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Gene's Birth -- Part 2

Pin It Now! Did you miss Part 1?  Click here to read it!

Holy cow.  It was time to have our baby

Since it was 4AM, my obstetrician was obviously at home.  He had mentioned the evening before that he could make it to the hospital in 10 minutes.  I felt reassured as the nurse went to call him.

In the meantime, my room came alive with a flurry of activity.  There were nurses everywhere, getting things ready for my delivery.  Michael was by my head to my left and I had one nurse on my right (the alarm for my IV kept going off, so she was there resetting it every minute or two).

I was in pretty serious pain by this point.  Not only did I have the constant severe pain in my lower back, but I was feeling every single one of my contractions in the front.  My epidural seemed to have stopped working, not that it ever really provided much relief in the first place.

Soon after Dr. M was called, I began to feel the urge to push.  I was ready to push.  I wanted to push.  The problem?  My doctor wasn't there yet.  So guess what?  I didn't get to push.  It was seriously the most difficult thing I have ever done.  I had my husband and one to two nurses reminding me with every contraction to not push and to breathe through it.  I'm surprised Michael's hand wasn't black and blue afterward from as hard as I was squeezing.

Michael tells me that this is around the time I began swearing.  I only remember asking where my doctor was, but with an F-bomb placed somewhere in the sentence.

By the time my doctor arrived at 4:45AM, I had been awake for nearly 27 hours.  I was exhausted.  I was falling asleep in the one-minute pause between contractions.  I had no idea where I was going to find the energy to push a tiny person out of my body.

Just before 5AM, I was finally able to start pushing. 

Pushing is hard.  My mind and my body were telling me to push, but I had no idea what I was doing.  It took a few contractions before I was able to effectively push.  In the meantime, my doctor had attached an internal monitor to the baby's scalp to track his heart rate.  During each contraction, his heart rate was dipping dangerously low and then going really high as soon as it ended.

 

 

I pushed for 20 minutes before my doctor said the words I had hoped not to hear.

"Marie-Etta, I think you should have a c-section.  We need to get this baby out."

To be continued...

Thank You, Insurance

Pin It Now! I was admitted to the hospital at 7AM on Tuesday and discharged at 6PM on Friday.  That's 83 hours.  The hospital, of course, wasted no time sending out the bill, which I received in my inbox today.

Here's what I saw...

Being in the hospital is expensive!  Fortunately, we have excellent health insurance, even if their customer service department leaves something to be desired.

I can't even imagine receiving this bill if I didn't have insurance, though I know there are plenty out there who don't have any.

I really like the bottom line of my bill.  Gene's my little bargain baby.

Gene's Birth -- Part 1

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At my 40 week appointment on the 17th, my doctor began speaking to us about the possibility of induction.  He left the choice up to us since I wasn't yet 41 weeks.  It gave Michael and I a lot to think and talk about that day.  I still hadn't made any progress and I could barely walk up the stairs.  Did I want to stick it out another week and see if my body would finally go into labor on its own.  Did I want to wait a week only to be induced anyway?

Ultimately we decided to go ahead and be induced.  At 6:30 Monday evening, I spoke to my doctor and he scheduled my induction for Tuesday morning.

I received my first dose of Cervidil around 8am.  My doctor stopped by that evening just before 8pm and removed the first dose.  I had progressed to 1cm and had been having mild contractions for most of the day.  After that I had a two hour break before my second dose of Cervidil was inserted.  I'd been having some back pain, so during the break I took a shower and let the hot water spray me in the area that hurt.

Around 1am, I called for the nurse and asked about possible pain relief.  I'd been saying my entire pregnancy that I wanted to have a natural labor and delivery, but I'd been awake for nearly 24 hours and the pain in my back was getting worse.  I wanted something so that I could try and get some rest before delivery.  To determine my pain relief options, the nurses checked to see how much progress I had made.

Imagine my surprise when the nurse announced that the Cervidil needed to come out because I was dilated to 4cm!  The medication had put me into labor.  Over the next hour the pain in my lower back continued to get worse.  An ultrasound several hours earlier showed that the baby's head still had not engaged but that he was facing the wrong way, which was causing the pain in my lower back.

Around 2am I had a chat with my nurse about possibly getting an epidural.  She told me that the anesthesiologist was currently there for a c-section and that if I wanted to get an epidural, now was the time.  If I waited, I'd have to wait for him to come back to the hospital from home.  I decided to get the epidural and had it within half an hour.

The epidural did provide some relief.  My contractions weren't as intense, but the pain in my back never went away.  In fact, it continued to get worse.  I was miserable.  I wasn't able to rest and my contractions were slowly getting worse.

Around 3am, I started to feel more pressure down below.  I called the nurse who came to check me.  I was 8cm dilated.  It'd been just over an hour since my last check.  I was surprised to hear how much progress I had made since I'd had no progress whatsoever in the last four weeks.

At 4am I began feeling a lot more pressure.  The nurses checked me and announced that it was time to call the doctor.  Holy cow.  It was time to have our baby

To be continued...

My Two Favorite Guys

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We Had a Baby!

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Baby Gene has arrived!

6:56AM weighing 7lbs14oz and 21in long. He's perfect and has a head full of light brown hair. We are so in love with our little man!

2 on Tuesdays -- Restaurants

Pin It Now! Happy 2 on Tuesday, courtesy of Andrea at My Chihuahua Bites!



This week we move onto a lovely topic -- food! 

What are your two favorite restaurants?

#1 Buffalo Wild Wings

Yummy!  We had one of these in the city we used to live in, but we didn't eat there very often.  We moved to Illinois in late May and BWW opened in September.  Being so far from everyone we knew, the restaurant was a familiar sight, so we started eating there. 

One of my favorite things there are the boneless wings.  I guess they're really just fancy chicken nuggets, but I like them, especially in the honey barbecue sauce.  They have so many sauces to choose from, but it's my favorite.

One of the nice things about BWW is that we were still able to eat there while on the Weight Watchers Momentum plan.  You can order Naked Tenders, which are grilled and they aren't breaded.  It's not quite the same as a messy wing, but they're still tasty.

#2 Sonic Drive-In

Okay, so I would classify Sonic as fast food rather than a restaurant, especially considering you eat in your car, but whatever.  I still love it.

The day we moved to Illinois, Mike suggested we go the next morning and grab Sonic for breakfast.  It was something we did every week or two while living in Missouri and it'd be nice to continue the tradition.

I opened my laptop and borrowed a neighbor's internet to look up the address.  Suddenly I gasped quite loud.

I had just discovered that there was NO Sonic in the city we had just moved to.  I told Mike we needed to get out of our lease and move.  Immediately.

We didn't move.  We did, however, discover that there are Sonic Drive-Ins located in several towns within 45 minutes.  Anytime we go to Springfield, we generally eat at Sonic.  I love their BLT sandwiches and cheddar bites.  And, as strange as this sounds, I love their ice.  They have special ice.  I'd love to just have a Sonic ice machine in my kitchen.  That would make me blissfully happy.

Where do you like to go and eat?

Recipes to Try

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I've been searching the web for new recipes to try.  I've found a few yummy ones that I thought I'd share with you before I test them out.  Enjoy!

Cheesy Garlic Sticks

The hubs and I used to use our dining hall points on Wednesday nights to order a garlic cheese stick pizza from the pizza place in his dorm.  We'd snack on it while watching South Park.  Classy, right?  This recipe made me think of our weekly tradition and is definitely on the list of recipes to try soon.

Pizza Bites

I am in love with my pizza dough recipe, so I have all kinds of pizza-related recipes bookmarked.  These would be a nice appetizer for a party or tailgating.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

How delicious would this be on graham crackers?  It's perfect for a shower, a potluck, or a Monday afternoon when you're feeling sorry for yourself.

Pumpkin Bars

It's that time of year, anything with pumpkin in it sounds good right now.

Toasted Ravioli

Until I went away to college, the only ravioli I'd ever eaten came from a can with a chef on the label.  Once I lived in the dorms, I began to notice they were serving a toasted ravioli with marinara dipping sauce.  Now that I am familiar with its toasted goodness, it's tough not to want to make it.  I've bought it frozen a few times, but I'm sure that nothing compares to making it fresh.

Are you trying out any new recipes?  I'm always on the lookout for new and delicious things to try.  I'd love to hear about your kitchen adventures in the comment section below!

40 Weeks

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I have been waiting for October 16th all year.  For the longest time it seemed as though it would never arrive.

And now it's here.

Today is my due date.

My baby is still snuggled up in my uterus.  There seems to be no indication that he's going to arrive today... or anytime soon for that matter.  We keep talking to him and encourage him to come on out.  No such luck, though.

Did you see yesterday's poll?  Did you see the results on yesterday's poll?  Several of you voted for the 25th.  This may be the hormones talking, but you all are sadists for wishing that on me.  I still love ya, though.

Anyway, so how am I feeling?

Physically I'm feeling pretty good.  I don't feel ill because of my blood pressure and I'm not horribly uncomfortable.  I do have some pelvic discomfort, but the doctor thinks it's from the joints relaxing in preparation for birth.  

Emotionally, I'm just ready for the baby to be here.  I feel humongous and very few of my clothes fit.  The only shoes that fit are my house slippers and flip flops.

It's also really difficult for me to lounge around and take it easy.  I like to be up and doing things.  I can't even imagine how you ladies who are put on bed rest do it.  

So anyway.  I'm still here.  I'm still pregnant.

Vote Now!

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When do you think Baby C will finally make his arrival?
	October 15
	October 16
	October 17
	October 18
	October 19
	October 20
	October 21
	October 22
	October 23
	October 24
	October 25
pollcode.com free polls

**I think October 25th may be the latest he can arrive.  I'll be 41 weeks on Sunday the 23rd and my doctor will schedule an induction once I hit 41 weeks.  Assuming I'm induced on Monday, the latest I'll give birth is Tuesday.**

Flashback Friday

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I could talk about all of the unexciting adventures I've had from my sofa the last couple of days, but instead I thought I'd post an old picture.

You're welcome.

Okay, maybe not "you're welcome" as this is the silliest picture on my computer.  This is from February 2006, just after my 20th birthday.  I remember feeling skinny at the time.  I am currently the antithesis of skinny and just wanted to make myself feel better.

OH!  This was taken at a local production of 'Clue: the Musical' in Columbia, Missouri.  This was one of the stage props in the Conservatory.  It was an interactive musical where we got to play along.  If you ever have a chance to see it, I recommend going.

Dining Room

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I've posted about our dining room a few times here and here.  It is probably the room that has had the biggest transformation so far.

Here's what we started out with:

Eek!

This look was very short-lived.  This picture was taken May 9, 2009, the day after we moved in.

Adventures in refinishing hardwoods

This is what the floors looked like less than a week later.  SO.  MUCH.  BETTER.

Let there be light!

It changed again a few months later when I found the above light fixture at Lowe's marked down from $120 to $11.

October 2011

This is what the dining room currently looks like.  This is the furniture we bought earlier this year.  We recently finished replacing the drapery hardware.  Of the eight sets of windows in our house with drapes, these are the only two that properly function.  The rest have old hardware with busted cords and several of the prongs missing.

We've talked about purchasing the rug and painting the walls, but, as always, cannot agree on a color scheme.  I do love the room, though.  We eat dinner at the table most nights and it's really enjoyable.  Plus, our sofa is also brand new and I'd rather have spills happen on the table than the sofa.  It's easier to clean.

Frustrated

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I had my 39 week appointment with my obstetrician this morning.  To say I'm feeling a bit frustrated is an understatement.

As I was checking in I overheard the doctor speaking to another patient and telling her she was 4 cm dilated.  FOUR!!!  Lucky girl.  They ended up sending her to the hospital to have her baby.  I was definitely jealous, but figured I'd at least have made some progress from the previous week and I'd be happy.

Imagine my surprise when my doctor, once again, told me that nothing was happening.  I almost cried.  This baby has 11 days to show up on his own before the doctor schedules me for an induction.  I would prefer to not be induced, so please pray that G shows up on his own before then!

Actually, I doubt I'm pregnant that long.  My next appointment is on Monday at 40w1d.  My blood pressure has been slowly creeping up the last few weeks.  Dr. M says it's to be expected, but my numbers are getting a bit too high.  My bottom number is definitely reaching the cut-off point.  If it is any higher on Monday, I have a feeling the doctor will want to talk induction.  For now, though, I have orders to relax and take it easy.  Thank goodness The List has been finished for a while!

It's crazy to think that this could be our last weekend as a couple before our little guy shows up!

Master Bedroom

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I use the phrase "master bedroom" loosely.  It is the larger of the three bedrooms and we sleep there, so that's what we call it.  There is no master bathroom with a huge jetted tub.  It's just our bedroom.

And it is ugly.

It started out the same peachy-beige color as the nursery.  The paint department at the hardware store must have been having an ugly paint sale that day.

Of course, the color we painted it is worse.

"Burnt Toast" by Valspar in semi-gloss.  Two things: 1) Semi-gloss?  Never a good idea.  2) The paint in the can appeared to be the color of cardboard.  I'm going to blame the July 2009 heat and the fact that we were just excited about being able to paint.  It's atrocious.

Let me draw your attention to our bedding.  We currently have poop-brown sheets.  We have to buy ultra-deep-pocket sheets.  I think we found these at TJ Maxx.  I hate them, but since the sheets are so darn expensive and the rest of our room looks awful, I put up with them.  

The teal pillow case is mine.  There's a reason.  My husband is abusive.  I'm not sure what he does with his head throughout the night, but new pillows are quickly made lumpy by his head.  I'm not a fan of lumpy pillows, so I put mine in a different colored pillow case.  This way he can't be sneaky and try and switch them because mine is better.

This is literally all that is on that side of the room.  The mirror, which we bought two years ago, was recently hung up.  There are paint samples on the door, all of which my husband hates.  I want to paint the room a light gray color.  He wants to paint the room what he calls "Navajo."  I'm not entirely sure what color this is.  A yellow-beige maybe?  He won't help me pick out paint samples, but he's more than willing to veto each one I pick out.

One of these days we will pick out a wall color.  One of these days we'll have nice bedding that coordinates with the decor in the room.

I sure hope one of these days comes soon.

Also, if you have any brilliant ideas or suggestions, PLEASE, leave them in the comments.  I'm not good at this decorating thing and need all the help I can get.

2 on Tuesday -- Fashion Mistakes

Pin It Now! I almost didn't participate in this week's 2 on Tuesday linky party with Andrea.  Here I am, though. 

We are continuing with the theme of looking back to yesteryear.  Some people don't like talking about their past, especially if it's embarrassing.  I don't mind making fun of myself, but knowing I left myself looking the way I did is not something I love to remember.  But anyway...

What have been your two biggest fashion mistakes?

#1 Perm

Oh yes, I rocked a perm a time or two in my life.  The last one I had was in the 6th grade, so the 1997-1998 school year.  I had no idea how to take care of it and no one told me how, so it was a hot mess.  

Fortunately, I discovered that if I wanted to look like a clown, I could sleep with my hair in rollers, which I often did for spirit week.

#2 Baggy Clothes

I've been on the fluffier side for most of my life.  Once I was able to decide what clothes I wanted to wear, I chose clothes that were more loose.  During 6th and 7th grade, I would wear pants that fit in the waist, but were wide leg all the way down.  I also wore t-shirts that were too large for me.  I have no idea what I was thinking.  In the 8th grade I bought my first pair of flared-leg jeans and a shirt that fit.  It must have been an improvement of some sort, because I had my first boyfriend a month later.

How about you?  What were your fashion faux pas?  I shared mine!

39 Weeks!

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How far along? 39 weeks 1 day... Yep, still pregnant.

Weight gain: No change in my weight at my last appointment, so I'm still sitting at +12 lbs.  I'll take it!

Movement:  He still moves all the time, though I do wish he'd move on out so I can snuggle with him and kiss his little toes.

Sleep: I wake up when I try and roll over, which is frustrating.  I've also started waking up more to use the bathroom.  A couple of times a week I'll wake up in the middle of the night and not fall back asleep for one or two hours.  The other night it was from 1a-3a and Sunday morning it was from 5a-6a. 

Misc:  People are beginning to stare and it's beginning to bug me.  If you are staring at me and you see that I've noticed what you're doing, that's a polite hint to stop.  Also, if you encounter me struggling to open a door with my hands full, please, open the door.  Don't wait until I'm nearly out the door to slip in behind and thank me for holding it open for you.  Yes, both of these things happened to me this week.

There is a full moon this week!  I'm really hoping it'll cause me to go into labor.  If you work in health care, you know that the time around the full moon can be somewhat hectic so far as patients go.  In the nursing home I work at, it seemed like we had more people acting crazy, falling, or getting sick around the full moon.  I've heard that the maternity floor routinely sees more patients around this time as well.  So please, keep your fingers crossed and pray that this is my last weekly update.  I'm ready to meet my little man!

Guest Room

Pin It Now! Ever wonder where you'd sleep if you came to visit us?  Well wonder no more, my friends!

March 2009 -- before we moved in

We have a guest room!  

It really hasn't come very far since we moved in.  For the longest time it was just a room with a bed.  Of course, we don't have a lot of company, so there wasn't really a need for anything else.

The room made The List, though, which meant it was going to get a mini-makeover.

Gone are the tools and things from our never ending bathroom remodel.  In its place we have a friendly barn star and some fun polka-dot bedding I picked up at Wal-Mart earlier this year.

And since we had no nightstand to speak of, I moved my small bookshelf into the room.  The only thing we actually purchased during the mini-makeover was the lamp.  It's possible it may get a facelift in the future, but for now it works.

A bit of trivia about this room... When we bought the house, we immediately noticed that each bedroom had a walk-in closet.  I told my husband that we would not be sharing and that he could put his clothes in the guest closet.  It actually worked out well when I was on 2nd shift because he woke up hours before me and wouldn't wake me by turning on the closet light. 

The Nursery

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It's finally here!

No, not the baby.

I'm finally going to reveal the nursery!  I know that you've been anxious to see what we've done with the room.  Hopefully this will hold you over until the little guy actually arrives.

Of course, no room remodel would be complete without a few shots of what the room looked like before.

This is the room in March 2009 before we moved in.  The walls were a peachy-beige color.  It quickly turned into a catch-all room, so we didn't anything with it.

It eventually became a craft room/home office.  Mike had the xBox in the living room and I had all of my sewing stuff upstairs in the third bedroom.  

It worked.

And then we found out we were expecting.

I began going through the boxes, finding new homes for some things and getting rid of others.  It was the cleanest room in our house for some time, if only because there was nothing in it.  It has been a gradual work-in-progress since the end of January.  We've taken our time painting and putting things together.  Mike even put up new shelving in the closet.

Quite the transformation, don't you think?  We've come a long way since the flesh tone walls.  

You'll notice that this is the same view from the first picture at the top of this post.  I love, love, love the aqua, lime, and white combination.  The aqua and white were always a definite, but I considered orange and yellow before settling on the lime less than a month ago when I found the curtains on clearance at Tar-jay.

This is where my desk used to be.  The 'G' on the wall was made by my friend, Melissa.  This dresser has most of his clothes in it.  All of his newborn and 0-3 month things are washed, folded, and in those drawers.

You'll remember, though, that we bought two of the same dresser.  This one will be used as a changing table.  The top two drawers hold all of our cloth diaper supplies.  I made some wall art for the space above the changing table.  If you look closely, you can see it on the changing pad.  We haven't made time to hang it up yet.  Don't worry, I'll show it off when it's up.

Oh!  And this is the top of the dresser by his crib.  The lamp and bunny are both from IKEA.  The frame on the left was a gift and it says 'We wished upon a star and here you are.'  I found the frame on the right Thursday at Tar-jay for $1.48.  It was a horrible bronzy-brown color, so I painted it lime green.

So there you have it.  That's our nursery.  All that's missing is the baby!

Who Will He Look Like?

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Now that I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy, I find myself wondering which of us the baby will look like.  

Specifically, his hair.

Will he have any?

What color will it be?

Will he have blond hair and dimples like his daddy?

Or will he be born with a head full of dark hair and blue eyes like his mama?

I suppose at the end of the day it doesn't matter who he looks like, so long as he is happy, healthy, and polite.

Though, I'm really hoping he's born with lots of dark hair.  :)

The List

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At some point last month I opened my eyes, looked around my house, and decided we were living in a pig sty.

No, our house wasn't filled with dirt and grime, but there was clutter.  With the arrival of our unborn child only weeks away, I decided to make a list.

If you follow me on Twitter, you've seen me mention this list a time or two.  I've been carrying it around my house for the last three weeks, doing the tasks and checking them off.

Before you get too confused, let me explain the color-coding.  All of the dates highlighted in purple are tasks that I completed on my own.  All of the dates highlighted in green are things that Michael either did on his own or helped me with.  Also, the category titled 'Extra' wasn't originally on the list.  Those are mostly things that M saw around the house that needed done (all things related to our 18-month bathroom remodel).  Since he was helping get our house ready for the baby, he wanted me to write them down and check them off (adorable, right?).

No, we did not complete every task on the list.  We can't agree on what we want to do as far as painting our bedroom is concerned.  I plan to take the curtains down and wash them while the room is being painted.

I think we did really well, though.  One of the biggest projects was cleaning up the basement.  I have before pictures and will post after pictures once we get rid of the rest of the trash.  We only have trash pick-up once a week and there's only so much space in our cans.  We got rid of the last of the recycling yesterday, which is nice.  It's actually cleaner down there than it was when we moved in.

I'll try and take some pictures of the house to post.  I know I haven't actually shown off each room like I had planned since we moved in 2.5 years ago.  

There you have it.  The MEGA-To-Do list is mostly the MEGA-To-Done list.  I'm pretty happy with what we managed to accomplish in three weeks.  There are still a few things to do before the baby arrives, but thankfully they're just little jobs. 

How much do you love lists?

Midweek Randoms

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-- I had planned on posting pictures of the nursery today, but the wall art I made isn't hanging up yet, so it'll have to wait.  Sorry for those of you who have been waiting anxiously to see everything together.  

-- I had my 38 week appointment this morning.  This baby is obviously incredibly comfortable because there's nothing going on yet.  I was not happy to hear my doctor when he said, 'No change from last week.'  I realize that it doesn't mean anything at this point.  I could go another 2 1/2 weeks before having my baby or I could have him by this time tomorrow.  It's just a bit discouraging to hear that nothing is going on week after week.

-- Dr. M sent me to the hospital after my appointment to have some blood drawn.  There were trace amounts of protein in my urine this week and my blood pressure has been slowly increasing over the last few appointments.  I'm crossing my fingers I don't have pre-eclampsia.

-- My appointment this morning showed me that my plan and God's plan for this baby aren't necessarily the same.  I'm hoping to avoid medical interventions and deliver my baby naturally.  While I can hope and strive for that, the most important thing is to get our little guy here safely.

-- I made the 3-ingredient tomato sauce last night.  I added some cooked ground beef to it and it was quite yummy.  I was dead on my feet by the time I made it, though, and nearly fell asleep in my dinner plate.  I can say it is just as good the next day as leftovers, too. :)

-- This book was in my mailbox today.  It's from our friends Nick and Mary.  It's a bedtime story for grownups.  If you want to have a laugh, you can go to this link and listen to an audio version read by Mr. Samuel L. Jackson.  I will warn you, though, it has a lot of colorful language in it, so if you do play the video, make sure the kids aren't within earshot.  If you are easily offended by poor language, don't click on it.

[Via]

-- The dogs have been driving me up the wall the last couple of days.  The boys have decided that jumping on the back of the couch and barking at things out the window is their new favorite thing to do.  It's a chihuahua thing.  Add in my crazy hormones and you've got a recipe for calamity.  I spent yesterday afternoon cleaning the entire top story of my house and they were just bark, bark, bark, all afternoon. 

2 on Tuesday -- Childhood Toys

Pin It Now! Welcome to another rousing rendition of the 2 on Tuesday link-up party courtesy of My Chihuahua Bites!



We're finally done with questions about television, and I must admit I'm pretty happy about it.  This week we're taking a step back in time.  For me, it's a step back to the 80's and 90's -- my childhood.

What were your two favorite childhood toys?

#1 Barbies

[Via]

I had boat loads of Barbie dolls.  I loved dressing them up.  Ken and Barbie got married at least once a week.  I had a few of Barbie's sisters, including Stacie and Kelly, but I always preferred to pretend they were her children rather than her sister.  Orphans were not part of my imaginative storyline.

My Barbie drove in style.  She had a red Ferrari as well as an RV.

I worked at a TRU store for a while in college.  I couldn't believe how many crazy things Barbie has these days.  There was one doll that came with a large dog.  You could feed the dog kibble the size of tic-tacs.  When you pushed the tail down, the tic-tac came out the other end.  Classy, right?  I really want my children to have toys that simulate bowel movements.

#2 Books

I've loved to read for a very long time.  I very clearly remember reading Mr. Popper's Penguins by myself in the 2nd grade.  It was my first chapter book and I have been reading as much as possible ever since.  I loved the days that my class got to go to the library to check out new books.  I recall in 5th and 6th grade being allowed to go to the library more often to check out books.

I really hope to pass on my love of reading and thirst for knowledge on to my children.

What about you?  What were your two favorite toys as a child?

38 Weeks!!!

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I'm still pregnant!!!

 

How far along? Today I am 38 weeks 1 day pregnant.

Weight gain: At last week's appointment I had gained 2 lbs, bringing me to a total of 12 lbs gained.

Cravings:  I <3 Cereal.  Why can't I crave salad?

Aversions:  No food aversions.

Movement:  He moves ALL. THE. TIME.  Everything I've read said that fetal movement begins to slow down as they run out of room.  I must have a spacious torso.

Sleep: My husband has complained a time or two that he's not sleeping well anymore.  He's awake every two hours when I'm trying desperately to flip over or get comfortable.  I wanted to high five him in the face.  I'd love to get a good night's rest!

 

Speaking of sleep, I am SO irritated.  I've had terrible insomnia for the last six weeks at least.  We have a bottle of Unisom in our cabinet.  I found my list of approved medications from my doctor and next to insomnia it said... UNISOM.  Are you freaking kidding me?  Oh well.

Other glamorous symptoms:  Carpal tunnel.  I drew a picture the other day.  By the time I was finished, my right hand was tingly.  I could definitely understand how women can be tempted into allowing their doctors to induce them at 39 weeks.

My belly button is still an innie.  I've been watching it for the last few weeks as it gets smaller and smaller.  It's like a race to the finish line.  Which will happen first, the birth of my unborn child or the popping of my belly button?

Last weekend (apple-picking weekend) I felt amazing.  I had loads of energy.  Then Monday or Tuesday I started having some serious sciatic pain.  I've had sciatic issues before, but never to the point that it's radiating down the back of my thigh.  I spent a lot of time on the sofa, alternating between my heating pad and an ice pack.  I am happy to report that a few days of taking it easy really helped.  Today I feel great.  

 

I'm humongous.  I was nice enough to pull my shorts up as high as they would go before taking this picture.  They're not maternity shorts, so they naturally want to fall down on my hips.  I would have put on cute clothes before taking this picture, but I didn't want to.  This is what I look like if I'm not leaving the house.  You're welcome.

My Husband Rocks

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I love this man.

A few weeks ago I picked up a half shift at work.  I was working from 3p-7p, which meant I wouldn't be home when he got off of work (that hasn't happened in a looooooooong time).

When I got home just after 7, there was an object covered by a bright red sheet in our living room.  A peek underneath the sheet revealed a wooden rocking chair for the nursery!

I had said from the beginning that I wanted a wooden rocking chair rather than a glider and he listened!  He bought this from someone on Craigslist and picked it up before I got home.

The gold fruit basket painted across the back of the chair isn't the most beautiful thing, but for $20 I will cover it with a blanket.  

I love the chair.  Our little man isn't even here yet and I can often be found in the nursery rocking in the chair, imagining what it will be like when he does arrive.

Carseat Installation

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A few weeks ago I installed the base for the carseat in the Malibu.  Getting the LATCH belts tight enough was tough because of my belly, but the hubs made sure they were tightened and we were good to go.

This morning I decided that it's time for the carseat to join the base because I'm tired of seeing the travel system in my dining room.

First, though, I decided I should probably figure out how to adjust the straps for the carseat before we need to bring the baby home.  So I whipped out the instruction manual and attempted to decipher the pictures and poorly written directions.

Have you looked at carseats lately?  Ohmyword.  They're more complicated than my smartphone.  Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but seriously.  Once that baby is in that carseat and properly fastened, he's not coming out.  

So anyway, it took me a good five minutes to figure out exactly how to adjust the straps.  Once I figured it out, it was really easy.  Someone should rewrite that manual and put, "Push this button while pulling this strap," instead of the crazy mumbo-jumbo they have in there now.

After figuring out how to properly strap my child into the seat, I headed out to the garage.  I easily snapped the carseat into the base and checked to see that it was level.

It wasn't.

Of course.

I easily removed the carseat and then spent a few minutes struggling to unstrap the base from the car (remember, my belly is hindering my mobility).  I then locate the instructions in a language I can read and figure out how to adjust the base.  I reattach the LATCH hooks to the car, pop the seat in, and thank God that it's level.

I win.

What did I learn from this experience?

You almost need a PhD to easily install a carseat.