Stupid Car

There are more things wrong with it! When Travis and I picked the Nissan Murano out of the list of possible crossovers to purchase, we chose it because it seemed to hold its value the best from year to year. Plus, it drove like a luxury vehicle. We thought we were getting the most bang for our buck. Now it seems we may have thought wrong.

We've had numerous problems with the vehicle already. Read about that here and here.

The most recent problems I noticed about a week ago. One - the engine appeared to be shaking when I drove and was worse when I went over bumps in the road. I figured this was a broken motor mount, as I had this same problem in a previous car. Two - the steering wheel started to shake horribly when I braked. So, we brought the car in to get the motor mounts and the brakes checked. Also due? Oil change, tire rotation and state inspection.

Turns out, one motor mount was broken and the rotors are warped. I figured we'd be out of a few hundo, but to our pleasure, the bill was a measly $12.47. Can you believe it? I still can't. Here's the breakdown:

• Motor mount replacement - covered under the power train warranty (that's the first time we've ever been able to use that darn thing!)
• Warped rotor (caused by slamming the brakes, LOL!) - $325, we had to postpone this one because we thought the bill would be too large.
• Tire rotation - $24.95, but 50% off under Car Care Plan we purchased with the vehicle
• Oil change - covered under Car Care Plan
• State inspection - didn't happen cuz the insurance card we left in the car was expired. By the time they told me and I was able to tell them I had a current one in my purse to show them when I picked up the car, the inspector had already left for the day. Guess what I'm doing today?

I'm not a big fan of mechanics - they always try to screw me over. I'm not a big fan of dealerships - they also always try to screw me over. Put the two together and what do you get? A dealership mechanic with massive levels of screwing me over. I feel a little different about this time around. It may have something to do with the fact that Travis was with me when I dropped off and picked up the car. I need to remember that...

32 Weeks

UGH. Is it horrible that I'm ready for this pregnancy to be over now? Let's just say I'm a little uncomfortable. And I might still have two months of this ahead of me! I can barely bend at the waist - making picking things up off the ground slightly difficult. I have lower back pain that might be venturing into sciatica territory. Lil Wodie's kicks have reached insane levels of strength. It's to the point that it hurts sometimes if he jabs me in the ribs or pelvis just right. Today I'm suffering from a little round ligament pain on the right side. Oh, and for the past few days I've been having Braxton-Hicks contractions ten times or more per day.

I had my OBGYN appointment on Monday and I told her that I had five contractions in three hours. She wasn't concerned and I wasn't either, since they weren't at regular intervals. I also slept through the night without having a baby, so that's a good sign, right? Travis thinks I'm going to deliver two weeks early. I'm all for that except that it would fall almost directly on our anniversary. I would prefer (although this is not a decision that is actually in my control) that Lil Wodie's birthday be at least a week apart from our anniversary. It would make celebrating each occasion a little easier on us in the future.

Every time I go in for a doctor appointment, they ask me how the fetal movement is and I LAUGH. I asked the doc a few weeks ago if I should be counting his kicks to make sure he's up to par, but she said not to worry about it unless I notice a decline in his activity. None of that here! This little guy is ACTIVE. ALL THE TIME. I honestly don't think he sleeps but maybe an hour a day. I think we're going to have our hands full with this one. At the moment, he is kicking my right forearm that is touching my belly as I type. I think he likes attention.

At the Monday visit, they measured my fundal height and found that Lil Wodie is still measuring a week ahead of average. Doc said there is nothing to be concerned about until he gets to be more than two weeks ahead or behind. I told her that at least twice a week I've got someone telling me I look like I'm having twins and it freaks me out a little. She laughed and commented that it's funny how people think they can talk to pregnant women like that. As if we are immune to remarks about our weight.

Speaking of, the other fun fact I learned is I've gained 24 pounds so far this pregnancy. I still have two months left and Lil Wodie is expected to gain a minimum of 3 pounds on his own before then. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't get above +35lbs, as that is the maximum recommendation for me. Travis' new joke is "Watch out! Your about to pass me up!" That boy.

Doc also confirmed the head down position. Meaning Lil Wodie is ready to come out the chute whenever his organs are done growing. Yay for feet in the ribs!

This past Friday I stopped to get my hair trimmed at some little salon. The hairdresser saw my belly and says, "aw, how cute!" She asked how far along I am and then tells me that she is five months pregnant with a seven month old baby at home. !!! WHAT?! First thing that pops out of my mouth is, "Are you okay?" She said yes, but that her pregnancy is considered high risk since her uterus didn't have much chance to recuperate between pregnancies. No shit? I can't even imagine. She is essentially spending two consecutive years of her life pregnant or in recovery. (hello Jim Bob and Michelle!) Plus, she's going to have two kids under the age of 1 year. WOH. I feel for this woman. And I thought I was nervous...

Three days and counting until our coed baby shower. (I can't wait!) Then we have our birthing class the following Saturday. I think I will feel a lot more prepared after these two events pass. I'm hoping this kid holds out until at least May 27th because we have an infant CPR and First Aid class the night before. That's a class that I would like to have completed before the baby's big debut.

Ugh, seriously? I'm pretty sure his head is trying to find a home somewhere between my bladder and pelvis right now. If you'd like to see the insanity that is my internal anatomy at the moment, check this schematic out. Where are the lungs in this drawing?!?!

Ashley & Scott's Wedding

Saturday after the baby shower we drove an hour north to attend our friends' wedding. It was an outdoor ceremony at a yacht club, and then the reception was in the club house. We met Sara and JR there and sat with them during the ceremony. The sky looked like it might be tempted to sprinkle on us, but luckily it only spit out a little just before the ceremony started. The bride stayed dry!

I know Ashley had been waiting for several years to get her proposal from Scott, so when the minister pronounced them man and wife, she put a fist in the air and let out a celebratory whoop. Ha! Scott also seemed excited...

The bride and groom took all of there photos together after the ceremony while the guests herded into the club house to begin the reception. There was an open bar that Travis took advantage of while Sara and I hit up a few of the servers with appetizer trays. Ashley decided on a beach theme for the wedding. There were seashells and sand everywhere. The cake was covered in seashell candies (oh and the cake was delicious). The groom's cake was chocolate and had a picture of Scott holding a gigantic fish he caught offshore somewhere. Underneath the photo were the words "The Perfect Catch". LOL!

We sat at a huge table with Sara, JR, Mary and TJ. A cranberry-spinach salad and rolls were served for our appetizer and filet mignon and chicken for our meal. As Scott would say, it was a great weekend for a variety of "free" food for a pregnant lady.

Mary and TJ

Travis and I left the party around 10 or so. I couldn't handle much more than that. I was fed and tired and ready to lay down. Travis was supposed to work the next day, so he didn't want to stay out late either.

We caught the bride and groom for goodbyes and extra congrats on our way out of the building:

Scott and Ashley

It was a busy weekend already, and it was only Saturday!!

Nadya & Alexey's Baby Shower

OI, it was another busy weekend! This one started off with Nadya and Alexey's baby shower (she's due just five days after me). Rachel has spent the past month or so, preparing for this party and I think it was a success!

Rachel and Max

Nadya and Alexey (the parents-to-be)

I think there were almost 20 people there and there was no shortage of food! Sandwiches, bread and spinach dip, hummus and pita, chips, veggie tray, brownies, candy, cupcakes galore. Carbs and sugar - my favorite. I was amazed at how big I look in these photos. (I have a doctor appointment this morning, so I'll have the official stats later.) My pregnancy brain completely forgot that I was supposed to make a pasta salad and dessert for this party. I recalled this information on the drive to Rachel's house - about 24 hours too late. Oh and I forgot to bring chairs. We're lucky I remembered sandwich tray and cooler.

When I told Travis I couldn't believe I forgot about the food, he said, "I can." No softening the blow there. The next words out of his mouth were, "What's my name?" I got that one right though.

After everyone had arrived and had a chance to chat and eat for a bit, Rachel broke out the games. The first game was the Baby Food Taste Test. She passed around six jars of food and everyone had to figure out what "flavor" they were. I am dead serious when I say she picked out the worst flavors possible. I think that pureed meat is the most disgusting mush out there. And what did she pick? Stuff like Ham, pineapple and rice. And Lasagna and meat sauce. Even the macaroni and cheese was a little iffy.

The Russians seemed a little concerned that we feed this stuff to our babies. Kostya's face says it all...

That game was ridiculous, but the Dirty Diaper game was even better. Nadya was so disturbed by the contents of the diapers that she had to pass on that one. Ha! She has some meconium surprises awaiting in her near future...

These dirty diapers consisted of nothing more than a melted candy bar. While I do have to agree that some of them looked eerily like some adult doodies, I mostly wanted to eat the contents. What smells more delicious than a melted Almond Joy? Hm? Tell me that?!

Considering that the only sweet desserts my husband likes are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and ice cream, he won the diaper game. Starbuck's gift cards are AWESOME.

Rachel breaks in for a minute to take some photos.

During the gift opening, Rachel had one more fun "game" that involved setting a timer and having the guests-of-honor open their gifts. Who ever gave them the gift they were opening when the timer went off got another prize. Easy and FUN game. I won a Dove chocolate candy bar in that game. Just what I need.

Nadya and Alexey got a bunch of gifts, including a diaper cake from Rachel.

At the last minute, I remembered that I brought our video camera. Hopefully the video I took is done converting by the time you try to view it.

Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch

Did you hear about this? Apparently there are two gigantic patches of plastic trash floating out in the Pacific Ocean that are believed to be twice the size of the Continental US. There is some sort of vortex in the water that causes all this garbage (from being thrown off ships, or coming from land) to collect in these two areas. One researcher believes that this could even become its own ecosystem and he plans to do his own research expedition.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"

An article from 2006 mentions that at that time, this garbage patch was only twice the size of Texas. It has grown immensely in three years. When will it stop?

Just a few items I'm thinking about getting for Lil Wodie...

What's cuter than a mudflap design on my baby's feet?

This one is still in the works, but you can have a 3D SCAN OF YOUR OWN BREAST and then have it made into a bottle nipple. Psh, need I say more?

Nutty Professor pacifier? Don't we all want one of these?

To scare off all the creepy strangers at the grocery store who think it's ok to kiss someone else's baby on the face. (Keep your herpes to yourself, please and thank you!)

Daddy + Saddle = Daddle

This one's for Travis. Because kids these days are too good for bareback.

I will be able to pee hands-free at the grocery store/mall/restaurant.

What's better than spending less time cleaning and more time with my husband and child? It can all be mine with a little help from Lil Wodie!

Galveston County had a rough weekend

It looks like Travis and I picked a good weekend to go out of town. That storm that delayed our drive this past Friday came back again for a second hit Saturday. There was horrible flooding everywhere, including into many of the businesses in downtown Galveston that are still undergoing remodeling since they were flooded seven months ago in Ike.

Galveston as a whole took a beating. The island looked a little like it did after the hurricane in that dirt and mulch everywhere had been moved from their original home onto the sidewalks and streets. There was a gas station awning that fell over on Seawall, crushing a truck. Many trees that died in the saltwalter floods after Ike fell over in the combination of wind and flooding that ensued during the storms this weekend.

This island is being tested!

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In baby news... At 31-weeks pregnant, I think Lil Wodie may have flipped over into the head-down position. I was reading that this should be happening any day now and I think it happened. Over the last few days I've been able to feel feet! So far, it has always been something large and solid, like his back, head or butt. But starting Monday, there was a definite change. Something tiny kept moving across my belly, near my belly button. If he has flipped into the head-down position, this would explain why his feet have suddenly made a show. It was crazy because Rachel was even able to feel the foot from the outside and move it back and forth. Ha!

The reading says Lil Wodie should be at 4 lbs and 19 inches head-to-toe. Also very interesting, his skin is no longer translucent. So, hopefully no more crazy dreams about a see-through baby. His kicks are getting so strong that when Travis was listening to him slosh around the other night, his head was bouncing up and down from all the baby movement. It's going to be so crazy to finally meet the crazy arms and legs that have been punching away at me for the past few months. =D

The baby shower Alexa and Stephanie are throwing for me is less than 2 weeks away! I am soooo excited! Not only does that mean a bunch of baby gear in my future (I can't wait to go through everything), it also means I can start buying stuff for the nursery again. I have been postponing any purchases so that I didn't buy everything off my registry before the shower. Although that would probably be impossible - I don't know how people could have a child without a baby shower. At any rate, I would feel ridiculous if I spent all my money on decorative items right now, only to find out we still need to buy a couple more important items (namely the rocking chair and co-sleeper playard) after the shower.

I feel confident that the closets are cleared out the best I could get them. The plastic drawers are in place ready to be filled. Now all I need to do is wait out the next week and a half. Luckily, things should be pretty busy this weekend. Not to mention I have this intense need to dust the house from top to bottom...

The Ride Home

Sunday before we left Chris and Shannon's, we hung out at their house. After breakfast, the boys went in the backyard to let the dogs run around. I looked out the big picture window to see Chris pulling weeds out of the ground while Travis watched from afar. I asked Shannon if she knew what they were doing. She knew not. We stood at the window trying to figure it out, when a little baby bunny came bounding out of the tall grass and into the dog run. He was so tiny and cute! And then we realized that there were dogs out there with this tiny, cute creature. EEK.

We ran outside and Shannon yelled at Chris to grab their bigger dog. Then Lightning Fingers Shannon caught the little bugger. It was horrible because he wouldn't stop screaming until Shannon let him go. He was SO UPSET. She put the bunny in a kennel with grass so her daughter Caty could see it before releasing him away from their home. In the afternoon, they let him go farther away from their house in hopes that he wouldn't hop right back to the dog run.

For lunch we ordered take-out pizza from an Italian restaurant in town. Chris stopped on his way back to pick up some Dublin Dr. Pepper. I guess the difference is that it is made the original way - with pure sugar cane, as opposed to high fructose corn syrup. It was so cute because it came in little 8-oz glass bottles. The pizza was AWESOME. I was so mad I didn't have room to fit the remaining pizza in my mouth before we left. I was a big fan of food before I got pregnant, but I cannot even begin to describe the awesomeness of it during pregnancy.

While we were on the road at one point, I mentioned to Chris that I had not seen any Bluebonnets since I moved to this state. Shortly thereafter, he showed me fields and fields of the flower. This purplish-blue beauty lined the highway for a good portion of the trip home. We left their house around 2 in the afternoon and since there weren't horrific thunderstorms, we made it to Houston in record time.

When we reached Houston, Travis pulled off for gas. While I was waiting in the car for him to finish pumping I had to sit staring at a bum leaning against the gas station. A moment later, a woman (that we had seen walking drunkenly down the sidewalk) walked up to the man at the next pump. She loudly slurred a request for a ride. "Just a block," she said. "Just a block is all I need." I don't know if she was tired of walking or if she might have other ideas for the ride there. When she said she would pay him for his troubles, the man agreed, but said to give the bum the money. She walked over to the bum, pulled him down to her (he was really tall, she was really short), kissed him on the cheek and handed him the money. Then she walked back over to the car and got in for her ride. I was thoroughly creeped out.

Once we were back on the highway, we started to discuss where to stop for dinner. You know those delivery trucks that aren't full size, but local grocery stores use them to transport goods? Well, we saw one of them driving down the highway, back door open, FULL OF PEOPLE. Travis immediately wondered out loud if the driver knew all his illegals were in plain view. As we got closer, we realized everyone was wearing Houston Chronicle jackets and at least half of them were not of hispanic descent. Even though it may not have been a truck full of illegal aliens, I'm pretty sure that method of transporting people is NOT LEGAL.

When we got to the south side of Houston, we ran into a horrible detour. The entire highway was being re-routed to the feeder. That has stop lights. Travis was too frustrated to follow the masses, so he turned off into a neighborhood. We quickly found ourselves in Mexico. No joke people. Every house in that neighborhood had a hispanic family sitting out front. Once we got into the business section, every sign we saw was in spanish. Every store and restaurant served mexican food and looked like it was straight off the streets of Mexico. We were definitely the only white folk in the area. The only reason I knew we hadn't been transported south was because I recognized some of the Houston street names. IT WAS SO WEIRD.

At one point, we were sitting at a stoplight in front of Guarderia Infantiles waiting for green when we saw a Cutlass Supreme doing hydraulic wheelies. AT THE STOP LIGHT. In case you do not know exactly what I am talking about, I have found a link to a video demonstrating what we saw. I have never, in real life, seen a car hopping it's wheels off the ground before. Not to mention in the middle of traffic - not in some parking lot somewhere. I've seen dumbasses wiggling their car around on the hydraulics, but I have never seen a vehicle leave the ground like that. Except on TV. Where the hell were we?!

I was happy when we made it back to our part of town and were sitting in the booth at IHOP. Nothing like Belgian Waffles with Butter Pecan syrup and chocolate milk to help soothe the day away!

Stranger Belly Rub

Travis and I planned a trip to Chris and Shannon's house near Dallas-Ft. Worth for the past weekend. It is about a 5-hour road trip, so we decided to leave after work on Friday so we would have at least one full day at their house. Unfortunately for us, there was a serious storm covering most of east Texas, complete with tornado warnings across the whole state. It took us six hours to get to their house, so we got in a little late. We stayed up and chatted for a few minutes before heading to bed.

Our host and hostess were gracious enough to offer the pregnant lady their bed with adjoining bathroom for easy midnight trips. Another plus - they have a memory foam pillow top cover for their mattress. Both nights I woke up when the sun came up ONLY because my hip had fallen asleep. The only time I rolled over the entire night was when I got back to bed after a trip to the bathroom. I slept like a ROCK. Travis and I both slept like a rock.

Saturday morning we got up and Chris made us awesome breakfast sandwiches. We hung around the house and caught up on each others lives. For lunch we went to a local burger place and for dessert I had their version of an oreo "blizzard" that HIT THE SPOT. It was frozen yogurt, which is my fave. We went back to Chris and Shannon's house to work on digesting all the food.

They live in a gated community and the guard that was working was new and he was an elderly gentleman, so he seemed a little confused. He was cute! Chris and Shannon's house is pretty big and they have a Texas back yard. And by Texas, I mean that it has not been landscaped yet, so it probably looks like it has for centuries. The soil in their area is very rocky, so there are all sorts of flaky, sand-colored rocks jutting out of the ground. There are pine trees EVERYWHERE making it smell like a pine forest every time you step out their door. Chris also educated us in the fact that Mesquite trees grow rampant in those parts, so their yard and neighborhood was filled with them. They could cut off a branch in their own yard to grill their dinner! Ha!

For dinner, we went into Fort Worth. Chris grew up in this area, so he knows all the good spots to eat. He brought us to this great mexican restaurant with a huge, beautiful patio called Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant. I could not get over how busy this place was. I also could not get over the amount of pregnant women and children that were there. Seriously! I went to the restroom while we were waiting for our table and got traffic jammed in the ridiculously small bathroom when there were suddenly two large bellies in the tiny room. We managed to maneuver our way past each other. Then when I got back out to the waiting area, there was a pregnant woman in line in front of us. And THEN, we saw two gigantically pregnant women walk past on the street to go in through a separate entrance. So strange.

After dinner, Chris took us for a walk through the Stockyards. I guess it's the area where the cowboys used to coral cattle before heading north. Nowadays, it contains a large building where the local rodeo is held and the streets are lined with shops (that mostly sell cowboy gear), restaurants and bars.

Cowtown Coliseum - Travis and I

Fort Worth Stockyards - Shannon and Chris

Since it was after dark, the shops were closed and the nightlife was buzzing. We walked by a bunch of bars as Chris told stories of places he used to go to. We passed by a basement bar and debated going in. Chris knew the owner and he wanted to check it out. This is where the story of my first Stranger Belly Rub comes in.

I would like to first digress for a moment to mention that I sort of skipped the first Stranger Belly Rub step a month ago when I had a stranger forego the belly rub and go right in for the belly kiss. That's right, a stranger kissed my belly. The worst part is that it was my bare belly because it was when I was on the beach in a bikini for Robert's birthday. Ugh, so awkward. I thought the woman was leaning down to talk to my belly. Silly me - she wanted to KISS my belly. Phsh. I quickly backed up and went over to Ariel and Robert. Come to find out, the lady was on Ecstacy. I instantly freaked out wondering if the woman had any of it on her lips that might be on my belly now, absorbing into my bloodstream and making it's way to my baby. Talk about freaky. so taht was my first Stranger Belly Kiss.

Anyhoo, back to my first Stranger Belly Rub. It was a drunk guy. On the streets of Fort Worth, in front of a bar. Turns out he was the co-owner of the bar we were debating on entering. The guy was telling me how beautiful my belly was and he wouldn't quit touching me. Everyone quickly made the move to leave the guy in front of his bar.

I'm thinking I must have a pretty intimidating resting face. My mom has had many problems with just such a problem, so it only fits that I should have this issue too. Because why else would the first strangers to touch my belly be on drugs and alcohol? Why not the sweet old lady at the pharmacy? Or some young woman at the grocery store? The logical answer is that I must look like I'm going to punch them in the face if they get near me and the only people stupid enough to look past that are high or drunk. The only logical answer, right?

After the belly rub incident, we settled on an outdoor bar with a band playing outside. It was nice for me because it wasn't very smoky. The band played a few of their own songs and threw in a sprinkling of songs we would know - like Sweet Home Alabama. It was so nice out, but we were all stuffed from our mexican dinner that we didn't stay long.

At one point, a group of middle aged people came in and sat at a table close to the stage. One of the guys was wearing what appeared to be a belt with a gazillion pouchs attached to it and we were discussing what we thought it was. Our question was answered when the guy meandered on the stage while the band was mid-song with his pouch-belt, pulled out a harmonica and started jamming with the band. It was hilarious! He didn't appear to be a part of the band at all. He just went up and joined them in the middle of their song.

Harmonica Man is in the white hat on the right side of the stage:

Crazy Chris Topher (and Shannon)

We got home late that night since it was a 30-minute drive back to their place. Sunday morning we ate and ate some more. All in all I would say it was a weekend full of sitting and eating. That's our kind of weekend!

I have some good stories about the drive home on Sunday, but I'll save those for later...

Horatio the Hamster

SO, leaving Callaway out of his kennel yesterday didn't go as smoothly as I had planned. It was nothing as horrible as it used to be when I would come home to a room full of feathers because the dog decided he didn't like that pillow. It was just a hallway full of cat litter and a bed covered in Callaway-hairs. =( He somehow weasled himself between the chair and the shelf to jump over the plywood we put in the doorway. Apparently he has no problem breaking the rules when we're not home. Visions of what's to come with Lil Wodie?

When I tried to get Callaway to jump back over the plywood to get out of the back of the house and to let him outside, he WOULD NOT DO IT. Then when Travis got home, he tried to get Callaway to jump up on our bed. Again, he WOULD NOT DO IT. Damn dog. He knows better!

Anyhoo, we're taking a break from free reign of the house until next week. We are going to have to completely block off the doorway with the plywood somehow. I don't think he has enough running room to get enough momentum to jump over the baby gate. That's pretty tall, so I don't think we need to worry about that doorway.

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I know this is old news, but I had to mention it. Can you imagine waking up to find out your family had given up on you? Talk about bummer!

Man Wakes From Coma Just Before Plug Is Pulled

In news about nothing, check out this blog some guy keeps up that tracks how far his hamster runs on his wheel. He is converting it into real distance to find out how long it would take him to trek across the UK. LOL!

Horatio the Hamster

30 Weeks

Wowzer! Only 10 weeks left to go. Doc says is I go into labor after 36 weeks (that's in only 6 weeks folks!) that she won't stop the labor. WOH. I'm not freaking out as bad as I was about all the reading now. Because now I've dented the reading and I want to take back the knowledge I have just received. I know there are some pains involved in childbirth. I know this. We all know this. But to see them all written on the same page, next to each other? Too much to bear. I had to take a break.

Instead, I have spent the past couple nights trying to rearrange closets a little more. Rachel gave me a few Space Bags last night and they are a LIFE SAVER. Those five vacuum sealed bags have opened me up to a whole new world! I have space! In my closets! For other stuff! I was able to free up space and not fill it back up immediately. So anything I get at the baby shower will have a home.

Travis and I have decided to invest in some sort of drawer/furniture that we can put in the kitchen to give us more cabinet room for baby stuff (bottles, formula, bibs and eventually baby food, plates, bowls and utensils). I haven't quite figured out what this piece of furniture will be exactly, but if you have any ideas, let me know. I'm hoping for something a little more substantial than a plastic drawer set from Walmart (although Rachel may be giving me a couple for our closets).

To have room for this furniture, we have to get rid of Callaway's kennel in our kitchen. We are going to try leaving him out of his kennel today to see how that goes. He usually does really good EXCEPT that he gets into the kitty litter and proceeds to spread all throughout our carpeted hallway. Travis and I put up the baby gate we bought at Babies R Us in one of the doorways to see how well it works. It's doing great so far, so I may have to go update our registry. In the meantime, we're going to use a piece of plywood to keep Callaway out of the kitty litter. No tellin how much time he'll spend on our couch though...

I look rough in this picture. I am WORN OUT.

I look huge for 30 weeks. Compare me to this woman (another blogger I read). I'm a whale, people. A WHALE!

The 3rd trimester so far

I have finally started getting some of the symptoms that are common in the third trimester of pregnancy:

• Swelling feet - which Travis is doing a marvelous job of massaging every night
• Occasional swelling hands
• Waking up 2-4 times to pee at night (and frequently during the day also)
• HOT AT NIGHT (and during the day)
• My feet appear to be spreading - with about half of my shoes I feel like someone beat in my big toe after a day of wear

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday at which my belly measured 31 weeks. I was only 29 weeks and 5 days. This doesn't necessarily mean I am 31 weeks pregnant. It is more likely that the baby is just big = my worst fear. The strangest part is I didn't gain any weight in the past two weeks. Somehow my belly grew, but I didn't gain any weight? This lack of weight gain is a feat in itself considering I went to two crawfish boils and had a gigantic Easter dinner this weekend. Dessert is a must after dinner every night now, so you'd think that would help me out in the weight gain department.

I feel better now that I have had a chance to get a gazillion questions answered by the doctor. She actually sat down so I could ask them without feeling rushed. It was awesome. I now know what to do if I go into labor, what is entailed in the circumcision and all the gory details about what might happen after I go into labor (drugs, episiotomy, etc). The next decision we have to make is who Lil Wodie's pediatrician will be. Arg.

I have spent the past couple of nights trying to figure out how to rearrange closest space (I swear this is impossible) and washing baby clothes. Travis and I are convinced that we will not have to buy any clothes for the first six months, maybe a year! I can't believe how lucky we are. After I finish finding a home for the baby clothes, I need to open up the toys and organize them according to age appropriate groups. Fun, fun!

Lil Wodie has started experiencing baby hiccups on a regular basis. Travis actually felt them Monday night. I read that these hiccups are actually hiccups! I assumed it was just reflexes or twitches of some sort. Nope! He's actually have a hiccup involving the diaphram. This pregnancy stuff is such a great experience.

Easter Weekend

Oh my gosh busy weekend! All weekend long, we dog sat for Jenna's little dog, Halen. I felt so bad for him in the beginning because he was so afraid of Callaway. After about a day and a half he warmed up though.

Friday night, Travis and I went with Rachel and Scott to a crawfish boil put on by Ariel, Robert and their friends. I ate a bunch of crawfish, potatoes, corn, sausage and peach cobbler on the roof of some downtown store in Galveston, then went home tired and happy. The fun part is that was Rachel's first crawfish boil!

Saturday I spent the whole day running errands while Travis was at work. I went to Walmart to get some photos developed and I picked up some stuff for Easter baskets while I was there. I was so exhausted after just that trip that I stopped home for lunch and to put my feet up for a few minutes. Soon thereafter, I headed into Galveston to pick up all the baby stuff from Heather. I was worried I wouldn't have room for the groceries I wanted to pick up before going back home, but all was well. I bought all our regular groceries, plus the food for Easter dinner.

Saturday night, Travis and I went to another crawfish boil at his boss' house. I was happy to see it was more of a seafood boil, so I didn't have to eat crawfish for dinner two nights in a row. Travis was more than happy to devour 12 pounds of crawfish in two days. That's just not my bag, baby. I had plenty of shrimp (and of course corn and potatoes) to fill me up. Plus some chocolate cream pie that was to die for. Travis' boss and his family are so nice, I can't stand it. They really are pleasant people!

The woman who recommended the daycare provider who will be watching Lil Wodie was there. (Because she is Travis' boss' niece. Got it?) It was great to get to talk to her face to face about this babysitter. It is so hard to get Travis to find out details on stuff. Guys can be so bad about that. This woman's son is so smart and he loves the babysitter to pieces. I feel even better about this decision than I did before.

Travis had Sunday off from work. YAY! We spent the morning cleaning the house and prepping food for Easter dinner at our house. Ariel, Robert, Rachel and Scott all came over. Ariel and Robert brought us an Easter basket and everything required for dying eggs.

I haven't dyed eggs in years! The kit Ariel bought was really cool because it came with pretty sparkles to put on the eggs. FUN.

Dinner turned out great. Travis was SO MUCH help. I was really surprised actually. I guess he decided it was time to take over when I had a bout of feeling like crap and had to take a break on the couch.

After dinner, dessert and some caffeine imbibing, we played a game of Phase 10. Well, not the whole game. but a good portion of it. Everyone was exhausted and time caught up with us, so we had to cut the game short. I think we may have had too much fun because Lil Wodie had to keep kicking me to remind me to breath between fits of laughter.



Oh ya. I forgot to mention the monster chocolate bunny Robert got for the pregnant lady. If anyone is interested, give me your address and I can send you an ear. I'm only charging $10/pound for shipping...

Baby Photos

I just wanted to throw up a couple photos of Travis and I when we were babies. I've been looking at them recently to get ideas of what our little one might look like.

Travis - about 1 year old

Travis - newborn (with his dad)



Me - newborn (with my dad)

(Doesn't my dad look like Willie Wonka in this photo?! LOL!)


Me - newborn (with my mom)

Travis and I went through all the bags of baby clothes we got from Heather last night. It took FOREVER because there was so much stuff. We decided that we probably won't need to buy any baby clothes for the first year. Which is awesome. I seriously went onto my registry today and removed socks from the list. Between the clothes I've gotten from Alexa and the clothes I've gotten from Heather, there is no need for us to purchase socks. No joke.

I have so many clothes that I realized I need more space! We have completely removed all of our stuff from the nursery closet because we didn't think we would need that space for baby things. We were seriously wrong folks. I'm hoping to find time to go through the closet tonight and see if I can find a new home for anything. It's going to be rough because I feel like we maxed ourselves out when we tried to do this before. There is nothing left I can throw away, so it will be a difficult task.

Well, I'm off to my bi-monthly doctor appointment!

My first baby shower?

I need to give a shout out to Heather, a friend from work (and her husband too, of course). I might as well have had a baby shower yesterday because the amount of stuff they gave us equates to a party's worth of gifts!

She gave us a bunch of hand-me-down items, including three bags full of clothes, two bags full of toys, a high chair, a car seat, a travel booster seat and some feeding utensils. Plus, she gave me a DVD and book to read about swaddling. (More to read!) She ALSO gave us a gift bag that contained a million receiving blankets, cute burp cloths, clothes, diapers, wipes and more. I cannot believe how much stuff she gave us. It's unreal.

I'm SO THANKFUL for all the awesome people we have surrounding us that are willing to help us out. It really helps relieve some of the financial tension that comes with having a baby. Thanks again!

---

I have to mention a daddy dream here too. Travis told me that Friday night he had a dream that he went out and smoked marijuana and that he was going to get in trouble for it whenever he took a drug test at work. He was worried he was going to lose his job. Is that dad's way of freaking out about having a baby? Sounds like he's worried about not being able to provide for this family. Which is silly because he's working his ass off right now to make sure that doesn't happen. Maybe it's finally starting to eat at him?

More dreams of Lil Wodie

I had another horrible dream last night that involved lots of walking around thinking I had my baby in my hands and then I would realize I had absentmindedly set him down. Then I would spend the ensuing stressful minutes searching for him. Usually I would hear water splashing and expect to find him in a tub of water, but then I would reach him and he would be fine. It was a bird splashing in the bird bath. Or another child playing in a kiddy pool. Oh and one time I left him on the hood of some truck Travis was working on in the garage and he was covered in engine grease. Needless to say, I woke up STRESSED OUT.

According to What to Expect When You're Expecting (WTE), my nightmare could mean the following:

"being unprepared for the baby when he arrives can reveal the common fear that you're not up to being a mother."

Oh great. I don't feel that way 100%, but I have had some worries lately that we are not prepared for the baby. For example, read my previous post about still having ten million books left to read with less than three months to spare.

The first half of the nightmare was more of a pleasant dream. Travis and I took turns changing his diaper and clothes and then swaddling him in different clothes and blankets. He was so fragile so we each went slowly. I could even see his face. The strange part about that is he looked just like me when I was an infant. All of my friends' firstborns look just like the father, so I keep imagining that he will look like Travis. I hope Lil Wodie looks like Travis. How cute would that be?!

As for dreaming about life with baby, WTE says:

"Dreaming about getting ready for the baby and loving and playing with the baby in a dream is practice parenting, a way that your subconscious bonds you with your baby before delivery."

Making up for not being ready? This is so confusing...

This pirate thing is getting out of control

Pirate ships converge on US hostage at sea
-Yahoo! News

RAWR!

29 weeks
Originally uploaded by nrward82

29-week belly

Pirates? American ship held hostage? WHAT?!

What the deuce?! An American ship was held hostage by Somali pirates! The FBI has sent hostage negotiators to help the US Navy get the captain of the ship back. This article says it's the first pirate attack on Americans in over 200 years. They are still figuring out how to solve this dilemna...

WHAT THE?!

Dinners with Friends

This week turned out to be much more entertaining than I originally thought it would. As I was driving home from work on Tuesday, I was thinking about how much I did not want to just go home. I have been sick since late last week and all I had felt up for was watching TV and reading. I spent six evenings in a row laying on the couch.

I tried calling Ariel Tuesday afternoon to see if she was doing anything I could come to. That didn't work out because she was just getting ready to leave for a friend's house. Then, Surprise! Jenna sent me a text to say she would have a little free time before she had to get home to the kids. That almost never happens because she has a long commute home to pick up her children from the daycare provider.

When I got home from work, I had time to run over to Sara and JR's to give Logan is very belated birthday present. I may have hit the jackpot with the dinosaur-shaped flashlight. I'll have to check in with Mom and Dad later to see if he played with it after I left or if he was just trying to be nice while I was there. ;) Then, I got to spend several hours chatting with Jenna over dinner.

Last night, Travis and I ran up to Chris and Alexa's for dinner. That's a treat we don't get very often either. Not the dinner part, but the hanging out with them during the week part. Blair has a scheduled bedtime routine that I don't want to mess up and prego-me is usually tired by 9 or 10pm. That makes the 30-minute commute to their house a little rough during the week. They fed us fajitas, fresh off the grill and after dinner Alexa and I addressed the invites for my baby shower. They are SO CUTE! I can't wait for this shower. BABY STUFF!! THAT WILL BE MINE!!! =D

Blair had tubes put in his ears on Tuesday but he seemed to be doing pretty well. He had a little trouble falling asleep, maybe due to some pain, so we got out of the way to let Mom and Dad do their magic. Oh, and I had to go to bed.

For further entertainment this week, Jenna is dropping off her dog Halen tonight for us to watch over the weekend while she takes the kids on a trip to San Antonio. She has this tiny, long haired dog that they say is a cross between a chihuahua and a german shepherd. I try not to think about the process that was required to make that one! He is such a sweetie though. We love having him around. It will help change up our weekend no matter how things go.

I realized early this week that we have less than three months until this baby is born. I'm freaking out, people. I have SO MANY books I want to read and I'm afraid I don't have enough time. Alexa has recently showered me with books she read and I want to get through them all BEFORE the baby is born. I want to be educated on c-sections, in case I have to have an emergency cesarean. I want to read up on breastfeeeding, since I obviously have no personal experience with the process involved. I suddenly have a million questions for my OBGYN, so I feel like my next appointment can't come fast enough (it is scheduled for this next Monday).

I am trying not to get too anxious before the baby shower (May 2nd). I feel like we have so much stuff to get, but I don't want to buy anything until after then. There are some decorative items I could buy before then, but I feel guilty buying that sort of stuff before we purchase the functional items. You know, like bottles and a rocking chair. Ahhhh! Decisions, decisions!!!

Astros Home Opener

Travis' boss wanted to show his appreciation for all the hard work his employees have done lately, so he decided to treat them to an Astros game. This was the home opener against the Cubs - which is the perfect game for Travis to go to since we were Cubs supporters when we lived in Illinois.

The guys got out of work at noon and were headed into Houston by 3pm. Since they got there well before the game was set to start, they started their fun at the bars surrounding Minute Maid Park. Meet Travis' girlfriend on the side:

No, not really. She's actually the Captain Morgan shot girl. =p In hopes of avoiding several of the $7 beers that are served in the ballpark, the boys loaded up on free shots and beer at a decent price outside.

Travis and his co-workers (his boss is the salt and pepper fella in the back)

Needless to say, Travis came home and made a trip directly to the bathroom toilet. He tried to give me a hug afterwards. I redirected him to the shower. My sense of smell is WAY too sensitive to be around any of that. Blech.

I'm glad Travis got to do something fun and random (even if it ended with regurgitation and a restless night). He has been working EVERY day for weeks. When he's not working for the company, he's rewiring our house or mowing the lawn. I appreciate his dedicated work ethic each and every moment that I miss him. I know he is working his butt off so we can pay off as much of our debt as possible before Lil Wodie makes his show to the world. I can't describe how much I appreciate it. He is a great dad already!

A Letter to Non-Pregnant People

I got this via email from Rachel. I found it entertaining enough to share with the masses. I don't know that I feel as strongly about some of these items as the letter makes it out to be, but they do all have some basis.

I have had frequent experience with numbers 5 (I'm not having twins!) and 6 (I live in southwest TX, heat is a part of life around here), specifically.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice.

1. The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an ass (including, “Did you plan this?”)
2. Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby".
3. On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it. The same goes for the name of the baby.
4. The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.
5. Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance, and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!".
6. By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.
7. There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.
8. If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.
9. The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

I hope this helps- it sure makes us feel better.

Signed,
All Pregnant Women

Forgot to mention...

I'M STILL SICK. And it's horrible. I blame Travis. He was sick with something a couple weeks ago. He's still feeling the after effects, but he is getting better. I on the other hand, feel like absolute crap. Last Thursday is when I first noticed something was cropping up. Ugh, it's horrible. I can't breathe out of my nose most of the time. Definitely not when I'm sleeping. I'm pretty sure Sara and Logan have the same thing.

I can't wait for it to be over. I had to postpone my dentist appointment today because there is no way I'm going to have hands blocking my one mode of inhalation. I'm pretty sure this is just a head cold, but it's the head cold from hell.

This weekend was one big bummer though. It was SO nice out all weekend and I was stuck inside laying on the couch. The only reason I got up on Saturday was to get food. Once Sunday rolled around, I was determined to get outside and enjoy the weather. I opted for reading a book in the hammock. Travis spent the whole weekend working, although I was super excited when he got home "early" on Sunday. He had just enough time to mow the lawn and make me dinner. I wish he could have stayed home all weekend so he could have taken care of me. =(

This cold also put me out of commission for a friend's baby shower that was on Saturday. Alexa was one of the hostesses and she said it turned out really nice. I'm also really bummed I missed it because I haven't seen the new house of the mommy-to-be. Well, it's not so new to them anymore, but I still haven't seen it.

Ugh, if I can get out of work early today, I'm gonna do it. I can barely keep my eyes open - I feel like they are drying up in my head. Plus, my sinuses are burning and I forgot to bring tissues. My only option is hard, scratchy paper towels or hard, scratchy bulk toilet paper. Oh, and my throat is super dry so I constantly need to drink water. That is a problem at work because I work in a lab and we are not allowed to have food or drink in the lab with us. That means frequent trips to the hallway (really annoying when you have to take off your lab coat and gloves and wash your hands each time).

Shoot me.

Week of Tubes

Aw. All the babies have ear infections! Well, not all of them, but Blair and Audrey do. And they are both getting tubes in their ears this week. =( Talk about stressful week for the mom's!

Good luck guys!

Might be able to fill a hot air balloon

Travis and I have this running joke that he thinks I'm as big as a cow. I'm not offended at all, it really is a joke. It started when he honestly thought I was ten pounds heavier than I really am. Now every time I weigh myself, he says, "What, you're probably at about 200 pounds now?" Last night I was making note about how we are close to not having enough room for us to both brush our teeth in the bathroom at the same time because my belly doesn't fit. He made some remark about how big I am and I said, "there you go again, with the gigantic remarks." Then he says, "No, I think you're blutiful."

He totally meant "beautiful", but it came out wrong. I'm pretty sure I'm suffering from delirium from this cold. I feel HORRIBLE. My reaction was to laugh hysterically for five minutes. Don't know why that hit my funny bone so, but it did.

We were in bed by 9, reading our Mom and Dad versions of What to Expect When You Are Expecting. I couldn't get comfortable because I feel like I can't find a relaxing position in which I can still breathe. Then I got this pain in my right side (which I still have) that made it worse. Not sure if it's round ligament pain, or a strained muscle from coughing, or Lil Wodie's foot wedged around my kidney, or the beginnings of a kidney stone. I'm hoping for strained muscle.

Anyhoo, I was ready for bed, so I turned off my light and was, again, trying to get comfortable. I have had a ridiculous gas problem for the past few months. Another sexy side effect of pregnancy, I guess. Poor Travis. Well, I was relieving myself and Travis snaps his book shut and looks at me. "My book says you're having gas."

Bwahahahahaha!!!

Slumber Attack

I woke up this morning and started getting ready for work. I put on my ballet flats and was in the bathroom when I realized that my shoe was hurting my foot. At first I just thought it was because they were rubbing wrong, but then I remembered. Oh ya. Travis attacked me like a hawk in his sleep and scratched the top of my foot with his talons. AKA, toenails. I can't believe I forgot about being woken with a start around 3 in the morning because Travis put a 2-inch gash in my skin.

I pulled out some gauze, because the cut is too long for a bandaid and quickly came to find out that I could not efficiently reach my own foot. I can still put on shoes and socks, but I have to throw my knee out to the side to get around the belly. Since this cut was on the outside of my foot, I had to wake the hawk to help me attend to my wounds. It's not bleeding anymore, but I didn't think I would make it through the day with my shoe rubbing that scrape.

I slept like crap last night. I couldn't breathe out of my left nostril all night and when I got up for my mid-sleep pee break I noticed my left ear was plugged. So miserable. I guess this is a cold, because the glands in my neck are tender and I have a little bit of a nagging cough occasionally. Yuck.

I had another baby dream last night. I dreamt I delivered the baby and went two weeks before I realized that I forgot to breastfeed him. We had been feeding him. But it was with formula. I was so upset that my milk supply would be gone and I wanted to try starting up. Then I was confused because I realized I had never had the painful engorgement that everyone talks about when you don't breastfeed. So then I was thinking it must have only been a couple days since I had Lil Wodie. Even in my dreams I'm confused.

Last night was nice. Shannon was in town and needed a place to stay for the night, so she stayed with us. Travis worked a little late, so Shannon and I ate dinner together and then caught up on our lives as of late. Eventually we started watching The Incredibles. That movie is SO cute. I still want to buy it. I guess I have more of a reason to do so now that we have a child in our future. =)