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!