Baby shower, glucose test and a movie

Sagira is doing much better today. The swelling on her nose has gone down a lot and she is definitely back to her normal crazy self. Phew!

I had my glucose tolerance test yesterday afternoon and I didn't even faint. Yay! I didn't eat for three hours, then I had to chug 10 ounces of cold orange-flavored glucose water. An hour later, they drew my blood and I immediately downed half a bag of trail mix. Since I was the last appointment of the day, I didn't get to find out the results. Maybe today? I have a horrid bruise in the crook of my arm today from that blood draw. It's pretty sore too.

This weekend was very random. After the satellite guy left, a small group of friends came over to watch Twilight. Rachel purchased it last weekend and we were anxious to see it. Unfortunately, the whole thing turned into a disaster. I had absolutely no idea how to work the DVD player with the Direct TV remote. What a mess! It wasn't until an hour and a half later that I thought to call Direct TV and they were able to fix the problem in five minutes.

Jenna ended up leaving once we got the DVD player working because she would have had to get the kids halfway through the movie. Rachel, Nadya and Alexey stuck around and watched the whole movie. Unfortunately, time got away with us and we were unable to go through the special features. We are hoping to find time to do that this week.

After the movie, Travis and I went over to Sara and JR's house for a little birthday party they had for Logan. The big guy is 2 years old now! WOW. They had hot dogs, cupcakes and flippin' awesome Rice Krispie treats. Man those hit the spot. I think I had three. YUM. After the food and presents, we hung out in the yard while everyone took turns playing Ladder Golf. It was so cold though! =(

Sunday, Travis and I laid in bed all morning. It was ridiculous. Travis has been attacked by his allergies and he didn't feel like doing anything. Which meant I basically had permission to lay in bed all day! I caught up on some much needed prego-book reading, while Travis messed around with the Direct TV.

That afternoon, I left for a baby shower and Travis stayed home. He spent five hours taking care of the continuing education that is required for his Journeyman electrician's license. The baby shower I went to was really nice. It was large and coed and there was a lot of food. They had it outdoors at the home of the mother-to-be. I didn't think I would need sunscreen, so I ended up with a little rosy color on my chest.

As soon as I got home, I took a shower, threw on some PJ's and jumped back into bed with Travis. It was a nice lazy day without feeling like I had done nothing (since I was outside for three hours). I finished the night off with two bowls of cereal in bed! =D

My poor kitty!

Sagira had an accident on Saturday. =( Travis and I decided to switch to satellite TV (amazingly it will save us money), so the technician was at our house. He was here for five hours! But that's unrelated... Anyway, I leaned a 6-foot ladder against the wall for the technician to use and walked away. A few minutes later, I heard the ladder crash to the ground. I went to make sure it didn't cause any damage and I leaned it back against the wall. Sagira is always knocking stuff down and she is always fine, so I didn't think to go check on her.

Next thing I know, I hear Sagira yowling in the dining room. I immediately went to make sure she was okay, but she didn't really seem to be. She was crouching in a strange position on a chair at the table. When I tried to pull it out to take a look at her, she slowly walked over to the next chair while staying very low to the ground. I tried pulling out that chair, but she went across the table to the other side. I figured she was hurt and didn't want to be messed with, so I tried to sit near her to see if I could get a glimpse of any possible damage.

She finally sat still and I tried to look her over from a distance. She had her eyes squinted almost completely shut and she was shaking. Then she started turn her head back and forth from straight on, to the left and back again. She did that over and over for five minutes, occasionally licking her nose. That's when I noticed blood coming out of her right nostril. I wasn't sure if she had a scrape on her nose or if she had bonked her head so hard that she was bleeding from the nose.

I worried that she might have hurt her back or neck. I didn't find a scrape or lump anywhere else on her body. I immediately called the vet to see what they thought and they recommended bringing her in. I was too afraid to move her, so I waited for a few minutes. After about 10 minutes, she finally started to let me pet her. I got her to turn her head to the right and she ate a treat. I called the vet back to let them know she was doing better and if anything changed for the worse I would be right in.

Thankfully, it never came to that. She sat on the couch, under the blanket I covered her with, for several hours that afternoon. I was so worried about her, but she was definitely back to her normal self by Sunday. Travis and I had to yell at her to get off the counter when she tried to get a taste of the taco leftovers we had sitting out while we ate. Sagira's nose is still really swollen. If you look at her profile, you can see a bump on the bridge of her nose. I'm pretty sure the ladder hit her right on the schnoz when it fell.

It would be absolutely HORRIBLE if anything happened to one of my cats, and I hate to say it, but especially if anything happened to Sagira. She's my sweet pea! (Bella pees everywhere and I'm pretty sure is bi-polar. Phage is an awesome cat, but he thinks he owns our bed and drives me nuts at night.) Plus, I don't think I could handle those emotions while I am pregnant. It was all I could do to not have a nervous breakdown when I realized she was hurt. It was a close one!

Coming in October

Is four months old too young to go to the movies?

Where the Wild Things Are

This is just funny

His own foot keeps sneaking up on him! LOL!!!

27 Weeks: Baby Weight

And when I say baby weight, I'm talking about the weight of the baby - not how much weight I've gained since I've been pregnant. I'm freaking out. For about the past month or so, I have had just about everyone I've seen say, "Wow! You're really big for how far along you are! Are you sure you're not having twins?!" Yes! I'm sure I'm not having twins! I can only hope that one of the various doctors and technicians who were involved in the three ultrasounds I've had so far would have noticed a second baby. They dubbed Lil Wodie a singleton and they seem to be sticking with their story.

This leads me to my biggest fear. I have this feeling in my gut that I am going to go into labor, labor for 20 hours, then spend 4 hours pushing only to find out that the baby is too big to fit down the birth canal and I need a c-section. All that pushing for nothing. I'm sure of it.

Before I go into this too much, let me tell you that the average baby born in the US weighs 7 lbs, 5 oz. My mom had all large babies. Travis was a pretty good size too. My mom smoked while she was pregnant with both my sister and I, as that was before it was made known that smoking while pregnant is not good for the baby. So, while smoking, my mom had me at 8 lbs, 3 oz and my sister at 7 lbs, 6 oz.

THEN, she quit smoking by the time she had my brother - it was in the 90's, so she knew smoking was bad. She ended up having to get a c-section because Alex was a whopping 10 lbs, 9 oz. That's big baby! That also puts all of her babies at above average birth weights.

Travis' mom has a similar story for Travis. She went into labor, but he was breech. Because of that, she had to have a c-section. Travis came out at 8 lbs, 4 oz. (I read that this means I have a 4% higher chance of having a breech baby. Not a significant stat, but a stat nonetheless.)

Another factor riding at the back of my mind is Sara's story with Logan. From the time she was about six months pregnant, she had people telling her she was going to "pop any day now!" Uh, no. She still had three months to go! I haven't had people assuming I am that far along, but the fact that I'm heading in that direction puts me on edge. Logan was born at 9 lbs, 6 oz - again, that's a big baby! I have not had the doctor tell me my baby is bigger than normal, yet, so I guess that's a good sign.

To help distract me, I'm trying to focus on the nursery. My next step is to purchase wall decals, although I don't plan to put those up until I have the shelves (that I registered for). Whatcha think of the curtains? I'm hoping they don't compete too much with the green in the bedding. We'll see!

At Six Months

I was thinking the other day about how much I am enjoying being pregnant. For the most part, I feel great. There are a few things that I have had to deal with, but I've dealt with them as they come. Here are a few of the joys of pregnancy that stand out the most in my mind (at the moment)...

The other day after I went to the movies with Travis, I had to pee like nobody's business. The line for the restroom was ridiculous and since we only live 15 minutes from the theater, I decided to wait until we got home. As I was rushing to the bathroom, complaining about how full I was (we ate dinner, then went to the movies and ate popcorn and peanut butter M&M's) and Travis stops me to rub my belly and have a little talk with Lil Wodie. "Aw, is Mommy taking up all your room in there?" Forget him! The kid's taking up my space! That's where my bladder is supposed to go. And MY stomach. It is only going to get worse.

I've been wondering for the past six months when I was going to warm up. Everyone always says that pregnant woman are generally hot all the time. What with all the energy being spent to grow the baby and all. I have been nothing but freezing for months. Until these past few weeks that is. All of a sudden, I feel like my hands and feet are permanently on fire. At bed time, I have to go to sleep with the covers off. I usually wake up a few hours later a little chilly and pull up my blankets. But then I have to shove them off again when I get up to pee.

That brings on another pregnancy related issue - swelling hands and feet. For the most part, it only strikes at night while I am sleeping. So when I get up in the middle of the night to pee, it feels like I'm walking on pins and needles. Sometimes, I pause at the sink long enough to run my hands under cold water for a moment. Most of the time, I just drop back into bed. I'm up to twice a night now. On the weekends when I get to sleep in a couple hours, I get up three times to pee. Not bad when compared to Nadya and her six times a night though.

This new situation has come up in the past few months. It came about the same time that The Ladies decided they were going to grow a cup size or so. I drop food down my shirt ALL THE TIME. This is seriously a problem I never had before. Now that I actually have cleavage and a space for food to drop, my shirts are continually filled with food. Literally. I am constantly pulling bits of trail mix out from the tank top I wear under most clothes. I notice it because the little pieces of granola stab me.

Before I had time to run to the bathroom after the movie the other night, Travis noticed Callaway sniffing at something on the floor. He bent down to have a closer look and realized it was a piece of popcorn. "Callaway, how'd you get popcorn?" I knew right away that it must have fallen out of my shirt. I HAD been chipping away at a bag of the stuff only a few short hours prior.

It's amazing the situations that arise during pregnancy.

Giganto-Nikki

Sunday night I had a horrible nightmare. I dreamt that I was fat. And then I woke up. No seriously. It was horrible. More specifically, it went like this...

I woke up on the floor in my parents old bedroom (the one they shared together before they got divorced). When I stood up, I was standing directly in front of a mirror. When I saw my reflection, I didn't recognize myself. I thought my reflection was someone else. Someone VERY round. Round face, round nose, round neck, round arms. It was like I had fallen asleep at this size, and then woke up gigantic. My clothes were way too tight for me and left indentations all over the place.

I woke up from the real nightmare and immediately ran to the scale. I am still riding at 150 - not the end of the world. Lately I have noticed you can see the minor weight gain in my face. I didn't notice that until I looked at some photos of myself from early last year. It's strange how I don't feel bigger (except for in the belly obviously), but I AM getting bigger. I didn't realize this weight gain was affecting me so deeply!

This weekend Travis and I went to JCPenny's and bought blinds for the nursery. They were 40% off, so good deal for us! Unfortunately, the windows in that room are a strange size, making the blind-buying process a little difficult. We ended up buying blinds that were 30 inches too long for the windows. That means Travis had to remove the bottom half of each set (for a total of three). Furthermore, one of the windows is about 7 inches wider than the widest set of blinds. To make up for this we bought two smaller sets and Travis is going to build a divider in the center so there isn't as much light let in on the sides.

Last night I ran up to Walmart and bought curtains and rods. Unfortunately, I bought the wrong length for the sheer curtains, so I have to go back to the store. I ALWAYS have to go back there to return or exchange an item. So annoying. Hopefully I'll have time to do that tonight.

Anyhoo, Travis hung the blinds, rods and green curtains up last night. We finally have privacy in the nursery! The curtains really help soften the room - not quite so echo-y. And now there's COLOR!! I will get some photos up as soon as I exchange the sheer curtains...

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PS - My mini-videos from Blair's birthday party appear to be working now if you'd like to check them out on Vimeo.

A Wonderful Saturday Party

It turned out to be a wonderful day for Blair's birthday and party. It was a little windy, but I would prefer that over no wind at all! Alexa's parents flew in Thursday to be here for their grandson's first birthday. Travis and I got to Chris and Alexa's around noon so we could help set up for the birthday bash. Chris built a sand box, just in time for the party, although Blair wanted nothing to do with it. He should get over that soon. =)

There were kids and babies everywhere at this thing! There were five boys and later on one little girl. Plus, there were two pregos (including me) carrying boys. We joked that in a few years we should have enough boys to start our own football team. LOL!

Here's just a taste of the boys and their toys: Landon in the truck, Matteo on foot, and Blair on the four wheeler.

Alexa had a beautiful cake made for Blair, complete with his own mini-version to tear into on his own.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be quite as interested in the cake as we'd hoped he would be...

After Grandpa got in there and dug in, he seemed a little more into it...

I am slowly working on getting the videos loaded. Our stupid video camera battery was dead, so we had to use our regular camera to get some of this on video. Blair did really good in the gift department. Plenty of toys that should last him a while.

They made SO MUCH FOOD. And it was all so delicious: shrimp, chicken and veggie kabobs, hash brown casserole, sweet potato fries, glazed fruit, hummus and pita chips, crackers and cheese, veggies and dip. I went home a miserable, stuffed pregnant lady. I'm pretty sure I ate for three hours straight. Ugh, makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it. Travis came home a well "satiated" guy. Let's just say he may have woken up the next morning with a slight headache.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAIR! Not Blaire ;)

PS - Happy Birthday Logan! He turns 2 today. They're all growing up so fast!

Good One

Friday night, Travis and I went on a movie date and saw Knowing. We both thought it was awesome. It turned out to be nothing like what we thought it would be. I don't want to even give you clues to what the twist is because I think it would ruin it for those of you who see this. There is a reason why they don't show you certain scenes from the film in the trailers. Let's just say this movie really got us talking on the ride home.

There were a lot of very tense moments where I thought I would just jump out of my skin if something didn't happen soon. I worried that I was affecting the health of my child because I kept finding myself holding my breath. I think the combination of Coke, peanut butter M&M's (which I snuck into the theater thank you very much) and the adrenaline rush I had through the majority of the film, really woke up Lil' Wodie. He was a rolling fool!

I definitely recommend this movie.

Happy Birthday Blair!

Travis and I are heading over to Chris and Alexa's around noon today to help them get ready for Blair's first birthday party that is to be held at 4pm. I cannot believe it has already been a year. Where does the time go?

I went grocery shopping yesterday after work and ran into an old co-worker of mine. Once she had a better look at me, she exclaimed, "You're pregnant!". Yup, sure am. Then she says, "so, that must make you feel older, huh?"

I've been mulling over this for a while now and I am still not sure how I feel about it. She is a nice woman, so I'm not quite sure where she was going with that. I am 26 years old. It's not like I'm a baby. Why does that question seem so strange?

Don't forget, for more blogs about pregnancy and the baby, go to Lil Wodie's blog site.

My new favorite website

I met Ariel and Allison for happy hour at a Mexican restaurant yesterday after work. Of course, I didn't get to partake in the happy hour drink specials, but I did enjoy the chips with salsa and queso appetizer and shared enchiladas with Ariel.

Travis got home around 9 after a day with no time to eat a meal. He wanted to see what his blood sugar was since all he had eaten since noon was a chicken nugget. He pulled out my glucometer and gave himself a prick. It was 85!!! After practically nine hours without eating, it was only an 85. I'm pretty sure mine would have been a zero. Normal levels are between 80 and 120. After a week of testing myself, I found that I get sick (shaky, hot, dizzy, clumsy, etc) once I drop to 85 or below. Not sure what it takes for me to faint.

I am getting VERY nervous about the glucose tolerance test I have to take in a couple weeks for the doc. I have to fast for three hours prior to chugging a load of some sugar-loaded drink. The purpose of the test is to see if I have developed gestational diabetes (which is something I have to worry about moreso because I have hypoglycemia). I'm hoping I don't faint prior to the drink. And then I'm hoping I don't get sick and vomit after the drink.

I do not do well when I have to wait more than one to two hours between meals or snacks. I told Travis he has to drive me to that appointment because I don't want to be responsibile for a 20 car pile up on the interstate because I fainted behind the wheel. Plus, I might need someone to peel me off the ground at the doctor's office and carry me home. I'm scared, can you tell?

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I would like to introduce you to my new favorite website. If you are having a particularly bad day, you should offer up a post...

FML: Your everyday life stories

Mexi-can't

Ah geez. This one was too good not to share.

Travis sent me a text message at lunch yesterday, "Do I look Mexican?"

"LOL! What?! Why?!" My response was, "I don't think so, but maybe when you are tan and dirty in your work clothes someone might confuse you as one." He does work with a hispanic guy, and that could only fuel the idea.

Turns out, twice this week he has had a Mexican come up to him and start speaking in full on Spanish. Travis has to tell them in his not-so-great Spanish that he doesn't speak Spanish. Then the guy will start speaking to him in perfect English. Ha! He is being confused as a Mexican, by a Mexican!! I can't stand it!

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. JR Luck!!

See the last few minutes of their wedding in Vegas here:

JR & Sara's Wedding video

No green beer for me!

I hope everyone is feeling well this morning - no hangovers on our side. I guess that's what happens when you put a baby in the mix. My dad will be happy to hear that I did not put green food coloring in my milk at dinner last night. He was worried that I might feed my unborn child artificial coloring that might cause him to grow a third nipple or some other random extra appendage. No worries Dad!

When I was a kid, my mom would make corned beef, cabbage and potatoes every year, which we washed down with green milk. It was one of the special occasions when Ariel and I were allowed to use wine glasses for our milk, so we always looked forward to it. That is, until the food came out. I've never been a big fan of the Irish meal. Turns out, my tastes have changed!

Yesterday was my first time making the traditional St. Patty's Day meal. It was SO easy. You basically just boil the hell out of everything. The corned beef, carrots and onions boiled all day in my Crock Pot. Then, when I got home, I spent an hour boiling potatoes and cabbage. Interesting process. Robert said the reason the Irish boil everything is because they all have bad teeth, so they need their food to be soft for easy ingestion. Ha!

I was worried about having lots of leftovers. I had a feeling this would not be the sort of food Travis and I would hurry to pull out of the fridge to eat again. To solve this problem, I had Ariel, Robert, Rachel and Scott over to help us out. (It was our first chance to really test out the new dimmers on all the lighting Travis set us up with. I am VERY happy with the results.) I was worried that there wouldn't be enough food for everyone. 4 1/2 pounds of beef, 10 potatoes, 4 carrots, 12 green beers and a head of cabbage later, there were still plenty of leftovers.

I'm blaming that meal on the shock I had at the break room scale this morning. I finally broke a buck fifty. AHHH!!!

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PS - I have to mention here that yesterday when Rachel got to work and noticed that Zhenya (our new co-worker) was not wearing green, she asked if that meant we get to punch her. What?! I waited a minute to see if she was joking, but she was not! I had to fill her in that it is "pinch", not "punch". LOL! Guess she hung out with too many guys during this holiday in the past. Although it does seem fitting, since the Irish are known for their anger and quickness to fight...

Hidden Treasures

So, I guess while Travis was on one of his many trips into the attic on Saturday afternoon, he came across a few items lost between the air ducts:

A children's giraffe coat rack

And two Balinese Room bamboo cups

I am debating whether we will use the coat rack or not for Lil Wodie's mini-jackets. I would like to, but there seems to be a little roofing tar on an ear and one of the upper hooks. Also, the fact that I do not know this giraffe's history makes me weary to expose my child to it. We thought about painting it, but then we would lose the details of the face. There is no way I could reproduce that.

For those of you who don't know what the Balinese Room is, it was a bar on the Seawall in Galveston. Back in the day, it was the main locale for illegal gambling in the area. It was located on the one of maybe five piers that existed along the beach on the island. The entire pier (along with three and a half of the other piers) was completely destroyed during Ike back in September.

I only went inside the business once before it was demolished. I used to use the building as a landmark for where to turn off the Seawall when I was giving directions to our old apartment.

As for the Balinese Room cups, I think we will keep them for a while. Travis checked on Ebay to see if they would be worth selling. The only thing he could find was a plate going for $145. Treasure in the attic?

Balinese room, pre-Ike, June 2008

Balinese Room, post-Ike, March 2009

Hope you're wearing green today... Happy St. Patty's Day!

Two Thirds New

Travis and my main task of the weekend was to rewire the living room and dining room of the house. We have been "meaning" to finish this rewire for almost two years now. We were forced into replacing our breaker box the month we moved in when the main breaker split in half all on it's own. Soon after, we rewired the back half of the house and added smoke detectors (which made my dad feel much more comfortable).

Rewiring a house is a tedious process that is better accomplished with two electricians. Since Travis and I want to do this at the cheapest level possible, that means we are down to one electrician and one electrician's wife. Namely, me.

I have to say that this portion of the house came about with much less stress than when we finished the first half a couple years ago. I think I have a slightly better understanding of how the electrical works, making the instruction lesson less stressful for Travis. Plus, he may have a little more patience with me since I'm six months pregnant. A huge improvement this time over last is the addition of gutters to our house. It rained non-stop from Friday to Sunday and Travis says the under side of our house is just dry dirt! Last time he was under there it was a muddy lake. =(

At any rate, we made it through the weekend without killing each other. If anything, I think I was able to lift the spirits with my lunacy. Have you ever heard that the definition of insanity is when someone repeats the same thing over and over again expecting different results? Travis and I were very much doing that at one point when Travis was trying to push wire down from the attic, while I stood in the living room waiting for it to show up at the switch. It was obviously hitting a board, so he sent me out to the work van to get some fishing wire to push up towards the attic. We were hoping that would be easier. I think we spent a full minute both hitting either side of that board in the wall before I started laughing hysterically. Travis was all pissed off laying in the middle of insulation in our attic and I couldn't help it. At least it lightened the mood!

We started the rewire Saturday afternoon when Travis got out of work early. We didn't want to get too involved that day, so Travis just pulled out all the old boxes and cut the holes for the recessed can lights. Callaway was a trooper and helped us out a bunch.

He brought us wire when we needed it...

And electrical tape...

The whole time I was walking around from plug to plug to switch, waiting to receive the wire, Callaway was by my side. I think he was a little freaked out about all the sounds come from the attic and under the house. After squatting by one plug, I decided my legs wouldn't be able to hold out all day long. I pulled that gigantic birthing ball around with me the whole time so I wouldn't have to get up off the floor by myself. Still, by the end of the day, my lower back and legs were tired and achy. I think that might be the most use my birthing ball has gotten yet!

So, the finished product... We have two new outlets in the living room - meaning it will be easier to vacuum or charge a random cell phone. We have two new 4-inch wall wash can lights with directional spot lights to high light our art in the dining room. And we have four new 6-inch can lights in the living room. All but the fan light in the living room are now on a dimmer and I swear you can turn every light off from each of the three switch boxes. There are three-way and four-way switches galore! We went from having four switches in those two rooms (one of which didn't do anything) to TEN switches! LOL! It's going to take some getting used to.

Dining room lighting

Living room lighting

We plan to wait a couple weekends (since next weekend is Blair's first birthday party!) to do the next section of the house. It should take us two more weekends to finish. Then MAYBE Travis will close off one of the doors in our office and build a closet to make it into a bedroom. It would be nice to finish all this before the baby comes. Let the countdown begin!

Grilled Caesar Vegetable Salad

Travis and I had Sara and JR over last night for dinner and I wanted to try something new for a side. Whenever I get on this kick, I flip through all the various Betty Crocker cookbooks that I have picked up at the cashier in the grocery store over the years. This week, I came across a recipe titled Grilled Caesar Vegetable Salad. Normally I would have skimmed right past it for two reasons: One, it contains mushrooms, which I generally hate (I like the flavor, but not the consistency). And two, it requires Caesar dressing, which I have only started to like within the past year.

I decided what the hell, let's do it. If I don't like it, there's a chance that three other people might. It seemed worth the risk. Well, it was a huge hit. Even I liked it. I think that is the first time I've taken a bite of a mushroom and not immediately spit it back out. My mom always said that if I ever liked mushrooms, it would be portabellas. I think she was right.

It always seems funny to me to take vegetables and smother them in some calorie ridden sauce. Then I was thinking, we are still getting the nutrients, right? That's what I'm worried about most right now. Not so much calorie or fat intake as I am worried about getting enough of the vitamins and minerals I need to grow a human.

I didn't really measure everything out exactly, so here's my slightly-different-than-the-original version of Grilled Caesar Vegetable Salad:

• 1/3 cup Caesar dresssing
• 2 large fresh portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 medium bell peppers, but into 1/2-inch strips
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat grill for direct heat.
2. Brush mushrooms, yellow squash and bell peppers with oil. Place vegetables in grill basket.
3. Cover and grill vegetables over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, shaking basket or stirring vegetables occasionally, until crisp-tender.
4. To serve, place on serving platter and sprinkle with tomatoes. Drizzle dressing over vegetables and sprinkle with cheese. Serve at room temperature.

Pictures and Shrimp

Travis and I took a couple random pictures last night. Here's me and Callaway in the kitchen. I'm wearing the maternity outfit that my mom bought for me. It's the only prego stuff I have that was bought FOR me and not a hand-me-down. I haven't had to buy anything else! Except the belly band, I guess.

I was telling Rachel yesterday about how when I am full after a meal and when I lean back like this, my belly button goes flat. She jokes all the time that my belly button is going to pop out any day now. I don't want it to pop out! It freaks me out. I may have to tape it down so it doesn't stick out of my shirts. Blech.

Totally random and unrelated... I was talking to my dad the other day about food and what's okay to eat while pregnant. He brought up that he wished that he could eat shrimp more often because he loves it, but he avoids it because it is high in cholesterol. I couldn't believe him, since I know shrimp is low in fat. I looked it up, and sure enough he was right! But this article said that it doesn't raise overall cholesterol levels, possibly because it is low in fat and contains fish oils that are good for the heart. So strange.

Travis is busting his hump for us... What a trooper!

Wow. I have to say I MISS MY HUSBAND. He has been working very hard for months now. He is trying to work as much as he can so we can pay off as much debt as possible before the baby comes. The problem is that after the baby comes, he probably won't be able to quit working the overtime completely. He should be able to cut back significantly, but it would be a little rough if he stopped it all together. Thing is, we should be able to pay off at least one credit card and we will have our taxes paid by June, but then we will have diapers and daycare and hospital bills to take care of. We're just trading out our old debt for baby debt.

I will do whatever I can in my power to cut back on the amount of overtime Travis has to work after the baby comes. I want him to be here to get to know our little man. If he continued to work the hours he's working now, he would be home after Lil Wodie went to sleep and he would only get one whole day a week, at the most, to spend with the baby. It's depressing and I won't stand for it. Besides, it would be nice to have a little help raising this kid, ya know?

I am really looking forward to the first week after the baby is born because Travis is taking off from work. We'd love to do more, but we can't afford it. Unfortunately, Travis does not have any sort of paid leave, so we will have to save up for that one week of bliss as it is. We are HOPING that his boss will be a gem and pay him for that week, but it's not something we can rely on.

We are currently juggling our credit card debt to hopefully make payments a little easier and maybe even a little lighter. It may help us in the long run (less chance for late payment fees and the possibility of less interest paid over time).

Did I mention that we found the daycare provider we want to use? She is a stay-at-home mom (that I will call J) who used to watch four kids before the hurricane, but was forced to downsize to just one child when her and her family had to temporarily move into an apartment. Their lease is up at the end of this month, so we plan to go visit her new house and meet the woman in the flesh. Over the phone, she sounds extremely pleasant. We know the mother of the one child she still watches and she loves this babysitter. Plus, her son is turning out to be a great kid.

J has two kids of her own; a two year old and a five year old who is starting Kindergarden this fall. She only keeps one infant at a time, so we were fortunate to catch her before anyone else found her. I feel so great about this situation and I am yet to meet J in person. Another awesome aspect of this daycare provider is that English is her first language. Many of the teachers at the daycares we were looking at had Spanish as their first language. Don't get me wrong, I would love if my child grew up learning Spanish. Thing is, I still want him to learn English. Which will be hard if his teacher barely speaks a word of it herself.

We are not sure how long we will leave him in an at-home daycare. I know there will be other children there, but I like the idea of him being exposed to other children in his age group. Socialization with kids will help him grow, not to mention it will help build his immune system! (Although I'm not exactly looking forward to all those runny noses.)

I feel so much more comfortable about having the baby now. I feel like my biggest worry has already been solved (move over daycare worries, move in sleep deprivation worries). Unless of course we get to J's house and it is a nightmare. Cross your fingers for us!!

Way Cute

I don't know how many of you know about it, but my friend Rachel was losing her hair due to the sudden development of alopecia. It was really hard on her at first, but now she seems to be taking it in strides. She went out immediately and bought three million wigs, all of which are super cute. Within the past couple months, her hair has finally started to grow back. She has eyebrows and eyelashes and most of the hair on her head has started to grow back.

I do have to say that I am slightly jealous of the fact that the need to shave her legs has dwindled significantly...

Anyhoo, yesterday, she came into work with a FAUX-HAWK!!! It was SO CUTE I had to post a picture. Whaddaya think?!

Sara's Bachelorette Party

Saturday after the beach, I headed home to shower and attempt to fit myself in a snug non-maternity dress for Sara's bachelorette party. Her and JR are getting married on St. Patrick's Day in Las Vegas, so all the girls wore Kelly green to celebrate. When I saw this dress, I loved it and had to have it (especially for that price!). After a bunch of struggling to get that dress over the "Ladies" I was on the road.

I'm glad Sara recommended leaving 15 minutes earlier than I was planning because traffic was HORRIFIC. They have currently closed down a portion of the main freeway that heads into Houston, meaning anyone who chooses to drive north must tackle this detour. Thinking about dealing with these road changes during an evacuation makes me sick to my stomach. Soooo, let's not think about that...

After 30 minutes of being re-routed around piles of dirt and heavy machinery, I found myself back on the freeway and eventually maneuvering my vehicle through Houston. I honestly do not make it into the city very often. And it seems like whenever I do, Travis is the one driving. I vaguely know the area, but with all the one way streets in that city, it can get very difficult trying to read and follow the Mapquest directions at the same time as I'm trying to follow the road signs telling me Do Not Enter for fear of death or at least a hefty traffic ticket. Ok, maybe not that last part, but you get the drift of what was going through my head.

I actually made it to the restaurant right on time. Only to find that during my struggle into the dress, or sometime thereafter, I managed to bust a button right out of the top. Dana, Sara's friend, was awesome enough to offer me a button that she had planned for the bride-to-be to wear. It was a giant shamrock, but I managed to fit it on the inside of my dress so it would be slightly less conspicuous.

Dinner was delicious. We ate at Maggiano's Italian Restaurant near the Galleria (the gigantic mall in Houston). Brittany, Sara's soon-to-be sister-in-law, brought in a penis cake for dessert. That's right, penis cake. It was a bachelorette party and would not be complete without some form of obscenity. In our case, it came in the form of a delicious, chocolate baked good. Mmmm.

After dinner, we all ran over to this country bar called Wild West. I guess it's kind of a big deal in the world of Country music. I don't know if you have ever had the chance to go to a real country bar in Texas, but if you are ever in the area, you have got to go. If anything, just to experience the culture of Texas. I always find it thoroughly entertaining (even when I am not at a bachelorette party).

There is always a huge dance floor in the center of the bar, where bar goers two-step in a counter-clockwise motion. It reminds me of my early days at the skating rink. Except with cowboy boots and hats. This place even had an area where you could get your boots shined!! I'm a little irritated with myself for not getting a photo of that. But it makes sense, right? With all that dancing, your boots are bound to get stepped on and scuffed!

I would like to mention here that all the bars and restaurants in Houston are smoke-free. Makes things easier for a pregnant lady who wants to be included. =)

Two of the hostesses: Lacy and Brittany (JR's sisters)
Oh, and Burt Reynolds


Sara's best friend Dana (the other hostesses) and Brittany

Have you ever seen the movie Napoleon Dynamite? Do you remember the preppy girl's boyfriend? He was the one with absolutely no speaking parts, but he still managed to come across as a tool. Well, this guy, although better looking, reminded me of The Tool From Napoleon Dynamite. He was pretty funny. He kept coming over to dance with the bachelorette party and Sara, to be more specific. The hilarious part is that it made her so uncomfortable and she didn't know what to do about it. He would usually get the hint and walk away. But he kept coming back for more! LOL!

Anyhoo, we are in the middle of the Houston Rodeo right now, which means that all the country folk are out and about in full cowboy/cowgirl gear. Somewhere around 10:30, after the Rodeo had closed for the night, the bar started to fill up. I started to feel claustrophobic and my belly suddenly felt very vulnerable to drunken elbows, so I decided to make my leave. Besides, it's hard to stay up late when you can't party like the rest of the group.

I couldn't believe it when a guy started to hit on me. In his defense, he was slightly intoxicated and I was sitting on a stool. Maybe that's why he didn't notice the baby bump and wedding bands? Another guy ran up to us to hand me a drink, but the second he pushed through the crowd around me, he saw the belly and said, "I guess you probably won't be wanting this?" Bwahahahaha!!! Aw man, good times.

Happy Birthday Robert!

Well, here it is. Me in the bikini.

Well, sort of. It was actually a little chilly out with the wind, so I never took my skirt off. I ended up putting my shirt back on after a while. And I'm an idiot. You'd think after years of sunburns I would think twice about forgoing sunscreen. Right? Well, I put sunscreen on the top half, but not the bottom half. The backs of my knees are fried, as are the tops of my feet. I now have a burn on my feet in the shape of sandals and an anklet. I got some color on my shoulders where I DID have sunscreen, so you can imagine the shape my legs are in. =(

For Robert's birthday, he and Ariel got a bunch of their friends together at the beach for a barbecue. They grilled hamburgers, brats and fish for lunch. I ate A LOT. But do you know the great part about stuffing yourself with food while wearing a bikini when you are pregnant? There's no need to suck in a full tummy! Ha!

There were so many dogs at the BBQ. I swear, everyone who came brought their canine. I tried to get a shot of them all running together in the surf, but the shot was too wide for me to get with my camera. We got Toby and Chevy to sit still for a fraction of a moment. Enough to get a photo! (Check out that pink house in the background. It's tipping over - aftermath of Ike.)

Everyone threw a surprise party for Robert that night. Travis went and obviously had a good time. The dress attire was cowboys and gangsters. I guess the majority of the party goers went as cowboys and cowgirls. They had a pinata that looked just like Robert. LOL!

I had to leave the beach party early to head home and get ready for Sara's bachelorette party, but more about that later. That's too much for one post!

PS - No Chloasma!!

Toys for Children?

Ummm, so I am totally not against tattoos (my husband has three), but this is just strange...

Barbie Totally Stylin Tattoos Barbie Doll

This also reminded me a little bit of the new skanky Tween Dora that is supposed to come out sometime this year (thanks Rachel, for finding that one). Yay for the future of our children!

24 Weeks

I can't believe how much I've blown up in the past month. I showed my dad and brother these pictures last night and they couldn't believe the difference either.

I am starting to feel the effects of having a large stomach too. Nothing horrible yet, but I can tell it's coming. It throws me off when I lift up my foot to tie my shoes. I have to pull my knee to the side now. Ditto for shaving my legs in the shower. I was sitting on the floor in my living room the other day stretching. When I tried to push myself forward into a squatting position on my feet, I fell right back onto my ass. I ended up having to roll over onto all fours to stand up. Bending over to pick things up off the floor pushes my stomach into my mouth, so I have to be careful about doing that too soon after eating. Not to mention that it pushes the air out of my lungs a little.

None of these things are an extreme yet, but I can see how a 9-months-pregnant lady might feel a little uncomfortable and ready to get this thing over with. I'm not there yet though! It seems so amazing that the female stomach can stretch so much in pregnancy. Why doesn't it hurt? Although, I guess sometimes it does hurt a little - round ligament pain, gravity pulling the stomach to one side when you lay down, itchy skin. Thankfully, I haven't had too much of any of these things.

I'm keeping my hopes up for Bikini Time this Saturday. It looks like it's supposed to be 76 now!

Swimsuit Season

There is a chance that this Saturday, I will get to show off my belly in a bikini. LOL!! My sister is having a picnic on the beach for her boyfriend Robert's birthday. As of right now it is supposed to be 72 degrees, cloudy and windy. If it's cold, I'm not stripping down to the swimsuit. I hope it does end up being nice enough - for my pale legs and for Robert's birthday celebration.

My only worry about being in the sun is chloasma, the mask of pregnancy. Again, blame it on the hormones. Pregnant women can develop dark spots on their skin from being exposed to the sun. I'm hoping that for once in my life, my pale skin will be a good thing. Women with darker complexions are more prone to chloasma, so maybe I'll skip right over this problem. If that's not the case, I'll be sure to take pictures to show you Monster Nikki. Don't fret! I will be wearing sunscreen!

Last night I got out my swimsuits to try on. I'd like to see what I'm getting myself into. I still fit two of them - thank goodness for side-strings! Rachel also loaned me a bikini that fits. I feel sorry for everyone who may have to witness my blinding whiteness and not-so-perfect thighs. But who cares? I can only guarantee that I'll be pregnant this once! (Although I hope for a couple more goes at it.)

I noticed the funniest thing yesterday when I was trying on the swimsuits. When I stretch backwards a little bit, or try to push out my stomach (more than it already is), the skin around my belly button becomes taut. It ends up looking like I have a white ring around my belly button. Ha!

Oh ya, (I just remembered because I tried switching how my legs are crossed) I had my first experience with a Charlie Horse while pregnant. YUCK. Total, I have only had two of these prior to pregnancy. I do recall that they were horrible. My recollections were correct. I'm sure it only lasted a total of 30 seconds, but it felt like minutes. It really isn't the best way to be woken up in the middle of the night! I just massaged my calf and attempted to pull my toes back to stretch it out. It was a little difficult with my burgeoning belly in the way. I hate to say it, but I might need Travis' help to solve these if I have anymore.

I've heard that problems with muscle cramping can be associated with a lack of electrolytes. Not sure if this is the case for a Charlie Horse, but I'm going to try eating a banana either way. Can't hurt, right?

Whatcha Doin' at the Courthouse?

Every morning on the ride into work, I listen to a morning show on the Houston rock station. At 7:50am, right before I get to my parking lot, I change the station to listen to a short segment that starts on another radio station. It's called Whatcha Doin' at the Courthouse? One of the morning show hosts, Sarah, goes to a courthouse and interviews the people coming out. As you can imagine, there are some very interesting people that are interviewed.

Sarah always makes sure to talk to everyone that is together, whether it's just one person, a couple or a group of people leaving the courthouse. They always have some crazy story that seems like it should only be found on TV. Like the lady who was divorcing her husband and fighting for child support. She had six kids, each with a different father, but all their names started with a 'J'. If I can recall correctly, she forgot one child and named one twice.

Today there was a woman who decided that she was bored and felt like sitting in on a random trial - instead of flipping on the TV or hanging out with friends. Oh and also on today? Some guy involved in de-ho-ing a house. As in, removing a "ho" from a house.

If you're like me, and find these people hilarious, check out the webcast at their website. I find the jingle at the beginning of each segment very catchy.

Two Worries Out, One Worry In

I'm feeling much better today about the health of my men. Travis went a whole other day without incident. Rachel suggested that it might have been some form of a migraine. Travis gets those from time to time. When he was a child, he had them every day. But has he's gotten older, they have become much more infrequent, thankfully. His migraines usually consist of a terrible headache with sensitivity to light, sound and smells. When he was younger, he used to vomit. But who knows? Maybe it was just a different form of a migraine.

The other worry I had was Lil Wodie. He didn't seem very active on Sunday and it was making me nervous. It could have been that I was so busy running around for most of the day that I never noticed his kicks. I have started to feel a new sensation, which I would say is closest to rolling. Instead of kicks, it's like he's rolling over in there. I can't feel the rolling with my hands on the outside.

I know that as the pregnancy progresses, I'm supposed to feel the baby moving more often. Once I felt the baby start kicking, I always assumed it would be like that. I was talking to a few friends and they said that the rolling sensation would count as the baby moving also. Duh. I guess as Lil Wodie gets bigger, there is less room for him to move within. Hence, the rolling.

Another Mom-Friend, recommended drinking a glass of orange juice and laying on my left side to see if that would perk up the little guy. I never got that far because as soon as I had a chance to sit down last night, the little guy was going nuts. It made me happy that he was active like that without any caffeine or a sugar rush.

Last night, I attempted to organize our kitchen cabinets. I realized a couple weeks ago that we would need to make space for baby bottles, formula and, eventually, baby food. I bought a couple wire shelves, to add an additional shelf between the pre-existing shelves. It worked wonders for the glassware cabinet. The shot glasses and wine glasses fit nicely around that rack.

The spice cabinet didn't go ass well. I was able to free up some space, but now I cannot see, let alone reach, many of my spices. I have always wanted a Lazy Susan, but that won't do much to save space. All the Lazy Susans I found were almost as tall as our shelf, not leaving us with any additional storage space. Not sure what I'm going to do yet. Any space-saving suggestions?

I'm worried I may have to go through and pack up some items to take out to the garage. This is the last thing I want to do because I am almost certain that will result in me forgetting those items exist and either never using them again, or buying new ones.

PS - I was in the elevator at work yesterday with a man and his wife, who was in labor (I work in a hospital). She seemed to be doing well, despite what she said about the contractions. Of course I had to find out how it was going. Turns out she was 41 weeks pregnant and they were attemting to induce her. She was having regular contractions, but her cervix would not dilate at all. If she won't dilate, the only other option is C-section. Great! Another thing I get to worry about when I get into my last month!