Trip Update #1

Well I am finally in a place where I have some internet access for longer than 5 minutes. So here is my update on our College Trip with the youth group.

Day #1: Leave the church at about 8:30am and head out. Drive to Newport where I begged Scott to stop at Dunkin Donuts because I was already hungry. We went through the drive through and I ordered a bagel with cream cheese on the side and a decaf coffee with sugar (no cream). I tried to tell Scott not to drive away yet so that I could make sure the order was correct, but it was too late. I got 2 donuts instead of my bagel. So, we pulled out into traffic and back into DD where I went inside to get my correct order. I did this, and then went back out to the van, where I realized that they gave me my order with NO knife (how will I spread the cream cheese???) and NO napkin!!! URGH! So I went back inside and got those items and determined that the customer service at Newport Dunkin Donuts was pretty sucky. They did not even apologize for all the things they did wrong! Ok, after that we picked up one of the students at the next exit. Then we drove for a while and had to stop and get gas. After that we stopped to pick up my mini co-sleeper that I bought for $65 (a total steal)!! The guy also had a very good quality car seat which new costs $200, and he sold it to us for $35. So even though we already have a car seat, we decided to get it so that we would have two - one for each vehicle. Plus the fact that it was so cheap for such a good quality...
Anyway, we arrived at Gordon around 1:30pm and got settled there. It was such a beautiful day and it was great to be back at Gordon. After the info session, the teens all got to go to a class. Then after that, we ditched the kids and Scott and I went to a local beach and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Plus it was my b-day so it was nice to just relax a bit. Then Scott and I went to Bertucci's for dinner to celebrate my birthday. YUMMM! Scott and I then went to stay at our friend's Kellie & Justin's in Gloucester. It was so sweet of them to open their home to us and we had a great time hanging out, even though it was for a short time. Kellie gave me some great advice on cloth diapers, which was very helpful!
Day #2: Breakfast at Gordon followed by an info session and then a tour. After that we headed out to Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, MA. It was a small campus and we weren't there for long. Most of the kids decided they didn't really like ENC too much, but it was still good to visit for comparison sake. One bad thing was that we got a parking ticket there because we parked on the street and apparently we weren't supposed to. After this we began driving and that continued for the ENTIRE day! Lots of traffic jams in Hartford, past Hartford, in New York, then in New Jersey, etc. Oh boy. Plus it poured much of the drive which made the driving a bit more challenging. Scott and I took turns but it was still a long drive. We did not get to our hotel until 11:45pm. I was extremely ready for bed and a bit grumpy at that point, so I was thankful to lay down and rest. The girls all slept in one room and the boys were in the next room over.
Day #3: Breakfast at the Comfort Inn and getting ready for the day. Then we headed to Eastern University where we had a great tour with a fun tour guide named Nick. The campus was just beautiful and we had a great day weatherwise. Then we met up with Amy from church for a few minutes. After that we headed to the King of Prussia mall for lunch and shopping. I found a WAAAY cute baby clothing shop called Janie & Jack. If I were rich, I would definitely buy some clothes there!!! After the mall we came back to my sister's apartment where we have been hanging ever since. The kids all played Nintendo wii and the boys played with their new Nerf guns, which was quite loud and annoying. We had pizza for dinner and all chilled out afterwards. Then the boys left to go to where they are staying tonight, and now us girls are just hanging and talking and laughing a lot!

So there you have it. The first 3 days are done, and we have 3 more to go!

Yes, we really are having a baby

As I spent the past few days sorting through MOUNDS of baby clothing, the reality of having a baby became even more real. I looked at all the little onesies, dresses, shoes, and blankets, and I realized that soon my little girl will be needing to wear these things in less than 2 months! It was honestly a little overwhelming as I sat there - mostly because of the shear amount of clothing that I was surrounded by! I determined just to get through the pile so that I could pass on what I didn't want to some friends. Then I decided to wash the rest of it and sort it according to approximate sizes so that when we get a dresser, I can organize it that way. Suffice it to say, we are not in need of any clothes! I feel like even if the baby was born tomorrow, we'd have clothes to last us at least 2 years : ) However, I did give in and buy just one cute outfit that I had been eying at Target. It was on sale today, and there were not many left. So I went ahead and spent the $10. However, I won't be buying anything else! Here's a photo of that cute outfit, and one other dress that I absolutely love that I received at my shower.
In addition to the clothing, we also have received many other items so far. Some of it is new and some is used. Here is the list of what we have so far:

• Crib - thanks Matt & Elisha!!
• Glider rocking chair - thanks Holly & Gary!
• Baby swing - thanks Holly & Gary!
• High chair - thanks Doug & Lori!
• Bounce in Comfort seat - thanks Aunt Brenda & Uncle Norman!
• Car Seat & Stroller set - thanks Mom & Grandma!
• Swing for a tree - thanks Doug & Lori!

Here's an updated photo of me at 31 weeks - not my favorite photo but I'll still post it.

An Update - Finally!!!

Well I will start with an apology first for my lack of updates. Let me just summarize the past few weeks and you'll understand why. On August 20th we flew out to Salt Lake City where we attended my business convention. I could do an entire post about that, which hopefully I will do in a few days. It was a wonderful trip and I am so thankful that we were able to go. We returned on Sunday night. Then I had my next midwife appointment on Monday, tried to get unpacked, and also get back to work with my business. On Tuesday it was back to work, followed by my first baby shower that night. My mom and sister threw me a great shower held at my grandmother's home. It was really nice, and I got some fun gifts. Then on Wednesday I had to work and then had youth group that night. Thursday was another work day, followed by a business event that night, then a phone call after that. On Friday it was all about getting prepared to go camping for the weekend. We left that afternoon for Mt. Blue State Park, where we stayed until Monday. Then it was back to work yesterday, followed by a meeting with someone last night. Today it was working again, home for a phone call, and then back to youth group tonight!

So, that gives you an idea of just what has been going on in my life in the past few weeks. And, it's not slowing down anytime soon. Next Thursday we leave for the youth group college trip and will be returning the following Tuesday. Hopefully after that, things will slow down a bit!!

So out of all the things I could possibly blog about, I wanted to share a big relief which I experienced today. I met with my boss today about various things since we both had been on vacation recently and hadn't talked in a couple weeks. In the midst of the conversation, we ended up talking about my maternity leave as well as my plans to return (or not return) to work. This has been something I've been thinking and praying a lot about, but I hadn't made any decision yet. Part of it depends on where my income is at with my business, and part of it depends on just what Scott and I feel would be best for us and our baby. So anyway, I ended up breaking down and crying while talking to my supervisor (seems to be a frequent occurance lately). But it turned out to be a very good conversation. Basically it sounds like they will be willing to do whatever it takes to keep me there, but they will also understand if I choose not to return. One of my thoughts had been that I might possibly want to go back at less than 20 hours at first (maybe just 10 hours), and my boss said she would be totally fine with that. So it was just a huge relief to get to talk with her about that and find out that there will be many options. She just asked that I let her know if I don't think I'm going to return, which of course I would do.

Well now that it's 11:30pm, I should really be in bed! So good night for now. I will attempt to update on some of the other goings on sometime in the next few days.

My Fat Tummy

Well according to my hubby, I have a fat tummy. At least that's what he said in front of the entire church on Sunday. Thankfully I have a reason for having a fat tummy and I'm not that embarrassed about it. So, here's my latest photo, which compared to just 3 weeks ago is quite astounding! It's starting to look like a basketball, which is what my sister predicted I would look like. Also, the crazy thing is that I only have 12 weeks left!!! I cannot believe it, and I am also a little nervous about not being prepared. But at least Scott and his friend Steve are working on finishing the dining room and living room this Saturday, which will make me feel a lot better and more able to focus on the baby room. Yay!

My Unspectacular Quirks

Okay, so I've been tagged by Amy, and here are the rules:
1. Link back to the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

MY UN-SPECTACULAR QUIRKS:
1. I used to hate the color pink, but I've come around and I'm actually wearing pink today!
2. If I could live anywhere in the world, it would definitely be outside of the U.S. Someplace in Latin America... or the South Pacific... yeah, that would be nice.
3. I love to read, but I don't do it enough. I usually wait until just before I go to bed, and by that time, I'm pretty tired and usually only get through one chapter. Right now I'm reading the Anne of Green Gables series, and I'm on the 3rd book - actually I'm pretty proud of myself for that.
4. I don't mind getting lost if I'm alone. Well, not really getting lost lost, but I don't mind trying out a new road or going a different way. BUT if I am driving a group of people, I don't want to get lost because not everyone enjoys the adventure as much as I do.
5. I used to wonder if I would ever have kids, but now I'm pregnant! And I'm super excited. I wasn't sure if having children was my "thing", but I guess there's no turning back now.
6. I've always wanted to go skydiving, but the older I get, the wimpier I am becoming! I might still give it a try sometime if the opportunity presented itself (like, say, if I did "The Amazing Race" with a friend) but I'm not sure that I'm gonna seek it out. I'll stick to jumping off cliffs and bridges for now...

Ok, so now I have to tag some other people:
1. Naomi
2. Jessica (who never blogs!)
3. Sarah
4. Katie
5. Kellie
6. Jenn

Baby Update

We had another appointment with Debbie on Wednesday, and all is well. I had gained 3 lbs since the last appointment, and she said I was right on track in terms of weight. Yay! I also had the awful glucose test on Tuesday, and the results came back normal. For anyone who hasn't gone through this yet, let me fill you in. You start off by not being able to eat anything before the test, so obviously you have to do it first thing in the morning. Well given complications with our car, this is how Tuesday morning looked. 7am - get up and throw on a few decent clothes. 7:15am - drive my car to the repair shop to leave it there, and ride to Sheila's house with Scott. Borrow Sheila's car and drive back home. 7:45am - shower, get ready. 8:30am - arrive at the lab. Drink a bottle full of this orange drink that takes like Sunkist. Very sicky sweet - not fun on an empty tummy. Although at that point I needed something or else I felt like I would pass out. 8:35am - sit for AN HOUR doing nothing. I read a magazine and tried to ignore the hunger pains. 9:35am - go in and have the nurse shove a needle in my arm (actually, she was quite gentle about it - I just hate getting blood drawn) and draw 2 tubes of blood from me. 9:45am - DUNKIN DONUTS!!! Then go to work.

Ok, anyway, let's just say I'm glad the results were normal. Next time, I might decline the test anyway because I've heard it can give false positives often and it really is more necessary in high-risk pregnancies or if you've gained a lot of weight, etc. Anyway, the only thing that Debbie said from the blood draw was that my iron levels are a little low, so I'm looking to try and increase my iron through my food intake. I may also take an iron supplement if needed.

As for other things, I am looking forward to August, but it's also going to be super-busy. We are planning a day-trip for the youth group next weekend, then we're planning to go camping the following weekend. Then the next week we are on vacation and will be going to Salt Lake City for 4 days, which I am super-excited about! Then the following week my sister will be here to visit, and she and my mom are throwing me a baby shower. Plus, the last weekend of the month we're planning to go camping with my sister and her husband. And they're all going rafting, which I can't do thanks to begin prego. Man, you miss out on so much fun stuff when you're pregnant! But there's lots of other fun stuff that you get to experience, like feeling the baby move around inside. That's pretty cool.

Well here's an updated photo of me at 25 weeks.

Squatting and other fun pregnancy stuff

So I've been doing a lot of reading lately, being that I am now 25 weeks pregnant (!). I have been trying to read up on things I can do to best prepare for childbirth. I'm also deciding what "method" of childbirth I want to use. One that I am leaning towards is called Husband-Coached Childbirth or The Bradley Method. It focuses on a natural birth, and having the husband be the primary coach before and during labor. So in that book, along with a few others that I have, they recommend doing squatting exercises to prepare your body for labor. I've been trying this lately, and let me tell you, it's harder than it looks!!

The idea is to keep your feet flat on the floor, about 12" apart, and then to bend your knees and squat down. They say you can start out just holding the position for a few seconds, but they recommend that you work up to being able to squat for several minutes at a time. Well, let me tell you, the most I've done so far is about 30 seconds. I've been going down lower than the people in this photo, but anyway you do it, it still hurts. So ladies, whether you are preggo or not, I recommend doing this exercise to help tone your legs and butt. It will also stretch you and use muscles you're not used to using.

Hopefully doing some squats tonight will make up for the fact that I had pizza for dinner and I'm now headed to Starbucks to hang with some of the youth group girls...

General Update

Well I realize I've been a slacker and haven't posted an update for over a week. Bad me! Anyway, this past week was quite a whirlwind with lots going on. But it was mostly good. The bad, however, was that we found out my car needs the transmission fixed which is going to be a bunch of money. Thankfully, we will have the cash to cover it, but my plans of having extra in savings before the baby arrives have been set back a bit. We should still have time to replenish, but that just makes other things tighter for a bit.

Anyway, today was a good day as we finally got a lot of the trim up! Yay! I am so excited to see the room coming together. I will post pictures as soon as I can. After a day being on my feet helping Scott and doing dishes and cleaning, I was feeling rather exhausted and decided to lay down for a bit... well, I ended up taking a little 45 minute nap which was just what I needed.

Throughout the day I had some business calls as well, and so my voice is feeling a bit tired. So tonight our friends Steve and Jess suggested going to Gifford's for ice cream, and I was quite excited about that. It was just a nice little treat after a busy day.

Now I am back home and ready to relax and then head to bed.

Baby Update

I am starting to actually feel more pregnant. Part of that is because I'm starting to get big! Here are some photos to prove it - taken at 23 weeks (actually almost 24 weeks).
Another reason I feel more pregnant is because I now feel the baby moving pretty regularly. Sometimes it's just little movements, and other times it's really strong. I've actually seen my belly move a couple times, and Scott even saw it once too. That was so cool!

Things are still going quite well in terms of my pregnancy. I am hoping that I am staying on track weight wise - I haven't really been keeping close track, just when we go to see our midwife.

On another note, we did find a doula. Her name is Janel, and I am excited to have her. She is really nice, and both Scott and I connected with her. We're meeting with her next Wednesday to go over the birth plan, etc. Yay!

As for being prepared in the house, we are not even close! We need to finish the trim in the living room and dining room. Then we can focus on the baby room. I want to do it sooner rather than later, just in case the baby comes early or anything like that. I'd really like to have the crib in the baby room instead of the kitchen (where it is right now)!!

Well I guess that's all for now. There has been lots more happening, but I need to get back to working on other stuff.

Quick Update

Well I'm posting a quick update even though I should be showering and heading out the door. Yesterday was crazy at work. I just simply do not understand the things that the DHHS does and it drives me crazy. I can't give details obviously, but I am very sick about what has happened with one of my cases. I am trying not to think about it, because there is literally nothing I can do. But I just pray that this does not have serious long-term effects on the kids... although I believe it will.

So it was a long day. I was so glad to come home and have Scott already here - he had spent the day with Steve scouting out the campsite they will be using for "Man Camp", and he decided to just stay home once they got here rather than going to the church for one hour. So we then began madly cleaning downstairs. It was SUCH a mess, and although I'm not a total clean freak like a few others I know (Amy... Sarah... : ) I still like to have things in somewhat of a clean and organized fashion. It makes me feel calmer and like I can actually accomplish stuff. So we cleaned and organized and threw stuff away, etc. We also threw dinner on the stove and had it ready right when the doula came to meet with us. So our timing was a little off, but she was fine with us eating in front of her. (I felt bad - but baby needed food!) This time our meeting with the doula went great. Scott liked her, and I did too. She is not as experienced as the other one we talked to, but she is really nice and I think she will fit with what we want. So we haven't made the final decision to use her, but we probably will by Monday.

After that, I knew that I had a lot of other things that I could do, but I just needed to relax. So I played around on the computer a bit and then went and laid on the couch watching "Wife Swap" and "Supernanny" all night. Ah, bliss. It felt good to rest and to just let my brain think about nothing for a while. Of course, I did read a little bit of some pregnancy books, but that was for fun as well. Let's just say I hope we never have to call Supernanny! Scott watched part of it and he was horrified at what he was seeing. This family had 5 kids and they were absolutely crazy. Scott looked at me and said, "One's good, right?"

Well I went to bed at a decent time but somehow slept in later than I planned... I guess my body needed it. I still don't feel like going to work because I have lots of paperwork to do and it's hard to do that when I'm thinking about the horrible situation. But today, I must do it. So, I'm off to hurry around and get my butt in gear. Later today, I hope to have a friend from waaaaaaaaaay back in high school over for dinner with her 2 little kids - yay!

Ups & Downs of Being Pregnant

Well one of the funnest parts of being pregnant is registering! Scott and I went on Friday afternoon to register, since we now know that we are having a girl. We registered at Target and Baby Depot (Burlington Coat Factory). It took us a while, and I am still unsure whether we overdid it or underdid it. I have no idea what to expect. But I tried to take other people's advice as well as follow some of the "suggested items." Anyway, it was a lot of fun, mostly because it makes this whole baby thing so much more real. Even if we don't get anything from our registry, it will be fine, and it was still fun! I need help deciding which pack and play to choose. One is at Target and one is at Baby Depot. They are both very similar, with a few different features. So I though I'd ask for advice as to whether the mobile one or the shaded one would be better. Advice in comments please! Oh, one other thing. I realize that these are pink and brown, which might present an issue if we have another one that's a boy... but I just like it too much and didn't see any other ones that I liked as much.

Now for the downside of being pregnant. I've discovered that going to amusement parks when you are pregnant is not all that fun. Especially for someone who is an adrenaline junkie and loves big scary rides!!! On Saturday, we went to FunTown with the junior high youth group. We had 6 kids plus Scott, myself, and Kevin. It was a cloudy day, but it was still supposed to be around 70 degrees. It definitely was NOT. When we arrived, we found out that Splashtown was closed, which was a bummer, since I figured that I could plan on just hanging out at the waterslides much of the day. Well, we ended up only doing FunTown, so I did a lot of sitting, watching, and taking photos. At every ride there were signs saying "Not recommended for the following conditions... pregnancy." Oh, yeah, that's me. There was even a sign at the carousel, but I took a risk and went on it anyway! See photo for evidence.








So, that's it for now. I am feeling good and having fun. I appreciate all the love and support we have already had from everyone, and I look forward to continuing this journey.

It's a...

Today was the day! We had our "20 week" ultrasound, although I'm officially at 21 weeks. Around 1:30 this afternoon we were at the Maternal Fetal Medicine at EMMC and I got some warm jelly stuff rubbed all over my tummy. Scott sat next to me in the rocking chair - I told him he's getting ready for when the baby comes. So we got to see our little one from just about every angle. We did find out the gender, even though Scott originally didn't want to know. It's a GIRL! Yay ! I was wrong on my gut instinct, but Scott actually thought it was a girl. So it was exciting to finally know. I know other people don't mind waiting until the big day to find out, but I am too impatient! Now I can plan plan plan, and just pray that the technician was correct. She said she can't say 100%, but she hasn't been wrong in a very long time.

Anyway, here are some pics of the little alien girl!
Note: edited to add the photo of the "girl" identification (at Sarah's request).

Squirrel Madness

Today I discovered a very disturbing fact: we not only have ONE red squirrel living in our basement, but FOUR! I saw all four of them outside in our trees by the house. There is one momma and 3 babies. Mia and Moxie have been going CRAZYYYYYYYYYYY today because they have been able to see these lovely little rodents running to and fro between the trees and the house. I managed to get some great photos of them, although I couldn't get all 4 of them at once. There was one point where they were all together on one tree, but I didn't get the camera in time. Anyway, we're going to have to live trap these little buggers since they are probably wreaking havoc in our basement. Kira has also been spending a lot of time downstairs, and I don't want her to get into a fight with a squirrel!

Pregnancy Update

I wanted to post a new photo of me at 20 weeks, so here ya go! We have our ultrasound on Monday and I am SOOOOOOOO excited! I had a dream last night about the ultrasound, and it was really weird. There was one thing after another and they kept putting us off so we couldn't have it done. Plus it was my director at work who was doing the ultrasound. Weird! I am sure it will be different on Monday. So, the verdict is that we are going to find out the gender. I just couldn't bear to wait another 20 weeks!

Everybody's Doing It

I remember when blogging was first catching on. It took me a while to decide to create my own blog, but with a little help from my friends Steve and Peter, I managed to throw this together. Later I helped my friend Amy get her blog started, and now she is a blogging fiend! I love reading her posts. Now, even more friends have joined, like Shan, Sarah, and Jessica (sorry Jess, I can't seem to find the link to your blog). It seems to be a catchy trend, and I think it's so great that we can all stay connected this way even between hundreds or even thousands of miles.

Recently, I noticed that several of my other friends or acquaintances have also joined the blogosphere:

• Michelle, who also has her own online store
• Kellie, a friend from high school and college
• Katie, another friend from high school
• Marnie, another friend from high school

I love reading the posts when I have down time and enjoying the fun stories, etc. So, blog on, friends, blog on.

New Baby Stuff

Well today I had to say goodbye to my supervisor, since her last day is tomorrow, and I'm not there on Fridays. She is such a great supervisor and I have really enjoyed working with her. I hope that we hire someone at least half as good as her.

Anyway, as we were saying goodbye, she gave me a great little baby gift since she's not going to be around when they do a shower for me. So I absolutely love my gift! Here is a photo so that you can all see how cute it is. She got green items since we don't know the gender yet. But it's still super cute, and I especially love the onesies!

Parenting Gone Wrong

What has this world come to, when something like this can happen? I am just sickened by this kind of thing, and it makes me sad to realize that people continue to treat their children like their property instead of like a human being. This story makes me think of the book, "The Child Called It", and I can only imagine what else this poor boy went through before his final "punishment" when lead to his death. Some speculators are relating this to a possible "religious" issue or a "homeschooling" issue. No, I think it is a STUPIDITY issue. A complete lack of humanity on the part of the parents. They should NEVER be allowed to get their other 2 children back, but in this world, I wouldn't be surprised if they did...

Coming Along

Here I am at 18 weeks pregnant. Things are coming along. I am finally showing (a little bit), and I am now needing to wear maternity clothes, since now of my regular clothes are fitting. I went shopping with Sarah, who is about 5 weeks behind me, on Saturday and we scored some great stuff. The thing I am most excited about is the "belly band", which you can put over your regular clothes and hide the fact that you have your pants unbuttoned ; )

Anyway, the best part right now is getting to feel the baby move. I love laying there at night with my hand on my stomach, feeling all the little squirms and kicks. So cool! We will be having our 20 week ultrasound on June 23rd, which is actually my 21st week. So I think we're going to find out whether we are having a boy or a girl, which will be exciting... my guess is a boy.

Well I am off to youth group and hanging out with lots of kids!

Rant

Ok, I have a rant. What is one of the things that bothers me more than anything? When someone (or several people) make statements about things which they know nothing about. It seems to happen a lot online. See, I do some posting online to promote my business, and most of the time things go smoothly. But every once in a while, there is someone who thinks they are an expert but yet have no direct experience with the topic at hand. That has got to be the most annoying thing in the world.

That's about it. I just had to get that out of my system.

One of Those Days

Today I had one of those days. It was not good. It started with me being very emotional and getting into an argument with Scott, and much crying ensued. Then, after I was calm enough to eat breakfast, I felt a little better. I had a business call before going to work and that went well. Well, it went well and then it changed, and so that was another disappointment. At work, I had to talk to a DHHS worker that I have a hard time interacting with - it seems she says and does things to purposefully irritate me, like failing to mention that she changed the meeting time tomorrow. On top of that, my supervisor who I really get along with is leaving and that is a huge bummer. After all of this, I really just wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and go back to sleep. That way, I could just forget that I ever got up today.

Somehow, I managed to put my mind on other things and get some actual work done. It helped to talk with a friend and be able to focus better after that. After work, I came home and wanted to relax for about an hour before I had to go back to Bangor for a meeting. Moxie, however, decided that it would be fun to get wrapped around the tree in the pouring rain, which meant I had to go out and get him. Then he also decided it would be fun to crawl under my car and trample my flowers. URGH! Sometimes dogs can be so stupid.

I managed to lay down for about 20 minutes and then have some dinner. Then I went back to Bangor to meet with 3 classmates and plan our 10 year high school reunion. That was good because we were able to meet pretty quickly. Once home for good, I crashed on the couch and watched stupid TV shows for a while, and also talked with another friend.

One good thing of the day: My company that I work with for my business called today and said that they want to interview me! I was a little shocked, since my past few months have been slow (thanks to all my fatigue and morning sickness). But nonetheless, on Friday I will be interviewed and it will be put on the company training website. What an honor, and a nice pick-me-up after a long day.