Prego Monday

Jason surprised me at home this morning, he remembered me griping about how I didn't have any photos of my belly along the way and was sad. He left after his shift briefing and came home to take a photo of me before I left for work. He's so sweet!

 

I guess you can see the annoyed look on my face...I was running late and really needed to leave but he did come home just for me :) Whoo...the belly is getting rather round! I am 23w4d today, I still think I am doing ok on weight, probably right about 5 or 6 lbs. total to date, we'll find out next week when we go to the doctor!

I forget sometimes...

Pregnancy and becoming a mother is one of the most amazing things that can happen to a woman. I realized that I forget just how much it means to others or how I treat others at times. I (jokingly) talk about how things are hard for me, how things are constantly changing for me, but I never take the time to tell you about the appreciation that I feel towards all those in my life that have helped me through the process.

First and foremost, Jason. He has always been great with kids, he's a kid at heart and I knew I couldn't wait until that day that we would become parents to see him really flourish. Well, with each and every day I see just how much this means to Jason and I can't wait until our son is here this summer. I have to admit, in the beginning, all I wanted to do was bitch and moan about everything little thing (and still do at times!) and at times it seemed like he could have cared less, but Jason took everything in stride. If I was grumpy or not feeling well, he just knew to leave me alone (of course I thought he didn't care); he did things around the house for me without me having to ask (all along I'm thinking thank goodness!), but in the end I realized that he was dealing with this in his own way. I know now that I couldn't have made it through this pregnancy without the help, and sometimes just quietness, of my sweet husband. Jack & Janice, you have raised an amazing son that I know is going to be an amazing father.

Our families. God Bless our mothers and their 1950 ways, I know I learned a lot of patience here. You see, it has taken me a while to realize that our mothers worried about different things than we do now, so something that they stressed about in their time is maybe not so important now and so forth, but in the end I have come to realize that they are just as excited about this new addition to their family as Jason and I and want to make sure that we (I) take care of me. Our fathers, the strong and quiet souls that they are, well behind closed doors they are just as happy and worried. When I came down with a sinus infection a couple weeks ago, I found out that my dad was begging my mom to please check on me because he was so worried. Guess I'll always be daddy's lil' girl so matter how many babies come along. Next come our siblings, now I can't speak too much for Jason's sister, but if I had to guess she's just like my brother. I thought the grandparents were going to be the main spoilers...oh no, my sweet brother is giving them a run for their money! I'm so glad that our son is going to come into this world with so many there to love and cherish him.

My friends. Oh my dear sweet friends, especially my co-workers. I get the little hints here and there of how annoying I may be, and it does hurt my feelings more often than not. Then I think, they were each in my shoes at one point in time too and I probably told them that they were being mean and bitchy and it probably hurt their feelings just as it hurts mine. I am thankful though that I can come to them each and every day with questions and they will give their feedback. Sure, sometimes I don't agree with the feedback, but I appreciate their concern they have for me. I am truly blessed to have such an amazing support system in my life.

So thank you to each and every one of you. Jason and I are blessed to have you all in our lives to be there for us, to share in our happiness and support us in this exciting time. Thank you to my wonderful, amazing husband; Jason, I know I may be a handful at times...ok maybe a lot of times, but I couldn't imagine going through this with anyone else.

Sweet Dixie

We have been doing a lot of research into Jason's family history to try and decide on a middle name for the baby. Jason has actually found a lot of interesting things out about both of our families through Ancestry.com. We took a break to pick on Dixie hoarding all her tennis balls.

She's cowering down, just waiting for Jason to grab one...

Then he makes a move for it...

But in the end she won and got the ball back!

And then it was nap time, but she kept a paw on them at all times :)

We are anxiously waiting for our bedding to get here for the nursery so we can finally decide on paint colors for the room. And..."someone" needs to get the desk out of there and into our bedroom...

It's crazy, but I only have about 3 months left! I will be 24 weeks this coming Thursday, I get to drink the yummy orange drink and get my glucose levels checks...joy, but before you know it, baby will be here!

Oh that's right...

So I've noticed a lot of things while being pregnant, especially so in the past couple of weeks that have raised a question in my mind with the only logical answer being "oh that's right..." Thought I would share :)

- I gained another 2 pounds, what the heck?!?! Oh that's right...

- Why am I crying at a papercut? Oh that's right...

- Why can't I stop eating everything in sight!? Oh that's right...

- Um, could someone please tell me why can't I remember anything anymore? Oh that's right...

- Why all the hormones and low tolerance for anything?!?! Oh that's right...

- Why does it hurt so bad when I get made fun of for being moody or fat? Oh that's right...

- Why is it so hard to get into bed? Or better yet, rolling out of bed?? Oh that's right...

- Why do I have to pee every 10 minutes (seconds)? Oh that's right...

- Why do I cry all the time now for every little thing? Oh that's right...

- Why did it hurt so bad to just bend over and pick that up? Oh that's right...

- Why can't I bend over and pick that up? Oh that's right...

- What the hell is that moving in my stomach right now?! Oh that's right...

- Why did I just get mad at Jason for ditching me at lunch? Oh that's right...

- Why do I have this "I don't give a flip" attitude about some things, I mean the laundry and dishes don't need to be done do they? Oh that's right...

- Why can't I bite my tongue sometimes? Oh that's right...

- Where did these boobs come from, I think they need to be registered for their own zip code right now! Oh that's right...

- Seriously, did I really just pee on myself when I sneezed?! Oh that's right...

- Why can't I ever get comfortable? Oh the aches and pains! Oh that's right...


I really can't help but laugh at some of these because I know I'm a crazy person! Oh well, thought I'd share some of my laughs with you!

Back from the dead...

Literally, thought I was dying this past week. I came down with a severe nasal infection that hit me in a matter of 24 hours. Valentine's day was nice but I was already starting to feel a little sick and not really able to eat much, well Tuesday was a lot worse. I stayed behind closed doors in my office because I was congested, I had a "survival kit" that included Lysol spray, cough drops, hand sanitizer, Kleenex and a LARGE bottle of water but by lunch time I was going downhill fast. I needed to go home but thought I had a meeting with someone at 3:00pm so I stuck around, then had to get dinner for us at 5:00pm so I stuck it out. Went and got some good TLC from my mommy and daddy and went home. I vaguely remember Jason getting home that evening from working at his Lions Club dinner, but the next thing I remember was waking up around 2:00am with a 100.4 fever that kept climbing, body aches like no other and a bloody nose from all the drainage! It peaked at 101.4 then finally started to come back down but I was scared, and my emotions got the best of me! Of course, Jason had to go to work, so I called in sick (yea I know, shocker!) and mommy came and took me to Urgent Care, along with every other sick person in this town! About 2 1/2 hours later we got to see a doctor, only to hear that it was just a sinus infection but pretty bad. The only thing I cared to know though was if the baby was ok, I could have cared less about me, I'll deal, but is the baby going to be ok?! With a smile though, the doctor assured me that everything was ok with both me and the baby. By the time we were leaving, he was kicking around letting me know he was ok too. Mommy took me to get my medicine and back home I went to sleep. Jason got home shortly after lunch from working, he was getting sick too. We both were worthless that afternoon. It was toast and Sprite for dinner for us...

I remember waking up the next morning, fever finally breaking but I had a hacking cough and lovely stopped up nose! I ended up calling in sick again...I know, I know, two days in a row...got plenty of rest that morning while Jason was getting tested for allergies. Jason came home early though, having a really bad reaction to the allergy testing so, again, we were both worthless the rest of the day. I was a little sad, had to cancel cooking dinner for a friend as well as a much needed prenatal massage but I was just too sick and tired for it. We did at least have an appetite by dinner time and ordered a pizza. Today I was somewhat back to myself...sounded horrible, but was feeling a little bit better, so I was back at work.

So...it's cleaning this weekend to get the baby nursery ready! Jason has to work all weekend, yahoo!

One of the greatest Valentine's Day

Next year I will have two Valentines to celebrate with, this year was the last one for just Jason and me. Actually it started yesterday, I got a Valentine gift from my sweet Bubba, some chocolate covered strawberries, he's in training out of town so we had to get them early. Then today started off pretty good, I got some chocolates from some co-workers...great for the prego! Then I got a lovely bouquet from my sweet Jason that actually came at 8:30am...they NEVER come that early for me!

I am starting to get sick so I've been cooped up in my office with the door shut all day but hopefully it will pass. I couldn't wait to get home because I had ordered some clothes for the baby and knew they were coming today! So I rush home only to find them not there yet :( They finally came right before I had to leave to go to the sorority house. PERFECT way to leave home for the evening!!

Jason and I finished the evening off with dinner at our traditional Cafe Eccell, Jason with the steak cooked just every so perfectly...my mouth was watering. I had a chicken pasta, would have loved my fish I normally get, but don't think that it would have settled well since I would only get it cooked medium rare. We were going to get dessert but opted out since I had baked a cake and it was waiting for us at home!

I am really starting to get a little sick...seems like a head cold, let's hope it passes because this is not fun!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I can't wait for Valentine's Day 2012, I'll have two men to celebrate with!

Things I'm not supposed to stress over

I get e-mails from all sorts of outlets all the time, this is one from BabyCenter and I just had to laugh at some of the things!!

Things I'm not supposed to stress over
(why didn't someone tell me these things earlier?!)

"Don't stress if you can't get everything done that you had planned each day. The baby won't know if the housework isn't done!" - the baby may not but the hubby sure does...if the house is not in perfect order then it's like the houses he goes into while at work...

"It's okay to tell co-workers that you're not interested in their advice. Every pregnancy is different."

"Remember, every problem has a solution, and confiding in someone who's close to you or who you think can offer help or support is a step forward. Don't be afraid to talk to your partner, OB, or midwife."

"Don't stress about how you look. You're performing a miracle — growing a person inside of you — and that's a fantastic accomplishment."

"If you trust your OB, let her do her job and follow her recommendations; if you don't, find a new doctor who you do trust. You should never be afraid to call your provider with big and small problems."

"Don't stress about tough times with your partner. A baby tests any couple's relationship." - oh I know!

"Don't stress about things like food or weight. Just be sensible. There's no need to give yourself an anxiety attack over the pint of ice cream you just finished. Take it as your special reward for everything you've accomplished so far in your pregnancy, and move on." - I'd like to think I'm doing pretty good, 4.5 lbs in 21 weeks :) Now I look like I swallowed a house but the weight gain isn't reflecting that!

"If you're doing everything in your power to make healthy choices, don't worry so much. Women have been having babies since well before we knew what to do and what not to do."

"Mothers-in-law don't know everything!"

"Don't stress too much about things in the environment you think might harm your baby, like standing too close to the microwave or pumping gas. Remember, the vast majority of babies are born healthy." - it's kinda nice though to have someone come up to you and do things for you so you don't get near those harmful environmental things

"Don't worry about labor. It is what it is. Just educate yourself on your options, and be ready to make informed decisions. Beyond that, just take a deep breath and go for it. It's not as bad as you think it'll be."

"Don't stress about how the baby is fending in the womb. It's a roll cage, but your baby is probably comfortable in there."

"Every little twinge doesn't mean something is wrong." - but it sure does make the doctor laugh when I call for every little thing!

"No matter what decisions you make, someone will always disagree. Try not to let the negative comments upset you, and if you're really worried about something, talk with your doctor or a nonjudgmental friend." - hormones make you very emotional, and even the pettiest of comments can break you down and it sucks!

"There's no such thing as a stupid question, especially for first-time mothers. Being pregnant and birthing a child are unique experiences, and a woman will never know what it's all about until she's actually done it herself." - I think my doctor finds it comical that I start every phone call question with "I know this is going to sound stupid but..." and she answers every one of them for me!

"It's okay if you don't have everything ready for your baby. Newborns don't need a whole lot in the beginning."

"When I accepted heartburn, back pain, lack of sleep, and moodiness as a normal part of pregnancy, they didn't seem to bother me as much anymore."

"If you're worried about being a good mom, you probably have nothing to worry about. My husband keeps telling me that bad mothers don't worry about whether or not they'll be good moms."

"I had never really been around children, and I made mistakes, but as long as you love your baby and are careful with the important stuff, you can't harm him or her with small mistakes. You'll soon get comfortable with the routine."

"Don't stress too much over all the "rules" pregnant women now have. A bath warmer than lukewarm won't lead to disaster. If you accidentally eat a soft cheese you're not sure is safe, there's no use worrying after the fact. Our mothers had fewer restrictions than we do, and we turned out fine."


There was something about these that did bring a sense of calmness to me, I do have a great support system but sometimes you do feel alone in all of this if someone is not going through the exact same thing at the exact same time. Sure you meet plenty of people who have been there before, but everyone is different. Reading these was like having someone inside my head and explaining everything to me, nicely...

Baby James February 2011

So we went to the doctor today, baby is doing just fine, growing like he should be and he is beginning to kick hard. I felt him for the first time really kick. Doctor Appleton was checking for his heartbeat and she was pushing around trying to find him...well he let her know just right where he was and it was almost like he was trying to kick her hands away saying "quit poking me!" I have felt a couple lil' kicks like that here and there in the past few days but today was the strongest. We tried to get him to do it again so Jason could feel it but he had settled down. Oh well, soon enough.

We have purchased a few items here and there for him but I'm really trying to refrain because people have already begun buying things for him. I got a couple of outfits from a friend at work, she said she just couldn't resist and I got my first gift with his name on it, so I guess it's time to share that. His name will be Hudson, we haven't decided/talked about a middle name nor do we have any ideas so be patient, but I do love my gifts:

 These are gifts from Carrie, a friend of mine at work. We plan on doing his room in Monkeys, and she's a HUGE fan of frogs so she couldn't not get him something with frogs on it :)

This was from one of my co-workers, Melissa, her sister makes these things and they are super cute...you can check out more of her stuff here.

We have finally decided on bedding too, his room will be a monkey theme and I can't wait to start decorating...if we could just get the room cleaned out!!! Maybe I'll work on it soon, when does the "nesting" begin?!?!

Go Packers!

Despite being trapped in the house on Friday, the weekend turned out to be pretty good. Got my hair done, not too sure about the "new" color yet but it's growing on me; a sweet friend brought Baby James some new clothes, our first to hang in his closet; and then Sunday was just all around awesome! Jason took off, we went to church and got a free breakfast from the boy scouts, then finished it off with a Super Bowl party.

I think I have finally managed to perfect the family tea cake recipe...although I haven't mastered how to bake them and not burn myself!!! Anywho, they turned out really cute for the SuperBowl party we went to last night. And the Packers won...yahoo!

Happy Monday everyone!

Ice Day

What to do...what to do...I'm seriously bored out of my mind! We had a slew of cold weather here that iced the roads over, got a little bit of snow, not much, just enough to cover all the ice on the roads. Jason had to work today, I was scheduled to go in to work a little late this morning. Jason was steady texting and calling saying I was not allowed to drive into work, well bless his sweet lil' heart, he said the roads were really bad (it's ok for him to get out in it but not for me)...well about 8:00am we got word that we were going to have the day off. So ok, it's hard enough to find things to do on Saturday and Sunday when Jason's working, now I have to find something for Friday, Saturday and Sunday...AHHHHHHHH!

I went back to sleep for a while but that got old, tried watching TV but again, that got old...so off to the office it was to clean out for Baby James. I managed to knock out quite a bit of cleaning in that room but we are far from being done!!! A couple of weeks ago Jason got tired of waiting on me to get in there and clean up so he got some plastic tubs and just threw everything in there...boy what a mess! Oh well, I managed to empty one tub as well as clean everything off the floor! Baby James is bringing out the inner cleaning monster that I'm sure Jason will grow to love! :)

Everything was frozen, so Dixie had a treat, she got to drink her water inside the house today...see, she's a messy drinker and sloshes water all over the place so we have been leaving it outside for her, well with the weather, it was frozen solid. I brought it in and let it sit in front of the fire for a while and she was in heaven, it was a treat for her to get to have her water bowl inside the house!

Well, that's it for cleaning...gotta get dinner ready for hubby, he didn't take a lunch break today so he's gonna be hungry!

Happy Birthday to my BUBBA!

Today was my Bubba's birthday, he's a little under the weather but we still went out to celebrate his birthday. I feel that I have to say a few kind words about him on his special day. Oh how I can remember the days of fighting and of you picking on me, but I can also remember as we grew up, you were the one that was there for me when I got my first C in school and got me out of trouble, an accident in the middle of the night and you came rushing to my rescue, and most importantly, you've always been there for me when I needed you most. I can also remember being there for you, remember your nurse when you tried your share of acrobatics! You'll probably kill me for posting this but oh well!

 

 Oh we were so young, and just loved each other dearly!

 

 And then you were there for me on my special wedding day, you see all those lights hanging in the background...well, he worked really hard to get them to be exactly what I wanted!!!

So happy birthday Bubba, you are a special person to me, and so many others, and most importantly, to your nephew that will be here this summer! I know, I know, you'll spoil him beyond repair, but I'm glad to pass down that torch to him that I once held.

Happy Birthday, I love you!

It's a BOY!

It's a boy for the James Gang, I think it goes without saying we are incredibly excited! No we haven't decided on a name yet.

We had a little bit of trouble at the doctor today, lil' peanut had his legs crossed and made it quite difficult to get a good reading, but we finally got a good photo and there's no denying it, he's a boy!

Came home and finally decided to share the news with the Facebook world, here's the photo we shared, I am 19w6d today. The baby is measuring right on point so we're still due June 23rd!

 He was looking out at us, he was pretty still at this point, not really wanting to move for us

 He was starting to move his hands, Jason said he was saying "get out of my face!"

Precious profile, although she wanted a better one, this was the best we could get

Another profile shot, still not the best but you get the picture

Here you can see his little legs crossed, and at times I even thought there was nothing between the legs

But he proved us wrong, here was a little glimpse we got, she managed to freeze the frame for us just in time,  but he was squirming around

And then finally, the best shot yet, she was able to point out that it is indeed a boy

I have to say that I did have a feeling for a boy. It was wierd though, I thought it was a boy, but felt like I only thought that because we really wanted a boy and had a lot of pressure for a boy. I kept saying "because everyone wants us to have the boy then it will be the girl" but I guess my intuition proved right. Dreams were mixed, I had them both ways, some people asked about  heart beat, today it was 141bpm, Monday it was 150bpm. Some said it would be a girl becuase it looked like I was carrying high, others just had a hunch one way or the other. So...our lil' peanut is a boy, Jason and I couldn't be more excited right now. I know Jason is really excited, talking about fishing trips already! We went to the mall, bought a lil' blanket that says "Thank Heaven for Little Boys" and a onesie that says "Mommy's NEW Man" and I can't wait to give them to him! We can finally go shopping, buy things, we know what "it" is now, "it" is a HE and we can't wait until he gets here in June!

My dinner creation

Ok, I have to share this, I'm so proud of myself! I was really wanting some Italian food...anything, just pasta! So I set out to make some spinach ravioli and they turned out amazing!!!

I cheated majorly, I started out with a frozen package of creamed spinach, added some cheese of every kind, spooned it into some wonton wrappers and dropped in some boiling water for a few minutes. Then spooned over some chunky marinara sauce (from the can - Prego for the prego, lol) and went to town! Oh I was in heaven!!!