moving to Dallas, so Austin and I should be able to see them more often - when we're in Texas at least. I wrote Kelly back, saying I hadn't heard and that was good news, and she filled me in on some more. Their cousin Jenny and her husband Jason are expecting baby #2 also. She didn't tell me when they're due - but I got the impression it is after March. Jenny is a school teacher and she planned their first baby, Jack, pretty well - he was born at the very end of the school year so she had his first 3.5 months with him before going back to work. Jack was born in 2008 - so he's about 15 months now. I'm assuming Jenny was hoping for #2 to be born as close to summer as possible also.
Then Kelly forwarded me pictures of their cousin Mickey and his wife Kate's baby Gianna. She was born last month so she is still brand new.
Add these 3 additions to the existing clan of Nicole, Cameron, Brittany, Kelsie, Sherrie, Brooke, Lily, Jack and Nick's daughter whose name I do not know (and, actually, I think their cousin Todd may have a toddler also) - Jelly Belly will have quite the mess of cousins to play with. Kelly is working on trying to organize a 2011 family reunion so that all the babies can meet...my guess would be someone will be pregnant then too. LOTS of babies!
My family is a little slower on the baby front. Granted Austin's cousins are all a little older than he is, whereas I'm right in the middle of my family, so I guess its not surprising that his family has already gotten started on spreading the family genes. But I need to recruit some help on my side - Jelly Belly needs cousins to play with at those family reunions too!
Speaking of - I have been nominated to organize a Thanksgiving 2010 family reunion for my mom's family. It wouldn't be the t-shirt wearing, chant-singing, 100+ attendant reunion...we are a small group...but it's difficult with Jesse, Brian and Austin in the Army, and now Chelsea and Kyle in Ohio, for all of us to ever be together. My wedding was the closest attempt at that, but Brandon wasn't there. Brian and Austin weren't able to make Chelsea's wedding (love that Army) so we've never been all together since we've had spouses...and I'm not sure it would ever happen unless we purposely arrange it. Since I feel I've missed my calling as an event coordinator, I probably shouldn't take my name off the nomination list (and right now its the only one) so I better start thinking. We definitely need a location with plenty to do - if we all sit in one room for too long, a fight is sure to break out. We love each other, just not in too strong of doses I guess :) Those genes come from Granny! So if anyone has any suggestions of good locations for a group of about 12 plus a baby in November (that isn't too pricey) I would appreciate it! My first pick would be disneyworld, but I don't think I'd get anyone on board. My second pick would be a cruise - but I'm not guessing anyone would get on board there either. So - all suggestions are appreciated :)
I'm excited though - cousins are good, and the more the better I think!
Aug 17, 2009
I Missed My Calling
Those are the words I told my mom, Alexis, Linda-mom, and Dana after Alexis's shower on Saturday.
I should have gone into event planning. The money is not the same, and I am in a field where I don't worry (much) about whether or not I'll be able to find a job...so this is definitely the safer choice. I'm good at it too - so that's a plus - but I sure would love being an event planner.
I think I'd like all sorts of events. I'm not partial to just weddings or showers or birthday parties...I would love to do it all. And throwing a party for an event I'm not familiar with would just require more organization, planning, brainstorming...all the stuff I enjoy :)
I really like all aspects of the party. I love planning - that's the best - but I like preparing, decorating, welcoming guests, being a host, and EVEN cleaning up afterwards. The messier the party, the more fun people had! And when you're throwing the party for someone that is so special to you - that makes it even MORE fun/rewarding. I hadn't seen Alexis's aunts, cousins, and grandma in awhile so it was fun to see them again - I spent plenty of holidays/birthdays/misc random days with them throughout high school and college, so they're a lot like family anyway.
And the shower was wonderful (not to toot my own horn or anything) At least I had a blast I know that much - which is really what matters right? Alexis had a great time too - yeah yeah, she matters :) I guess HER opinion might be more important. But everything ran smoothly, everyone seemed to be entertained, the food was good...oh...and the CAKE...
Brandon's wife Dana made a cake for Alexis. I had told her that Alexis's favorite is red velvet, so she made a 2 tiered red velvet cake with buttercream frosting. I think it was seriously one of the best cakes I've ever had. It was beautiful too - wish I had the pictures already so I could show off her work.
I think when I'm an event coordinator, I will recommend her for all the cakes.
So, all rambling aside - I had a great weekend seeing my family (briefly), throwing a fun bridal shower for Ms B2B, and watching the Texans win their first preseason game. (had to throw that one in there - it's gonna be a great year!) And I just needed a 4 hour nap to recover...not too bad!
I should have gone into event planning. The money is not the same, and I am in a field where I don't worry (much) about whether or not I'll be able to find a job...so this is definitely the safer choice. I'm good at it too - so that's a plus - but I sure would love being an event planner.
I think I'd like all sorts of events. I'm not partial to just weddings or showers or birthday parties...I would love to do it all. And throwing a party for an event I'm not familiar with would just require more organization, planning, brainstorming...all the stuff I enjoy :)
I really like all aspects of the party. I love planning - that's the best - but I like preparing, decorating, welcoming guests, being a host, and EVEN cleaning up afterwards. The messier the party, the more fun people had! And when you're throwing the party for someone that is so special to you - that makes it even MORE fun/rewarding. I hadn't seen Alexis's aunts, cousins, and grandma in awhile so it was fun to see them again - I spent plenty of holidays/birthdays/misc random days with them throughout high school and college, so they're a lot like family anyway.
And the shower was wonderful (not to toot my own horn or anything) At least I had a blast I know that much - which is really what matters right? Alexis had a great time too - yeah yeah, she matters :) I guess HER opinion might be more important. But everything ran smoothly, everyone seemed to be entertained, the food was good...oh...and the CAKE...
Brandon's wife Dana made a cake for Alexis. I had told her that Alexis's favorite is red velvet, so she made a 2 tiered red velvet cake with buttercream frosting. I think it was seriously one of the best cakes I've ever had. It was beautiful too - wish I had the pictures already so I could show off her work.
I think when I'm an event coordinator, I will recommend her for all the cakes.
So, all rambling aside - I had a great weekend seeing my family (briefly), throwing a fun bridal shower for Ms B2B, and watching the Texans win their first preseason game. (had to throw that one in there - it's gonna be a great year!) And I just needed a 4 hour nap to recover...not too bad!
Aug 14, 2009
Limes
Along with my love for Mexican food, I LOVE limes. Squeeze on tacos, rice, enchiladas, guacamole...not to mention MARGARITAS (oh, how I'd love one of those right now) So when I found out that our little jelly belly is about the size of a lime right now, I thought it was pretty precious :)
We had our 12 week appointment yesterday. Unfortunately, Austin was caught up in a meeting at work and couldn't make it. He really missed out - but he loved hearing me tell him all the details. I can see the pride in his eyes when I talked about it - very sweet.
The appointment went well. At our 8 week appointment we were asked if we'd like to do an optional genetic scan at 12 weeks. This scan doesn't tell anything conclusive, it just reports whether or not we are at a higher risk for various birth defects. Austin and I would not terminate our pregnancy under any circumstances, so we don't see the need to do the genetic testing unless there is something largely serious that needs to be addressed during the pregnancy. However, this initial scan came with an ultrasound - and we'll take any opportunity to see our little jelly belly! So I started the appointment out yesterday with an ultrasound. The technician told me to try my best not to laugh when the baby "bounces" because it makes it harder to measure, but most moms want to laugh cause its very cute.
When she turned the machine on, baby was in the fetal position and she informed me that was lucky because that is the position that the baby must be in to get all the proper measurements - she said some moms have to wait 20 minutes before baby lays back down! She got all her measurements, and it was as if the baby knew he/she was done cooperating, because about 2 seconds after the final measurement he/she starting some acrobatic moves! I saw some cartwheels, headstands, lots of kicking and some waving. At the very end the baby put his/her foot right up to the camera and I saw all the little bitty toes...very precious.
We did discuss the potential gender of the baby. I won't say what her prediction is on here in case for some reason my brother is reading, but its definitely not 100% anyway. I asked about the 16 week test and it is $75. I had told Austin the limit for us doing the test would be $100, so I guess we'll be doing it! 4 more weeks and we'll hopefully be able to announce the baby's name (if we can decide on one lol)
I know that from this point on, every picture I see will overshadow this one - every move my baby makes will be more monumental than the last, and I'm not sure when/if that ever stops. But for now, this picture is the pride of my life and seeing the ultrasound yesterday was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I made our next appointment for a day that Austin won't be at work so he definitely won't miss out on that one. Its too much of a blessing and a miracle for him to miss it.
And to quote my favorite of all my baby blankets: "That's Our Baby!"
Aug 13, 2009
Wisdom: I Finally Have It
In the form of teeth.
I've known for the past 9 years that I have 5 wisdom teeth, which means I'm extremely wise. It also means that despite the fact that 4 are coming in perfectly, they need to be removed because of the one that is coming in crooked. My orthodontist, who I despised, told me that the day I left his office for the last time. I had just endured 4.5 years of torture via braces, so I decided I deserved a little break from the oral-abuse and I would deal with my wisdom teeth later.
Later became sometime in college, which was then never convenient because I didn't have a dentist in college station. So then 'later' was postponed to post-graduation, but then I didn't have dental insurance, so it was postponed yet again.
Earlier this year I started to feel my wisdom teeth protruding through my gums and decided that the time would be near that I would have to bite the big one and have them removed. Then I found out I am pregnant.
No oral surgery for me!
Which was of great comfort, until last week when my lower jaw began throbbing anytime I ate anything. My gums are swollen, my jaw is sore, and I bite my cheek daily. All in the name of procrastination. I've always known stubbornness and procrastination get you no where, but I'm a big baby about my teeth...so I thought maybe it would pan out well for me. Maybe my orthodontist really was as big an idiot as I thought he was, and maybe he saw 5 teeth when really there were just 4 perfect teeth growing in straight with plenty of room. That may still be the case, and until another doctor tells me otherwise I'm sticking with that, but that doesn't change the fact that had I just gotten the wisdom teeth out back in high school none of this would be an issue.
Oh well, at least now I have a GOOD excuse for why I'm putting it off right? And 6 months from now I'll know pain to its fullest, so this measly little wisdom-tooth pain will be but a faint memory.
Moving on. Last night Austin and I watched Father of the Bride. He had never seen it before, which I think is just insane, so I put it on Netflix immediately. I laughed hysterically almost the entire movie, and he got angrier and angrier as the movie went on. He grew to hate the daughter, and accused her of changing and no longer loving her daddy just because some "tool" stepped into her life. I tried reminding him that he doesn't have to be protective of HER...she's not his daughter. But apparently to dads (and soon-to-be dads) the character is too difficult to separate from your own daughter. At the end of the movie when the daughter calls her dad from the airport to say bye I said "See, she still loves her daddy" and he said "If my daughter EVER calls me 'Austin', if a man EVER proposes before I've even met him, and if anyone EVER expects me to spend $250 per person on a wedding...someone will be hurt. But at least she finally came to her senses and realized her daddy is still #1." Whoa...down boy. I guess there's some sort of wire in the man's brain regarding daughters that I just don't understand. And I guess that's why Austin thinks a son would be so much easier. "son's just don't change" he said. I told him "well, there's plenty of boys who get to junior high or high school and are suddenly too cool to hug their mommies..." and he said "well, that's not mean to dad at least..." ahhhhhh thanks. so i get to give birth, but as long as the kid is forever full of love and adoration for DAD all is well? I think that "wire" I wrote about is more of a loose screw or something :)
Austin did say, though, that as the pregnancy goes on he is coming to prefer a boy less and less and is just becoming excited for either one. I think he'd still rather have a boy first, but he isn't as dead-set on it. Our doctor's office claims there's a test that can be run at 16 weeks to tell the sex, but insurance companies don't pay for it. Today we have our 12 week appointment and Austin wants to find out how much the 16 week test costs, because he thinks 8 more weeks of waiting is just too long. Has he forgotten about the 6 months we have to wait before we actually SEE the baby?
Will keep you posted, as always, on how the doc appointment goes, the new ultrasound picture, and what we learn about the 16 week appointment.
Tomorrow I'll be busy working hard so that I can leave at 4:30 to catch my plane for Alexis's shower - YAY - so I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and I'll be back on Monday to distract you from work (or whatever it is that I distract you from)
I've known for the past 9 years that I have 5 wisdom teeth, which means I'm extremely wise. It also means that despite the fact that 4 are coming in perfectly, they need to be removed because of the one that is coming in crooked. My orthodontist, who I despised, told me that the day I left his office for the last time. I had just endured 4.5 years of torture via braces, so I decided I deserved a little break from the oral-abuse and I would deal with my wisdom teeth later.
Later became sometime in college, which was then never convenient because I didn't have a dentist in college station. So then 'later' was postponed to post-graduation, but then I didn't have dental insurance, so it was postponed yet again.
Earlier this year I started to feel my wisdom teeth protruding through my gums and decided that the time would be near that I would have to bite the big one and have them removed. Then I found out I am pregnant.
No oral surgery for me!
Which was of great comfort, until last week when my lower jaw began throbbing anytime I ate anything. My gums are swollen, my jaw is sore, and I bite my cheek daily. All in the name of procrastination. I've always known stubbornness and procrastination get you no where, but I'm a big baby about my teeth...so I thought maybe it would pan out well for me. Maybe my orthodontist really was as big an idiot as I thought he was, and maybe he saw 5 teeth when really there were just 4 perfect teeth growing in straight with plenty of room. That may still be the case, and until another doctor tells me otherwise I'm sticking with that, but that doesn't change the fact that had I just gotten the wisdom teeth out back in high school none of this would be an issue.
Oh well, at least now I have a GOOD excuse for why I'm putting it off right? And 6 months from now I'll know pain to its fullest, so this measly little wisdom-tooth pain will be but a faint memory.
Moving on. Last night Austin and I watched Father of the Bride. He had never seen it before, which I think is just insane, so I put it on Netflix immediately. I laughed hysterically almost the entire movie, and he got angrier and angrier as the movie went on. He grew to hate the daughter, and accused her of changing and no longer loving her daddy just because some "tool" stepped into her life. I tried reminding him that he doesn't have to be protective of HER...she's not his daughter. But apparently to dads (and soon-to-be dads) the character is too difficult to separate from your own daughter. At the end of the movie when the daughter calls her dad from the airport to say bye I said "See, she still loves her daddy" and he said "If my daughter EVER calls me 'Austin', if a man EVER proposes before I've even met him, and if anyone EVER expects me to spend $250 per person on a wedding...someone will be hurt. But at least she finally came to her senses and realized her daddy is still #1." Whoa...down boy. I guess there's some sort of wire in the man's brain regarding daughters that I just don't understand. And I guess that's why Austin thinks a son would be so much easier. "son's just don't change" he said. I told him "well, there's plenty of boys who get to junior high or high school and are suddenly too cool to hug their mommies..." and he said "well, that's not mean to dad at least..." ahhhhhh thanks. so i get to give birth, but as long as the kid is forever full of love and adoration for DAD all is well? I think that "wire" I wrote about is more of a loose screw or something :)
Austin did say, though, that as the pregnancy goes on he is coming to prefer a boy less and less and is just becoming excited for either one. I think he'd still rather have a boy first, but he isn't as dead-set on it. Our doctor's office claims there's a test that can be run at 16 weeks to tell the sex, but insurance companies don't pay for it. Today we have our 12 week appointment and Austin wants to find out how much the 16 week test costs, because he thinks 8 more weeks of waiting is just too long. Has he forgotten about the 6 months we have to wait before we actually SEE the baby?
Will keep you posted, as always, on how the doc appointment goes, the new ultrasound picture, and what we learn about the 16 week appointment.
Tomorrow I'll be busy working hard so that I can leave at 4:30 to catch my plane for Alexis's shower - YAY - so I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and I'll be back on Monday to distract you from work (or whatever it is that I distract you from)
Aug 11, 2009
What's in a Dream?
Don't worry, I won't talk about being a psychic again.
I've read in a few different pregnancy articles that pregnant women report having more vivid dreams, and that there seems to be a pattern of the themes of these dreams. I know the first trimester involved dreams of people from your past - exboyfriends, old friends, etc. The second trimester is supposed to have a lot of dreams about animals, and the third trimester's dreams revolve around nature. Well, I had all 3 mixed into one. And it was quite an odd dream (which is pretty normal for me, actually)
In my dream, my family was having a family reunion. I'm not sure where we were, but we were walking on a path along side a highway, and the path was somewhat leading into the woods and near a lake. There were about 15 people in front of me, and my dad was there playing with a little girl. I thought the little girl was my niece (which I do not have) so I weaved through all the people in front of me to get up there so I could place with her. I picked her up and was swinging her back and forth while she giggled and was just as happy as could be. Everyone at the reunion seemed to want her to like what they are most interested in - so my dad kept trying to get her to play with a football, Emily kept trying to get her to play with horses, and my aunt Mandy was insistent that she like snakes. I don't know if my aunt even likes snakes, but in my dream she did. My mom kept talking to the girl, but she kept saying Amanda. I was confused because I thought she was talking to me- and then I took one more look at her and it dawned on me: the baby was me at age 2. People knew I was there - in both forms, me the 25 year old and me the 2 year old. Baby me was only comfortable with the snakes if I was holding her, the snake was wrapped around both of our arms, and his head was in my mouth. This didn't shock anyone - apparently that's a normal practice for snake-charmers? So Mandy kept bringing over snake after snake for baby Amanda to meet. The last snake she brought over started slithering further and further down my throat until I was choking. I was trying my best not to scare baby me, so I was being calm, which made it difficult to get anyone's attention. Finally someone got the snake out and threw him into the lake, because he clearly wasn't an obedient snake.
Then it was time for lunch. We were having BBQ and everyone kept telling me to try the baked beans. I don't like baked beans, but no one would listen to me, and finally someone filled my entire plate full of baked beans. Then someone else put a clump of coleslaw on top and everyone thought it was the most entertaining event of the weekend. I was furious, so I decided I'd crawl under the picnic tables and eat out of the buckets of food down there. While I was down there baby Amanda crawled into my lap, and suddenly we were in the lake. I felt like I was going to drown, but I figured out how to swim across the lake with just my legs, so that I could hold baby me.
That's about all I remember.
And the point of sharing it is just so I can get your analysis :)
Glad you spent 5 minutes reading it? Me too.
I've read in a few different pregnancy articles that pregnant women report having more vivid dreams, and that there seems to be a pattern of the themes of these dreams. I know the first trimester involved dreams of people from your past - exboyfriends, old friends, etc. The second trimester is supposed to have a lot of dreams about animals, and the third trimester's dreams revolve around nature. Well, I had all 3 mixed into one. And it was quite an odd dream (which is pretty normal for me, actually)
In my dream, my family was having a family reunion. I'm not sure where we were, but we were walking on a path along side a highway, and the path was somewhat leading into the woods and near a lake. There were about 15 people in front of me, and my dad was there playing with a little girl. I thought the little girl was my niece (which I do not have) so I weaved through all the people in front of me to get up there so I could place with her. I picked her up and was swinging her back and forth while she giggled and was just as happy as could be. Everyone at the reunion seemed to want her to like what they are most interested in - so my dad kept trying to get her to play with a football, Emily kept trying to get her to play with horses, and my aunt Mandy was insistent that she like snakes. I don't know if my aunt even likes snakes, but in my dream she did. My mom kept talking to the girl, but she kept saying Amanda. I was confused because I thought she was talking to me- and then I took one more look at her and it dawned on me: the baby was me at age 2. People knew I was there - in both forms, me the 25 year old and me the 2 year old. Baby me was only comfortable with the snakes if I was holding her, the snake was wrapped around both of our arms, and his head was in my mouth. This didn't shock anyone - apparently that's a normal practice for snake-charmers? So Mandy kept bringing over snake after snake for baby Amanda to meet. The last snake she brought over started slithering further and further down my throat until I was choking. I was trying my best not to scare baby me, so I was being calm, which made it difficult to get anyone's attention. Finally someone got the snake out and threw him into the lake, because he clearly wasn't an obedient snake.
Then it was time for lunch. We were having BBQ and everyone kept telling me to try the baked beans. I don't like baked beans, but no one would listen to me, and finally someone filled my entire plate full of baked beans. Then someone else put a clump of coleslaw on top and everyone thought it was the most entertaining event of the weekend. I was furious, so I decided I'd crawl under the picnic tables and eat out of the buckets of food down there. While I was down there baby Amanda crawled into my lap, and suddenly we were in the lake. I felt like I was going to drown, but I figured out how to swim across the lake with just my legs, so that I could hold baby me.
That's about all I remember.
And the point of sharing it is just so I can get your analysis :)
Glad you spent 5 minutes reading it? Me too.
Aug 10, 2009
The Army Life for Me
*sung to the tune of "a pirate's life for me"*
I think this will most likely be new-news because I don't think we've told anyone about the possibility of Austin's job-change. I get frustrated when I tell people about changes in Austin's job because, well, they always seem to fall through or change again so there's always this phase of re-explaining or retracting what we said before...just easier to leave it all unsaid until things are more certain. And when I say Austin's "job change" - really it means just Austin getting a job. Because Buckley is so unorganized, Austin hasn't had a job since he got back from BNCOC in Arizona...back at the end of MAY. It isn't a matter of there not being work to be done - though I will admit that I was concerned that his lack of a job would get us moved somewhere - it is just a matter of the people at Buckley being too unorganized to figure out what to do. If only women ran the Army...
Ok I'm getting off track here. Austin has spent the last 2.5 months either sitting at home in uniform, waiting to see if he'll get called, or going in to try and help out with odds and ends for a few hours. Then he went to California for 5 days for what I thought to be the biggest waste of money ever. There is a piece of equipment that is being tested, anything beyond that is classified information so I can't really explain what it does, and there is a "section" of soldiers/airmen at Buckley who work on this equipment. They had gone to California at the end of June to begin testing, and they were wrapping it up the last week of July. So, rather than logically having the team that is in California be responsible for bringing the equipment back, someone, way smarter than I, decided a better plan would be to have someone back here in Denver rent a cargo van, drive 15 hours to California, spend 2 days, load the van with the equipment, and drive 15 hours back while the team in California flew back. That "someone" was Austin. I decided, during his 5 day waste of time trip to California, that I prefer the short TDY's much more than the 3 month TDY's...they're over before you know it. When comparing one week to 3 months, or the 9 months last year, it really isn't too bad.
Then Austin got home and informed me that he was told he is being "considered" to join that section at Buckley. There are supposed to be 4 Army guys in the section, and 3 of them are leaving for whatever reason (deployment, PCS, etc) So because Austin is the right rank, and because he doesn't have a "job" yet, they are going to put him in this section. After months of my complaining about their lack of organization, they finally found him a job - and I hate it.
Austin's friend Perry is in this section, so I've known a little about it since I met Perry. He is gone periodically, anywhere from one week to 2 months at a time, testing this equipment. Once it is all cleared he is hoping that his team can take it to Afghanistan to train people over there on how to use it. That would be about a 2-3 month deployment, or so he told me back in January. There are no definite plans for Afghanistan - the equipment would have to be approved, all testing completed, and the Army would have to determine that it is useful and necessary for this team to take it over there in order to put it into place. So there are small hoops to jump through, so to speak, before that could even happen. But it is a possibility, and it is Perry's hope.
I told Austin that it's ironic, because I had been thinking in the past few weeks that maybe we should reconsider reenlistment in 2011. Austin's pretty against it, and I knew he was, but I had just been thinking that maybe it would be a good idea. He's pretty sick of the politics in the Army, sick of his MOS, and wants to go to college so that we can have a more stable life for our family. But I started to think...Its guaranteed, inexpensive health care, a guaranteed income, moving around couldbe kind of fun, its really not SO bad...etc. I thought about it while he was in California and decided I'd tell him when he got home that we should put the idea back on the table. Then he tells me this. I guess the Army doesn't really want us to stay, cause they had already lost his interest and just when they had mine they let it go.
I asked him when the next TDY is going to be and he said it isn't scheduled, but it is in the works. Perry and his team are trying to get it approved to take the equipment to Hawaii to test it. They are trying to keep the testing time frame less than a month, as they felt the month-long testing was unnecessary, but my guess is that to make Hawaii economically reasonable it'd have to be for 2 weeks or so right? That's just my guess (not that the Army is ever economically reasonable, as demonstrated by Austin's jaunt through the Rocky Mountains) If they do go to Hawaii, it will be in September or October. Then what's after Hawaii, one might ask? One who likes to make plans for life...and, I don't know, an upcoming BABY...well there are not future plans. As there never are.
So, if they won't plan, how do we plan? What if someone decides that the last week in November would be the best time for the next phase of testing? Guess we wouldn't be going to Houston then? Or what if someone decides a month of testing in February is smart...guess I'll be hiring a labor "coach"? I think there is some discretion in there - Austin was able to say that he is unavailable in the beginning of September because of Alexis's wedding - but ultimately if someone else trumped him, that would be that. I'm guessing that the people in charge of scheduling wouldn't schedule it right around the birth of his child, but I could be way off on that.
Therefore, as I'm sure you could guess - I have recently taken the reenlistment topic back off the table. The Army Life for Me? I don't think so. After all, if Austin's against it, who am I to argue? I'm such a good, subservient wife you know.
*DISCLAIMER*This is all subject to change, so writing all of this may have been for nothing. And I'm sure this post was less entertaining than my hysterical breakfast fit, so I apologize. I will keep you posted, though, on the "plans" for Austin's job. Apparently the Army thinks that when people get married, they really would prefer to spend as little time together as possible. Keeps the love alive.
I think this will most likely be new-news because I don't think we've told anyone about the possibility of Austin's job-change. I get frustrated when I tell people about changes in Austin's job because, well, they always seem to fall through or change again so there's always this phase of re-explaining or retracting what we said before...just easier to leave it all unsaid until things are more certain. And when I say Austin's "job change" - really it means just Austin getting a job. Because Buckley is so unorganized, Austin hasn't had a job since he got back from BNCOC in Arizona...back at the end of MAY. It isn't a matter of there not being work to be done - though I will admit that I was concerned that his lack of a job would get us moved somewhere - it is just a matter of the people at Buckley being too unorganized to figure out what to do. If only women ran the Army...
Ok I'm getting off track here. Austin has spent the last 2.5 months either sitting at home in uniform, waiting to see if he'll get called, or going in to try and help out with odds and ends for a few hours. Then he went to California for 5 days for what I thought to be the biggest waste of money ever. There is a piece of equipment that is being tested, anything beyond that is classified information so I can't really explain what it does, and there is a "section" of soldiers/airmen at Buckley who work on this equipment. They had gone to California at the end of June to begin testing, and they were wrapping it up the last week of July. So, rather than logically having the team that is in California be responsible for bringing the equipment back, someone, way smarter than I, decided a better plan would be to have someone back here in Denver rent a cargo van, drive 15 hours to California, spend 2 days, load the van with the equipment, and drive 15 hours back while the team in California flew back. That "someone" was Austin. I decided, during his 5 day waste of time trip to California, that I prefer the short TDY's much more than the 3 month TDY's...they're over before you know it. When comparing one week to 3 months, or the 9 months last year, it really isn't too bad.
Then Austin got home and informed me that he was told he is being "considered" to join that section at Buckley. There are supposed to be 4 Army guys in the section, and 3 of them are leaving for whatever reason (deployment, PCS, etc) So because Austin is the right rank, and because he doesn't have a "job" yet, they are going to put him in this section. After months of my complaining about their lack of organization, they finally found him a job - and I hate it.
Austin's friend Perry is in this section, so I've known a little about it since I met Perry. He is gone periodically, anywhere from one week to 2 months at a time, testing this equipment. Once it is all cleared he is hoping that his team can take it to Afghanistan to train people over there on how to use it. That would be about a 2-3 month deployment, or so he told me back in January. There are no definite plans for Afghanistan - the equipment would have to be approved, all testing completed, and the Army would have to determine that it is useful and necessary for this team to take it over there in order to put it into place. So there are small hoops to jump through, so to speak, before that could even happen. But it is a possibility, and it is Perry's hope.
I told Austin that it's ironic, because I had been thinking in the past few weeks that maybe we should reconsider reenlistment in 2011. Austin's pretty against it, and I knew he was, but I had just been thinking that maybe it would be a good idea. He's pretty sick of the politics in the Army, sick of his MOS, and wants to go to college so that we can have a more stable life for our family. But I started to think...Its guaranteed, inexpensive health care, a guaranteed income, moving around couldbe kind of fun, its really not SO bad...etc. I thought about it while he was in California and decided I'd tell him when he got home that we should put the idea back on the table. Then he tells me this. I guess the Army doesn't really want us to stay, cause they had already lost his interest and just when they had mine they let it go.
I asked him when the next TDY is going to be and he said it isn't scheduled, but it is in the works. Perry and his team are trying to get it approved to take the equipment to Hawaii to test it. They are trying to keep the testing time frame less than a month, as they felt the month-long testing was unnecessary, but my guess is that to make Hawaii economically reasonable it'd have to be for 2 weeks or so right? That's just my guess (not that the Army is ever economically reasonable, as demonstrated by Austin's jaunt through the Rocky Mountains) If they do go to Hawaii, it will be in September or October. Then what's after Hawaii, one might ask? One who likes to make plans for life...and, I don't know, an upcoming BABY...well there are not future plans. As there never are.
So, if they won't plan, how do we plan? What if someone decides that the last week in November would be the best time for the next phase of testing? Guess we wouldn't be going to Houston then? Or what if someone decides a month of testing in February is smart...guess I'll be hiring a labor "coach"? I think there is some discretion in there - Austin was able to say that he is unavailable in the beginning of September because of Alexis's wedding - but ultimately if someone else trumped him, that would be that. I'm guessing that the people in charge of scheduling wouldn't schedule it right around the birth of his child, but I could be way off on that.
Therefore, as I'm sure you could guess - I have recently taken the reenlistment topic back off the table. The Army Life for Me? I don't think so. After all, if Austin's against it, who am I to argue? I'm such a good, subservient wife you know.
*DISCLAIMER*This is all subject to change, so writing all of this may have been for nothing. And I'm sure this post was less entertaining than my hysterical breakfast fit, so I apologize. I will keep you posted, though, on the "plans" for Austin's job. Apparently the Army thinks that when people get married, they really would prefer to spend as little time together as possible. Keeps the love alive.
Aug 7, 2009
I think I'm Psychic
Maybe I'll open my own practice.
I have been having dreams that have seemed so off the wall at the time, but then they have come to fruition just days later. The first time this happened was a year ago, and it was an isolated incident, so it didn't really make my eyebrows raise too much. I had known that a friend was hoping to get pregnant, and I had a dream one Saturday night that she was. So the next morning I went to church and said "Lauren, I just had the funniest dream last night. You were pregnant but you didn't want to tell anyone yet" She stared at me with the biggest deer-in-the-headlights look. She said "We just found out Friday. I have my first appointment this week. We're not telling anyone yet, but after THAT dream how could I not tell you?"
A few weeks ago I dreamt about someone that I had gone to high school with. I've known this person since 6th grade, and we were close friends for awhile but mid-way through high school we sort of parted ways and some stuff went down (to be as vague as possible) that has me certain that if I ever saw him again I'd punch him in the face. I dreamt that I was out to dinner with Bailey, Amanda and Brayden at Guadalajara in Houston. I went to the bathroom and I ran into this person. He cornered me and started asking me all sorts of questions about Amanda and about myself that I didn't want to answer. He finally said that he has grown up and changed, he's in a new relationship, and he'd like to be friends with Amanda and me again. I told Amanda the dream the next day and she said "that's weird, I just found out he's engaged" My dream wasn't prophetic or anything; but still a little eerie. I haven't seen/heard from/thought of him since sophomore year of college.
Two weeks after that I dreamt about a friend from college who I hadn't talked to in awhile. In the dream we ran into each other on campus and she said she's pregnant. We talked all about it for awhile, then went our own separate ways. Then - on facebook - she announces she's pregnant.
And lastly, a friend of Austin's recently broke up with his girlfriend. Well, she broke up with him - and it was a really ugly situation. I know stereotypes aren't true, but they're there for a reason and she's a pretty good reason for why the stereotype exists about military relationships - she let it ring true. A few days ago I told Austin "I had a dream last night that Kevin got back together with Lindsey. Man would that be stupid!" Austin just sent me a text message "I think you're psychic, kevin got back together with Lindsey. He took her home to meet his family" WHAT? I want to smack him. Talk about deep-rooted and the most selfish betrayal you can think of...and he got back together with her? Boys are as dumb as girls.
Sure, these can all be coincidences. but if my career at western union comes to a screeching halt, I may have a backup waiting in the wings.
Give me $10 I will tell you your fortune.
I have been having dreams that have seemed so off the wall at the time, but then they have come to fruition just days later. The first time this happened was a year ago, and it was an isolated incident, so it didn't really make my eyebrows raise too much. I had known that a friend was hoping to get pregnant, and I had a dream one Saturday night that she was. So the next morning I went to church and said "Lauren, I just had the funniest dream last night. You were pregnant but you didn't want to tell anyone yet" She stared at me with the biggest deer-in-the-headlights look. She said "We just found out Friday. I have my first appointment this week. We're not telling anyone yet, but after THAT dream how could I not tell you?"
A few weeks ago I dreamt about someone that I had gone to high school with. I've known this person since 6th grade, and we were close friends for awhile but mid-way through high school we sort of parted ways and some stuff went down (to be as vague as possible) that has me certain that if I ever saw him again I'd punch him in the face. I dreamt that I was out to dinner with Bailey, Amanda and Brayden at Guadalajara in Houston. I went to the bathroom and I ran into this person. He cornered me and started asking me all sorts of questions about Amanda and about myself that I didn't want to answer. He finally said that he has grown up and changed, he's in a new relationship, and he'd like to be friends with Amanda and me again. I told Amanda the dream the next day and she said "that's weird, I just found out he's engaged" My dream wasn't prophetic or anything; but still a little eerie. I haven't seen/heard from/thought of him since sophomore year of college.
Two weeks after that I dreamt about a friend from college who I hadn't talked to in awhile. In the dream we ran into each other on campus and she said she's pregnant. We talked all about it for awhile, then went our own separate ways. Then - on facebook - she announces she's pregnant.
And lastly, a friend of Austin's recently broke up with his girlfriend. Well, she broke up with him - and it was a really ugly situation. I know stereotypes aren't true, but they're there for a reason and she's a pretty good reason for why the stereotype exists about military relationships - she let it ring true. A few days ago I told Austin "I had a dream last night that Kevin got back together with Lindsey. Man would that be stupid!" Austin just sent me a text message "I think you're psychic, kevin got back together with Lindsey. He took her home to meet his family" WHAT? I want to smack him. Talk about deep-rooted and the most selfish betrayal you can think of...and he got back together with her? Boys are as dumb as girls.
Sure, these can all be coincidences. but if my career at western union comes to a screeching halt, I may have a backup waiting in the wings.
Give me $10 I will tell you your fortune.
Aug 5, 2009
A Functioning Thyroid
Every week I get an email from pregnancycenter.com (I think...) with updates on what is going on with the baby and what is/should be going on with my body too. It has pictures of the baby's current stage, and little tips on how to handle particular things that my be happening during that week of pregnancy. Some weeks the progress hasn't been that monumental to me - while it's still pretty miraculous how it all works, some of the progressions just aren't as awe-inspiring as others.
This week, however, I learned that the baby's thyroid is fully formed and functioning on its own. This is a big deal to me just because I am happy to know that the baby will soon be able to produce its own thyroid hormones rather than depend on my (puny) thyroid. I still need the thyroid to be nice and strong for ME, but the baby won't be dependent on it which I like :) Jelly Belly also has fingernails now - which Austin kindly pointed out can now scratch me. Lovely! Next week we have another doctor appt and we will have another ultrasound - I'm excited to see the progress between the last one and this one!
I talked to Brian this morning and he let me know that he would like to NOT know the sex of the baby until he/she is born. Good thing he doesn't do facebook or follow blogs or any of that social-networking (stalking) that most of us are so accustomed to, or there'd be no way he could be surprised. He also let me know that he will continue to refer to the baby as his neicehew until it is born, and after that the baby will be "he" or "she" until it has done something worthy of earning a name. What on earth does a baby have to do to earn a name? Being pushed through the birth canal out of the warm mommy's body into the cold (and bright!) world isn't enough? I guess not. So I asked him what sort of feat the baby would have to accomplish...he said "something cool, like pooping on you or having diarrhea through the diaper. Should just take a couple days" Fabulous. I then asked if the name the baby earns will be something like "pooper" but I was relieved to find out that at THAT point (and only then) Brian will acknowledge the name-of-choice that we have given him/her.
Speaking of names. We are still bouncing ideas around for girls' names. We seem to be in this never ending struggle. Austin likes "traditional" (boring and outdated if you ask me) names and I like "pretty" (trendy and hip, if you ask austin...and trendy is anything BUT a compliment coming from him) I don't want to offend anyone, so I will leave out the names we each despise, but we struggle with finding a name that we both like. There are names that we both thing are ok, names that we equally dislike, or names that one of us likes and the other doesn't...but nothing that we both say "oh, wow, that's a pretty name" Its a struggle! I want to give our baby a beautiful name, I want it to be special, and I'd like for both of us to keep our lunch down as we say it :) One name I've always loved is our friend Maizeanne. I love it because of its origin. Jan and Marty combined each of their mother's first names to come up with Maizeanne (Maize and Anne...easy enough) Well, Melinda and Candace do not mesh as easily. I've recruited the help of Jodi, my ever-creative friend, on coming up with names that combine our mom's names. I also added their middle names to make it a little easier. SO the options for merging are Melinda Lee Candace Marie. Jodi emailed me a list of THIRTY names that she had come up with. Some are unique and way too out there for us, some are more well-known names just with different spellings (like Lacee) to incorporate the correct letters.
I won't tell you any more of Jodi's ideas - but I invite you to send your own thoughts our way. No promises that we'll use them, but I'd love to hear the suggestions. If nothing else, may be good for a chuckle or two. And in 9 short weeks we will not only know the sex of the baby, but hopefully we will know the name!
One last note on names - It is a huge honor to have someone name their baby after you right? Everyone knows that! I'd be completely honored. But I don't think girls care as much about that as boys do - and I haven't figured out why. If I listened to every "suggestion" for a boys' name my son would be (in the order I received the suggestions) Jordan Robert Kyle Kevin Paul Justin Leon Wallis. If I were to listen to every "suggestion" for a girls' name...I would just have Alexis Wallis. I was talking to Jan (the mother of Maizeanne and Robert) and she said that she, Marty, Robert, and his girlfriend were talking about the baby and someone asked her if we had names picked out. She said "I think they have a boy name and are still thinking about a girl name, but they aren't telling anyone yet" Robert said "Well, I think its pretty obvious what the boy name will be" "Oh yeah?" asks Jan. "Robert. DUH."
No promises Rob, no promises.
This week, however, I learned that the baby's thyroid is fully formed and functioning on its own. This is a big deal to me just because I am happy to know that the baby will soon be able to produce its own thyroid hormones rather than depend on my (puny) thyroid. I still need the thyroid to be nice and strong for ME, but the baby won't be dependent on it which I like :) Jelly Belly also has fingernails now - which Austin kindly pointed out can now scratch me. Lovely! Next week we have another doctor appt and we will have another ultrasound - I'm excited to see the progress between the last one and this one!
I talked to Brian this morning and he let me know that he would like to NOT know the sex of the baby until he/she is born. Good thing he doesn't do facebook or follow blogs or any of that social-networking (stalking) that most of us are so accustomed to, or there'd be no way he could be surprised. He also let me know that he will continue to refer to the baby as his neicehew until it is born, and after that the baby will be "he" or "she" until it has done something worthy of earning a name. What on earth does a baby have to do to earn a name? Being pushed through the birth canal out of the warm mommy's body into the cold (and bright!) world isn't enough? I guess not. So I asked him what sort of feat the baby would have to accomplish...he said "something cool, like pooping on you or having diarrhea through the diaper. Should just take a couple days" Fabulous. I then asked if the name the baby earns will be something like "pooper" but I was relieved to find out that at THAT point (and only then) Brian will acknowledge the name-of-choice that we have given him/her.
Speaking of names. We are still bouncing ideas around for girls' names. We seem to be in this never ending struggle. Austin likes "traditional" (boring and outdated if you ask me) names and I like "pretty" (trendy and hip, if you ask austin...and trendy is anything BUT a compliment coming from him) I don't want to offend anyone, so I will leave out the names we each despise, but we struggle with finding a name that we both like. There are names that we both thing are ok, names that we equally dislike, or names that one of us likes and the other doesn't...but nothing that we both say "oh, wow, that's a pretty name" Its a struggle! I want to give our baby a beautiful name, I want it to be special, and I'd like for both of us to keep our lunch down as we say it :) One name I've always loved is our friend Maizeanne. I love it because of its origin. Jan and Marty combined each of their mother's first names to come up with Maizeanne (Maize and Anne...easy enough) Well, Melinda and Candace do not mesh as easily. I've recruited the help of Jodi, my ever-creative friend, on coming up with names that combine our mom's names. I also added their middle names to make it a little easier. SO the options for merging are Melinda Lee Candace Marie. Jodi emailed me a list of THIRTY names that she had come up with. Some are unique and way too out there for us, some are more well-known names just with different spellings (like Lacee) to incorporate the correct letters.
I won't tell you any more of Jodi's ideas - but I invite you to send your own thoughts our way. No promises that we'll use them, but I'd love to hear the suggestions. If nothing else, may be good for a chuckle or two. And in 9 short weeks we will not only know the sex of the baby, but hopefully we will know the name!
One last note on names - It is a huge honor to have someone name their baby after you right? Everyone knows that! I'd be completely honored. But I don't think girls care as much about that as boys do - and I haven't figured out why. If I listened to every "suggestion" for a boys' name my son would be (in the order I received the suggestions) Jordan Robert Kyle Kevin Paul Justin Leon Wallis. If I were to listen to every "suggestion" for a girls' name...I would just have Alexis Wallis. I was talking to Jan (the mother of Maizeanne and Robert) and she said that she, Marty, Robert, and his girlfriend were talking about the baby and someone asked her if we had names picked out. She said "I think they have a boy name and are still thinking about a girl name, but they aren't telling anyone yet" Robert said "Well, I think its pretty obvious what the boy name will be" "Oh yeah?" asks Jan. "Robert. DUH."
No promises Rob, no promises.
Aug 3, 2009
Why I Love Colorado
This weekend Austin and I drove up to Poudre Canyon (the French would pronounce it poo-dru but we Americans seem to think it is poo-der) My aunt Mandy and Uncle Leon have been attending the Campus Crusade for Christ summer conference in Fort Collins (every other summer) for longer than I've been alive, and they have gone camping their last weekend in Colorado for a long while too. Chelsea and Jesse always went as staff kids, but now that we're all grown up and Chelsea and her husband Kyle are also on staff, they attended the conference this summer as staff rather than kids. So - Friday night we met Mandy, Leon, Chelsea, Kyle and their friends from college Jenny and Caleb who are also on staff. The drive up to the campsite was breathtaking. There were countless times that I just stared in amazement thinking "I REALLY get to live here. Man I'm blessed!" The mountains are gorgeous and then to add to the beauty, the Cache le Poudre river runs right by the highway most of the way up into the Canyon.We got there later than we'd hoped, but we were happy we did because the rain stopped just in time for us to arrive and set up our tent. The cold didn't go with the rain - we were all freezing during the night, but it allowed for good snuggling rather than sweating through the night (that's the camping I'm accustomed to in Texas) Saturday morning I woke up and this was the view as I unzipped the tent:
How could you not feel like you're in heaven? All night we got to hear the water running - like those little machines you buy at Sharper Image, except it was real! :) I'm just amazed - clearly. Saturday was a beautiful day - which was a good end to a rainy/chilly week - so we were able to enjoy the outdoors a lot. Austin and Leon each wandered off periodically to fish - and you should have seen the look on Austin's face when he brought his fish back to the campsite. Our camp-mates had eaten fish the night before for dinner, so none of them were going to eat any, and neither Austin or I like fish, so he knew no one would eat it. But that didn't stop him from walking a mile down the road, fish in hand, to show us his catch. 
Its hard to see here - I have better pictures but they're at home, but it was a brown trout (not sure why they call it brown when it had red spots all over it) and it was officially the biggest catch of the weekend. Yippee! Right at the water's edge of our campsite is a little "pool" that people have built over the years - there's an arc of rocks that stops the fast-flowing water and makes it a little wading-pond. Water is FREEZING so I didn't spend TOO much time wading, but it was fun. Kyle and Caleb had worked hard on building up the pool, so they had declared that whoever caught the next fish would start stocking their pond. Austin's fish was a bit shocked (and near death) from being out of the water for so long, so when Austin put him down in the water he just layed there, almost "belly up" as nemo would say, and we were all worried the fishy wasn't going to make it. Layla caught the fish in the corner of her eye and clearly needed to know what it was - so she walked into the pond and tried to play with the fish with her paws. It was like CPR - that was all the fish needed to breathe life back into his lungs and scurry off. We were hoping the rocks would keep him in the pond, but somehow he set himself free and down the river he went.I could keep writing - but really, all I'd be reiterating is how beautiful Colorado is, how blessed I feel to be fortunate enough to live here, and how great of a time we had with my family all weekend. I'm glad they decided to stay one day longer so that we could come up and camp with them! We're planning to go again in a couple weeks for Austin's birthday...we haven't decided on a place, but if its half as beautiful as Poudre Canyon you can bet you'll be hearing about that one too :)
Happy Monday once again!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)