Pregnant Diva

I am nearing the end of being pregnant and I don't think I've taken advantage of being a pregnant diva. What I mean by this is that I don't think I've taken advantage of too many situations where I could throw my pregnant weight around and demand to be taken care of first or better etc. I don't mean at home either (although maybe I should be more of a Diva there too). I do notice a few more people holding a door for me or letting me cross the street or parking lot, but there are a lot of people that will just rush rudely by you too.

I think the only time I have even spoke up was at Macaroni Grill last weekend (we had a buy one get one coupon). The host tried seating us at a table with all wooden chairs. I quickly said can we have a booth, I can't sit in a small wooden chair for very long. It was crowded and he said you might have to wait awhile and I could see that there happened to be one open and the waitress noticed and moved us there. :)

I haven't even glared at anyone who could see that I had one item to their 50 in line at the grocery store and they still didn't let me go first.

Owell, I guess I'm just not much of a diva. I still have some time so we'll see ;) I'm not even sure what I'd demand haha.

Mean or Funny?

I was thinking as I was out and about today and realized that today marks the last day I am actually going to be alone 'alone' for awhile. Kevin is in Baltimore for work. I am guessing this will be his last out of town trip since I am so close to my due date. This means that anytime after that I'll have Baby Hahm at home with me. Of course over time I'll have chances here and there where I'm alone, but really this could be my last independent hoorah for awhile. I guess that is what they mean when they say a baby changes your life.

Kevin has been a little nervous to leave town just because he'd be so stressed out if I went in to labor. He even did some strategies in his head for 'just in case' scenarios. He evaluated renting a car, but this is a 12 hour drive back so this wouldn't cut it. I told him that a 12 hour drive seems like forever and I hope I'm not in labor that long (I know wishful thinking) He figured his best bet was to get the first plane out. I even got a text from him once he checked in to his hotel that read, 'Keep Baby Hahm in You'. A friend of mine that lives nearby, Meredith, is my emergency contact while he is gone just in case something unexpected happens. As I write this blog I feel pretty comfortable that labor is no where near happening tonight. Having said that, I am not sure why I'd know that as I have never been in labor - let's go with I have a gut feeling.

So would it be MEAN or FUNNY if I sent Kevin a text saying 'Oh no I think I am having contractions'? Mean, right? haha. I couldn't do that to him. He said if I had Baby Hahm while he was away that I'd have to have another kid so that he could be there... uuummm me going through another 10 months of pregnancy to make him feel better probably wouldn't happen :) - did I say probably LOL I mean that isn't happening. Are you sure it wouldn't be funny to play that joke on him?? ok ok I won't.

Side Note Update: I mentioned yesterday that Baby Hahm has wiggled and jiggled himself in to some other position. I have tried to figure it out all day, but I just can't tell. I have been to all kinds of websites that tell you how to determine it, but nothing is seeming straightforward to me. This is what I do know: He has moved enough so that I haven't had a major right side pain all day. I am wondering if it is a fluke or if I am going to get a break from that crippling stabbing pain. However, I would be lying if I didn't say I am now a little nervous he has worked himself into a less favorable birthing position because he was head down. Also, nothing is for free right? While I haven't felt a right side stabbing pain I have had a new intense pressure along the lower part of my belly. This uncomfortable feeling is A LOT more tolerable than the right side pain though. I was thinking maybe I have 'dropped' as they say, but I don't think so. I feel all of the kicks and hiccups etc. in different locations so I think it is a real position move versus just a drop.

Random Thursday Thoughts

The day started out with me eating my usual bowl of cereal (you know to get those whole grains and fiber). As I was eating I noticed the dogs up to no good outside. I got to our back door and noticed Kona had a dead cardinal in her mouth - YUCK. It looked 'old' dead and not 'new' dead so I assume they found it in the yard and didn't actually catch it. I'm pretty sure Mocha didn't get his turn holding the dead bird - poor Mocha. Kona held the bird just like a good hunting dog would, she was barely holding it as not to crunch it, I'm sure she has no idea why she does that just instinct I guess. I didn't expect to be scooping up dead cardinal this morning though - GROSS.

I ventured out to run a few errands afterwards. While I was at the register I had one of my horrible side pains and let out a 'OUCH' and then slightly bent over. The cashier was like are you ok. I briefly mentioned how sometimes being pregnant is tiring. He said his wife gave birth in Sept and he remembers how hot she was the whole time. I left hunched over and basically calling it a day for errands. I did get to talk to my friend Kelly while I was out and about, which was a nice distraction.

A few hours passed (this mostly consisted of me laying on my left side to feel better, small chores and watching tv). Kevin got home and I stood outside watching (I mean cheering Kevin on as he took care of some doggie doodies) and within a minute I had 3 bug bites. I mean I usually get bit fast - always have - but my pregnant blood is like a beacon (not bacon haha) for bugs. Those little jerks, I'm so so itchy now.

One thing that happened today is that I actually feel hungry for dinner. I haven't really felt hungry in awhile. I don't necessarily feel like anything, but just feeling like food is a start. Although I primarily snacked today so that is probably more of the reason why...

I know not an exciting blog, but kind of a 'day in the life' of 35 week pregnant me.

What is on my Belly

I was making banana bread and looked down at my shirt and 'oh my' my belly had sugar, flour, water everything on it.  Apparently, the new bigger belly rubs along the counter a lot more than more normal belly.  I guess I need to be a little more aware of what I'm doing while I'm mixing stuff up.  Well, at least in the end the banana bread tastes good even if I had to change my shirt :)

Side Note:  Kevin's sister's family is in town from Antigua.  They are only in the states every so often so it is great that they were able to stop by and visit us.  They have 4 kids so that is a new and VERY fun experience for our dogs (and me and Kevin really).  I'll let you know what kind of fun is had in one of my upcoming blogs. 

30 weeks

Wow how time flies!  I'm 30 weeks, which means 7 more to go until I'm considered full term.  Baby Hahm should be around 3 lbs - I just bought 3 lbs of fruit and thought about all of that stuffed in my belly.  He is definitely moving around and hiccupping and doing whatever he does in there quite often.  At this point I feel like he could be in any position because of all this movement.  I just hope he knows how to end up once he can't move this much :)  The movement doesn't necessarily have a pattern either he doesn't seem to care if I'm eating or shopping or sleeping.  I've heard I can gain 1/2 lb to 1 lb a week from here on out - I'm trying to figure out where all that weight would go - I feel like my skin will tear open if those growth spurts actually happen (probably not though since a million people have done it).  So ladies is that true?  

On a side note Kevin seems to think he has (and will) have a calming effect on Baby Hahm since whenever he reaches over and feels all the movement the baby tends to simmer down a bit....hhhmmm ... I don't know if I'm buying in to that or not.   

Beware of Belly

It's official my belly is completely changing the way I do things.  I have reached 'that' stage.  The stage where seemingly everyday activities have become much more complicated. 

Let's start with eating.  We tend to eat in front of the tv a lot.  I usually lean forward and eat on the coffee table.  This is no longer an option.. leaning forward is so uncomfortable.  Silly me thought I'll eat on a lap tv tray.  Oh I forgot that the tray will be sitting about 10 ft away from my face.  I end up dropping and dribbling things all over myself just trying to get the food from the tray to my mouth.  On a positive note the dogs love it since there is an ample amount of things for them to scavenge afterwards (off my shirt alone).  I guess eating at a real table may be my new thing!  (Probably TMI, but I do find crumbs down my shirt on occasion when I go to put my pjs on for the night). 

Next are tight spaces.  I no longer can squeeze anywhere.  There is no sucking it in or maneuvering.  If I park close to a bush or a car parks too close to me, I'm basically stuck.  There is no worming your way around the door.  I was trying to get by the ladder in our doorway the other day and I had to go around through the bathroom.  I tried and bumped the ladder and then thought to myself 'duh'.  Even tonight we were hanging a picture and I was going to lean over the dresser and hold it up for Kevin and I couldn't reach it (and not cuz I was short) my belly kept me too far from the wall.

And what about rolling over in bed.  Rolling over is a multi step process these days.  Rolling over can be defined using this formula

Perfect pregnant roll = 1) % ability to stay straight (lack of twist in body as to not irritate the round ligament) + 2) % ability to bring the pillows with you on the roll w/o having to reach back + 3) % ability to place body in a comfortable position among new placement of pillows with least amount of fidgeting + 4) % ability of not actually falling off the bed if sharp pain does occur if factor '1' is a low %

** extra credit % .... a slow and steady sitting up from a lay position from a roll so a bathroom trip can be had in the middle of the night **

And last, but certainly not least is bending over.  I mean I can do it, but 'why'??  And even if I can do it, I can't without at least a slight verbal groan.  My iphone dropped on the floor of the car and I just decided to leave it there until I got out of the car.  It was just too much effort.  Painting toe nails....hahahahaha...  I even double check my tied shoes before I slip them on to make sure there isn't a chance that I would have to bend down to tie them once I'm out and about.  I was at Kohl's the other day (using my free $10 coupon) and I bent down to look at something on the lowest shelf and I almost got stuck down there since I had nothing to use to help me back up.      

There are a ton more things, this is definitely not an exhaustive list.  It is funny how you forget about the belly bubble sticking out until you do something that doesn't work anymore.  I do laugh at myself quite often these days.  I find it amusing to just start singing my new song... (my take on a classic song.. 'the humpty dance'.. try to imagine these words w/ that tune while I do a little dance jig in the background)

Baby belly is your chance to do the bump
Do the belly bump, come on and do the belly bump
Do the belly bump, just watch me do the belly bump
Do ya know what I'm doin', doin' the belly bump

C'mon baby do the belly bump, let's all do the belly bump

Happy 'almost a father's day

It is the last father's day for awhile that Kevin gets to spend childless doing whatever only he wants to do - sort of, Baby Hahm definitely changes our usual schedule.  I got a little 'daddy' themed onesie as a small gift to honor the occasion.  I was thinking about it and it is the first time my dad gets to think about being a grandpa too on this day - that is cool.  My dad and sis went to the Dbacks game today - wish I was there - one thing that totally reminds me of my dad is baseball.  I can't think of anything more relaxing than watching a game, with a beer in hand with my dad. 

Tomorrow I have another Dr's appt.  I can't believe it has already been a month since my last one.  I have to get a glucose test and I am crossing my fingers that the sugary drink they give you won't make my stomach feel icky before my flight.  I'm headed to Phoenix only a few hours later on a 3.5 hr flight.  I guess I'll have to 'women up' and just make it work.  What happens is I drink this sugary drink, wait an hour, they take some blood and I hope hope hope the results are that I am fine and don't have any indication of gestational diabetes.  Gestational diabetes doesn't always immediately show symptoms so even if I feel fine it could come back that I have to take the more comprehensive glucose screening test.  Let's hope not! 

As I mentioned I am headed to Arizona.  I am VERY excited as I FINALLY get to see some of my family and friends that I miss so much.  And it is a very special visit since my sister is getting married.  I am so happy for her and cannot wait to see her as a gorgeous bride.  On a side note: I will be going to my 20 year reunion - YES I'm that OLD!  Can you believe I'm going pregnant, crazy - most people lose weight and try to look their best, but not me I just decided to get a big ol' baby bump :)  

Needless to say, my blog will be very sporadic over the next week and a half, but there will be so much going on that I can't wait to share it with everyone.  Although a lot of you that read I will get to see anyway YAY!!!

Cute and not so cute

CUTE - We got our first free diaper sample.  It is a tiny little Huggies newborn snuggler diaper.  I pulled it out and thought to myself... oh my ... I'm going to have to use these aren't I?  Every once in awhile it hits me that it won't be all reading and researching, but actually doing! Scary scary.  But, that tiny tiny diaper is really cute.  It is so small. 

NOT so CUTE - The minute Mocha ran in past me tonight from the back yard I could barely breathe.  It rained today (first time in what feels like forever - the temp was lower to boot - I was a happy camper).  Well, the rain sometimes brings all kinds of things to life outside.  I didn't witness what happened, but it is very clear that Mocha rolled in some of 'Nature's Perfume'.  OH MY was he stinky.  We are headed to the backyard to try and figure out what he rolled in.  Kevin had to give him a bath immediately because I couldn't even be in the room with him with my enhanced pregnancy super sniffer.  Even Kevin thought it smelled really bad.  Needless to say, Mocha is much cuter now that he is freshly bathed.   

High, Low, Narrow or Wide

I've tried to look to see if I'm carrying high or low or wide or narrow and I just don't know.  Maybe because I'm pretty short or maybe I have to get farther along, but as of right now I feel like I'm carrying 'regular' haha.  There are articles on how to dress for your pregnancy depending on how your carrying, but until I figure this out I guess these articles don't help me be a fashionista.  Also, there are all kinds of old wives tales about whether you are having a boy or girl depending on how you are carrying.  Now, I already know the sex, but I think it is fun to debunk these theories.  I'm always like 50/50 if you are carrying high that it is a girl and it is 50/50 that it is a boy if you are carrying low.

Great day --> Nightmare

Today started out great.  It had rained in the early morning so the air smelled great outside.  I hung out with the dogs in the yard for awhile taking in the smell and listening to all of the birds.  There seems to be so many birds right now.  There is a family of birds living in our dryer vent.  They made themselves at home while we were away on vacation.  You can see the mom bird bringing little branches etc into the vent.  We are pretty sure their might be little babies up there so we are going to get a light and look in there before doing anything.  The vent still seems to be functioning fine. 

After enjoying some outside time I put on my new maternity shorts (well and a shirt) and went and met a good friend for lunch.  We had a nice time chit chatting as usual.  I then headed over to West Nashville to go to a few stores where I had been wanting to pick up a few things (I live in south Nashville). 

WOW, on the way to West Nashville I realized just how many cicada bugs are actually in the area.  Cicada's only show up every 13 years and this year is the year here in Nashville.  (There are a 17 year variety but those are more commonly found in Northern US).  The shear amount of bugs flying at my windshield and dead on the side of the road was crazy.  These cicadas are LOUD too, if you are even close to an area full of trees it is just amazingly loud.  I am not looking forward to them in our area as I can just foresee all of these dead cicadas being appetizers for my dogs.... urgh ... I can hear them in our area already.

So things were going well, I was having a really great day and then all of a sudden I experienced the most crazy humiliating experience I ever have to date.  It was both humiliating and personally horrifying ..... related of course to pregnancy.  It is so humiliating the only people that will ever know about it are me, baby Hahm and the dogs.  I'm pretty sure the dogs could read my mind when I got home so I gave them the details.  I am now sitting on my couch planning to veg out for hours as I relive my experience over and over in my mind.  I decided it was best if I just don't do anything for the entire rest of the day and just start fresh again tomorrow.  Even as I write this I'm slightly spacing out just petting the dogs for emotional comfort.  Not the kind of emotional comfort like something horrible happening just the kind to help get your self respect back :)  .....  I'll never tell, but if you can talk dog Kona is kind of a blabber mouth.... oh oh oh how I wish I could have a glass of wine... alright I'm off to veg out and find some mindless show or movie to watch.  You may be wondering why include this at all (I am wondering that myself as I write this) but I decided as I reread this pregnancy memoir in 20 years this may be something I want to laugh about...... I doubt it though... I really doubt it

End of Vacation

Well, it wasn't the end of the world, but it was the end of my vacation :(  I did think it was fitting that right around 6pm (the predicted end of the world) Kona was 'doo'ing her business at a rest area... haha...

A gender reveal blog coming soon with the pics, a lot of you already know hee hee

I am going to keep it short tonight and just show you the first gender neutral outfit that we bought for Baby Hahm.  The clothes are so so tiny and cute.  I've bought cute little baby clothes for friends (that is always so fun), but there is something different when you are looking for clothes for your own little one.  We were in GAP looking for some maternity shorts and I just couldn't resist looking at the baby clearance section.  Kevin and I both saw this outfit and decided it was too cute to pass up (and a good deal - and soo soo me) :)  We bought one other outfit, but it is a clear giveaway of the sex so that one isn't shown.

On a side note: I found some AWESOME maternity shorts at GAP.  They have a regular zipper and button, but are super stretchy denim and just a sweat suit type band in the back, they sit real low below the big belly and stuff.... I love them.

Weekend Shopping

Happy late Mother's Day.  Even though I'm only a half a mom at this point - I took the day off of blogging :)  I wasn't able to see my mom over mother's day, but my sister filled in for me. The hard part of living in TN is being so far away from family.  I'll admit that when we were out looking at some baby stuff this weekend I was a tiny bit jealous of all the daughters there with their mom and sisters.   

Yes, you read that right, we actually looked at some baby stuff this weekend.  There is a big sale at this place down the street next weekend so we went there to see if we should buy anything during that sale (crib, stroller, etc).  It was still hard to really decide on anything since we don't know the sex.  Since we won't be in town this weekend if we want anything the sales lady said we could get the sales price before we leave sat.  Well, this means we would have to do it Friday night after finding out the sex so we are thinking the best strategy is to put together a girl list and a boy list and we'll be set to decide quickly.  Now, we haven't for sure decided if we want anything since it still feels real early, but that is the plan for now (It is hard to not take advantage of a good sale).  In an effort to competitor shop pricing and quality we made the rounds to the typical places over the weekend (Babies R Us, Target, Sears, websites..).. 

By the end of looking at everything and the million safety concerns and recommendations that are listed for all the products we were interested in we started to wonder if just having an empty room and laying the baby in the middle of the room with ZERO things around would be the best option.  This method would certainly be cheaper.  oh oh oh I just thought of something while the baby is just laying in the middle of the carpet, we could add a motion sensor invisible fence that makes about a 1 ft perimeter around the baby so we can instantly run to the rescue if the baby makes a coo or any slight movement during the night.  Oh man I forgot about the chemicals in carpet - I'm not sure this is an option anymore either, the baby will somehow have to figure out how to hover above the carpet.  The packaging on the sleeping coozies they make for the baby so they can't move their arms while they sleep so that the sheet or whatever can't go over their head and suffocate them makes me chuckle a little bit.  I'm thinking the baby is in what I will now call a 'baby straight jacket' freaking out wondering why it can't move.  I know I know there is good and serious reasons for all of this stuff, just funny to see and think about - Kevin and I just laughed and wondered how we survived.  

Baby Bump

I guess I haven't really written about it yet, but I indeed have the baby bump.  A little mini bump.  I know for sure because even Kevin notices it sometimes and he isn't the most observant person in the world.  In certain clothes it still just looks like I may need to be buying bigger pants or go on a diet.  But, now in just a t-shirt or similar - something with thinner material - then there is no hiding the bump.  I especially notice it at night when I have my pjs on.  I think the growing bump is making me a little more tired on occasion in the afternoons.  It seems like a lot is going on in there based on my weekly "what is happening this week" emails.  Or it could be I am sleeping a little lighter at night so a nap is very welcomed - either way I still don't have many complaints YAY - well maybe one complaint - I am starting to have less shirts that work with my jerry rigged pants.  The bigger the bump the shorter my shirts seem to be getting :)

Lazy weekend days

Sleeping in, watching pointless movies you've seen a million times, eating whenever you feel like it, watching endless sports events on tv, taking an extra nap, lolly gagging around town randomly deciding where to go and what to do, dog walks whenever we feel like it, no schedules and did I mention sleeping in??  As I was enjoying a cheesy lifetime movie before we left to enjoy an art fair in downtown Franklin, before taking the dogs for a walk... I started to wonder how little Hahm was going to change all this...  every once in awhile it hits me about how things are really going to change.  I am not one to take things for granted, but as I think about how fortunate I have been to have these relaxing weekend days - I start to REALLY not take these days for granted. 

I know little Hahm will fill up my days in a different type of way that I won't take for granted either, but right now I'm going to enjoy all of these little unscheduled moments.  As most of you know, I'm kind of a 'go with the flow' kind of gal so little Hahm will definitely be a game changer for me (and Kevin as he is even more easy going than me).  Now don't get me wrong, I'm quite organized, on time and I get things done and am still VERY type A (I do like things a certain way), but in a non structured or scheduled way if that makes sense.  I am hoping though that maybe this kind of relaxed approach to daily stuff that Kevin and I both share personality wise will rub off on little Hahm and he/she will become a fairly chill dude or dudette. (Translation: little Hahm will sleep and eat on a slightly squishy (yet healthy) schedule - here is to hoping!!)

Weird Day

I had some errands to run and my experiences varied from fun to not so fun (bordering on disturbing) today. 

FUN - First off, I mailed my sister's bridal shower invites YAY.  Unfortunately, I can't attend, but it was fun to be part of the planning.  It will be an intimate celebration with her and her closest friends.  Mocha sat under the table the entire time I made these invites... I think he is excited too ;)

I went to a boutique maternity shop looking for a maid of honor dress.  This shop was quite cute and had lots of neat fun things.  For instance, I loved the t-shirts that said, "Does this baby make my butt look big" or "Waistlines are overrated"  Also, I think I may have found a very cute black dress that just might work for the wedding.

And to top off the fun - I did it - I bought my first pair of maternity pants at Macy's - a pair from Heidi Klum's line that were on clearance.  They are a super cute pair of tan skinny jeans. 

NOT AS FUN- At the same boutique maternity store there was some breast pump stuff with a few pictures that reminded me of a dairy farm and I just wasn't mentally ready to see the human/cow comparison pictures that were popping in my head...  I'll spare you the details of the picture on the box.... I will hint at one thing though there was a laptop in this particular product picture ... yep a lap top .... what? huh? why is that there? why do I need detailed goofy pictures on the box....

I went to David's bridal to look at some dresses and it was a mortifying experience.  I had a guy pick out a few dresses that work for maternity.  This is a place where you just take whatever size fits and they order you the proper color.  I should have known right there and then it was going to be bad since the dresses I was holding were a pale pale yellow a peach and some other color that I have blocked from my memory.  So, I try on the first dress, I can already tell that the dress might look pretty bad, but they had NO mirrors in the dressing room - NO MIRRORS.  I had to parade through what felt like a million people all hanging outside of the dressing rooms in a dress that fit poorly, looked horrible with my skin tone and just about cracked the mirror when I looked at myself.  Cutting my losses since that was the best dress of the bunch I ran out of there like there was a fire. (BTW, I had little black socks on... hahaha ... nice huh)

I'll take FUN over NOT SO FUN anyday... but I guess everything can't be FUN!

Long Form Birth Certificate?

I wanted to be topical so I thought I'd choose birth certificates to talk about.  Obama released his long form birth certificate yesterday, which to me begged the question, "long form?"  How many forms are there?  I just have the one and I don't remember ever seeing, knowing about or asking for a specific type of birth certificate. 

I think back to all of my moves through college (I think I moved to four different places in one year) and after college and this is one of the few possessions that actually has been with me that whole time.  It gets taken out of its hiding place every 5 years or so for some weird record keeping reason.  Less so once I changed my last name and lost my original identity (something I refer to as the marriage identity crisis). It is funny to think that you can be standing somewhere (say the DMV) with 10 things with your name on it, you can clearly see if someone is a boy or girl (most of the time anyway) and they may still need this document to really believe you are somebody.  Just think when baby Hahm is born he/she will get the only document that really states that he/she exists through time, yet that is something that isn't on my checklist of items to get from the hospital/government entity ;).  I'll be sure to ask for the short, medium and long form versions just in case he/she runs for president.   Oh and by the way... do you know where your birth certificate is right now?

Fruits, vegetables and babies oh my

Ok, so every week I get an email about what fruit or vegetable is most similar to my babies current development size.  Olives, plums, lemons, etc.  At first it was cute, but now sometimes I find it comical.  For instance, I'm an onion now that I'm 17 weeks along - well last week I was an avocado.  Kevin said out loud what I was thinking, " what is the difference between an onion and avocado" ... I don't know.  Some future listings are bananas, hothouse cucumbers, cauliflower... rutabaga (huh?? isn't that a type of car).  Also, sometimes they throw in a similar weighing item.  This week my baby weighs what a turnip weighs.  I am not sure I've even ever held a turnip let alone remember how much it weighed.  They have countdowns and t-shirts that have these fruits and veggies listed.  Can you see me sporting around a t-shirt that says 'My baby is a cantaloupe"  I'll admit it does bring a quirky fun angle to pregnancy and I will be VERY VERY scared when it says I'm holding a watermelon or small pumpkin - YIKES!!

Cute, Ick, Ugg and YAY

Cute - First off is a little Mocha story.  I heard Mocha barking off and on in the back yard so I thought I would go check it out since he hardly ever barks.  At first I couldn't tell what was going on... there were three boys from across the street pointing and laughing at Mocha at our fence and Mocha was running up to the fence barking at them and then taking off running full speed to the other side of the yard and then back to bark at them.  I then noticed Mocha had their lacrosse ball in his mouth.  They hit it over the fence and Mocha thought it was the coolest thing ever and was having so much fun running around with it and teasing them.  The boys were like 'your dog is funny' and 'he can have it' and 'I think it is stuck in his mouth' hahaha.  It was pretty funny.  After asking Mocha to drop it a few times I eventually got it and gave the boys their ball back - lacrosse balls are heavy.

Ick - Tennessee has the most bugs of anywhere ever.  Today I found a icky gross red clover mite on my computer before typing this.  They are super small and when you squish them they leave a horrible red streak.  YUCKO

Ugg - Last night and today I feel pregnant.  Something I haven't really felt much of yet.  It feels like I swallowed a big rock for some reason.  Just an uncomfortable dense, full filling and stretching isn't helping.  I guess my abdomen is actually filling up with baby - hee hee. 

YAY - Got the rest of my genetic screening values back (the 2nd trimester Quad test) and everything came back normal.  I don't have the exact numbers and will have to call the doctor for those, but I'll take normal for now.  I guess most people don't want the #s or find them confusing so they don't usually give them out, but I'm a numbers gal and like the hard solid facts.  Numbers or not - YAY for *normal*! 

Hot showers are AWESOME

Let's be honest.. who doesn't love a hot shower??  Hot showers are great because they let you melt away stress, have alone thinking time and/or just space out.  I swear things and situations just become clearer in a hot relaxing shower.  Now, I have always been conscious of the environment and I don't like to just waste water for selfish reasons so I have really tried to limit my enjoyment.  That being said, since I've been pregnant I can't get enough of that hot water relaxing my sore back and just the comfy feeling of the warmth.  I actually look forward to it every day and it really helps my overall mental outlook - I'm pretty sure my day would be askew without this joyful daily little thing.  It is funny how several of my pre-pregnancy normal activities have taken on slightly new meanings.  More examples of those to come... 

Weekend tidbits

1) Pregnant = No painting :( ..We picked out some paint colors for our dining room and spare rooms YAY!!  The hard part is letting Kevin do the majority of the work. We picked a 'Green/earth friendly' low VOC paint, but we figured we would play it safe and still not have me up there. We are hoping to get to a room a weekend.  I filled in the holes and taped up everything and cut in around door frames, but then I had to leave before it got too fumy.  Is fumy a word? - anyway it is hard for me to not be up there monitoring the work.  I think I'm more of a control freak than I realized ;-) I do feel a little guilty as I sit and enjoy The Masters while he works away.  I do yell highlights on occasion. 

2) I did a small favor for a friend yesterday.  She is one of those single moms that somehow pulls off everything and makes it look super easy.  I think to myself if I can be half the mom she is (even with Kevin's help) I'll be lucky!  She pulls off having a GREAT career, super well-mannered and respectful kids and volunteers for lots of activities with them.  It is amazing what being a great parent can do for your kids well-being!! 

3) Dogs = Humor...  Painting with Mocha around is sort of like watching a kids comedy movie.  You look one way and he has grabbed the tape and run off.  You get the tape back and he has managed to rip the painters tape off the baseboards that you just put down.  You look again and he is licking the Starbucks cup hoping for a taste.  But for me (and Kevin) it is hard to get mad because he just looks so cute with tape stuck to his nose.  Seriously, it is super cute.  Meanwhile, Kona has heard some mystery sound that we can't put our finger on that has kept her paranoid of going outside.  She was so panicked at the back door that she managed to let her self in.  The door handle is one of those long ones, not round, so she managed to paw at it just right to get in.  Poor little girl has been a foot behind me all day looking like a sad mess.  I still have no idea what happened.  

4) Pregnant = No Sushi... Boo! I miss sushi for sure.  I drooled as Kevin enjoyed some tasty looking sushi for dinner on Friday.  I'll say it again... I miss sushi.