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!!!

Shopping...

Ok, so under normal circumstances I absolutely LOVE shopping!!! Well, pregnancy clothes shopping is awesome, everything stretches and it magically fits no matter what!!! It's awesome. Baby furniture is another thing. Jason and I have been looking online for a while now, trying to get some idea of what we may be interested in. We know we want the convertible bed so it can grow, everyone tells us they don't use it but our plan right now is to use it to it's full capacity. The next thing is the pieces that go with it, we want to have a matching set. Well, the set that I really wanted is waaaaaay pricey, but we are finding others that are just as nice and much more affordable. We are having a problem though with the measurements, we just don't know how to get a good idea of how big things are unless we actually see them. So, off to Houston we go because everyone tells us that we can go and look at everything set up at places there. Well, we spent the entire day there, going from place to place, but in the end I think we have a good idea of how things are measured and an idea of what we might want. We took a look at strollers and car seats, those are going to be a hassle. Then we couldn't help but gaze at all the clothing...everything is just so tiny but oh so cute. We went to a really nice lunch, Jason had a steak that was oh so perfectly cooked and I had to just watch him eat it...my mouth was watering, I was possibly drooling...

 We went to the Bass Pro Shop, Jason's favorite and then took a walk in the mall...and then it happened...COACH was having a sale and that was all she wrote! After a little more walking around I was done, I needed to get off my feet because they were hurting by then. We came back home and had a nice relaxing dinner of Wings with Jason's cousin. Only a few more days until we know pink or blue!!!

Things learned while pregnant

So it's been a while since I made a list of "things learned" and I thought I'd share some wisdom I've picked up during pregnancy:

- No matter how uncomfortable it is, everyone is going to touch your belly so you better get used to it...

- God gives you 9 months to learn some self control...and patience!

- A good night's rest no longer exists

- The funniest laugh I get is when people ask what it is and my response is (with some surprise in my voice) "It's a baby!"

- It took me having "his child" in order to get some help around the house!!!

- Shopping for baby furniture and accessories is very stressful

- The things your body will do now just because of "hormones" amazes me every day

- Everyone wants to do everything for you now that you are pregnant

- The way your feet can swell up within an hour of walking is shocking!

- I should not be this incapable of doing everyday things!

- The baby really does suck your memory cells...I promise!

- Why can't I put my socks on normal anymore?

- The harder you try to suck in your belly, the more the baby lets you know that you aren't supposed to be doing that!

- I must use the restroom before I go to bed, otherwise I am making a mad dash at 2am!

- Hearing 150bpm is the most soothing sound and can make any bad day better!

- The aches and pains are totally worth it when I see our baby moving in those ultrasound photos!

- Why can't I stop eating again? Oh that's right...

- I've got some of the most amazing friends a girl could ask for to experience this with!

- I fall in love with my husband all over again every time he kisses my belly

That's it for now...I'm sure that as the weeks go on that more things will begin to happen. We go in to find out next week what we are having, these days just can't go by fast enough!!! And what were we thinking scheduling the appointment at 3:15pm??? These things should be scheduled for 8:00am! The doctor's office should know that!

An observation

So last week the doctor said I should stay away from a lot of fried foods. You know, I hadn't really thought about all the fried foods I ate until it was brought to my attention...I was eating at least one fried meal a day! It's a shocker I haven't put on more weight than I have! So I decided to really start watching what I eat. I am kinda picky...not nearly as picky as hubby, but I do have certain things that just don't appeal to my taste palette, never have and probably never will. I am noticing it's hard work to eat healthy! I see why we have an obesity problem!!! Shopping every weekend is tough, and to make sure that you get everything, making lists so you don't forget, trying to plan for the week with both mine and Jason's schedule...the weekends are usually my down time! I am getting better though, the lists thing really does help...who knew?! Taking in lots and lots of fruits and veggies lately, and milk...oh how I love me some milk, and blueberry waffles!!! I do have to watch it though and not take in too much but boy do I love it! I do need to watch the fried foods though, cuz come crawfish season...IT'S ON! I know they aren't fried but loaded with sodium!!

Baby James January 2011

We went to the doctor today, baby is doing just fine. We didn't get to see any pictures of the baby but did hear the heartbeat and it sounds very good. We were supposed to find out the sex of the baby on January 24th but were a little skeptical about whether it would be too soon or not so we moved it to February 2nd (so happy birthday Bubba, it will be an early birthday present for you!) She asked if I was feeling anything yet, for the most part no, just a lot of cramping and stretching and I have to be careful in the ways that I move. Some things are really uncomfortable so I have to take things really slow. You never really realize just how much changes, simple things like standing up or sitting down, getting in and out of bed (so the couch is much more comfortable for me these days), getting dressed in the morning...all those things change when you have a little bump in the way or your body is stretching and cramping every time you move. I feel amazing now though. Finally getting my energy back although I still hit the wall about 7:30pm or 8:00pm and it's time for bed, finally wanting to do things again, cooking again (I'm sure hubby is happy) and just all around enjoying everything. It is certainly life changing but it's all totally worth it!! I did gain my first 3 lbs, I am somewhere between 17 and 18 weeks and I finally gained some weight, I guess it's all the milk and fried foods I have been taking in lately! I think my hormones have some-what calmed down. I was asked to join a prayer group at church at the beginning of the year (it couldn't have come at a more needed time) and I think that it has really helped me calm some of my nerves. I try to not pop off at people like I was, it's getting easier to bite my tongue at remarks that really hurt my feelings. The "advice" that is coming my way is not so annoying anymore. I still feel like everyone is saying how everything is supposed to be done (their way) rather than offering some advice or good tips to keep in mind, but it doesn't bother me as much as it did a few weeks ago. I do get bothered at constantly being asked "how are you" but hubby says to get over it. I still like to have my cries over random things every now and then (but in private), I am actually finding that it's good for the soul...as long as only I see it! Other than that everything going great, Jason has actually been very helpful around the house! Just dishes and cleaning around the house...he's is banned from laundry! Amazing, it took me having a baby to get some help around the house, but I am certainly appreciative of all that he has done over the past month.

Happy New Year

Well, Happy New Year from the (growing) James Family! Jason and I didn't do anything last night! We went to dinner with my parents but other than that it was an early night for us! We were asked to go to some friend's house but we just didn't have the energy to stay out late. We didn't even stay up to ring in the new year together. I remember waking up around midnight to the sound of fireworks in our neighborhood but quickly fell back asleep! Jason and I went to breakfast, but not too much excitement for the day for the two of us. We watched lots and lots of football!!! LOTS...it's all that my sweet hubby cared to watch! We went and had a late lunch at my parents, equipped with yucky black-eyed peas, but I ate my traditional 3...someone tried to sneak some more on my plate but got them quickly back on his plate! It's amazing to think that it's been a year since I began this blog...and I've actually kept up with it pretty good...at times I get behind but I quickly catch up! 2009 was an amazing year for Jason and I with our wedding, 2010 was even better to celebrate one year of wedded bliss together, now 2011 will be filled with lots of memories as we welcome our first child.

I hope 2011 blesses each and every one of your lives as I know it will certain be a memorable year for the two of us!

Happy New Year!

OMG!

As a gift to myself, I bought Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs and oh my goodness, I have never laughed more! I am almost in tears reading some of the things because it's exactly how I feel. I have been telling everyone about the book, even if you aren't preggo, you should read it! It's a good (and blunt) way to see just what pregnant women are going through, but it's funny! It really makes it all seem ok, like you're not as crazy as you feel inside! I read a part to Jason, saying to him "this is totally something that you said!" See below:

As anyone who has ever endured it knows, the term 'morning sickness' is bullshit. Morning has very little to do with it. For me, it started in the morning and went straight through the night. The label 'morning' must have been thought up by a man who thought it was all in our heads and hoped that limiting the definition would make us all shut up by noon. Well, I don't think so, buddy! I say, come on over to my house around 5 p.m. so I can heave on you.

This is how my sickness went, I didn't have the constant throwing up, but I had the constant feeling like I needed to. I would like to think that that is even worse! I wish I could have thrown up, I wish that it would have been that easy but it wasn't!!! Ahhhh, well it made me laugh, I don't think Jason thought it was funny but I know there were some days when he would say "oh honey it's just in your head" and I so badly wanted to say to him "oh come walk an hour in these shoes buddy and tell me it's all in your head!"

The book is literally only about 150 pages so I should be done, but I am savoring each and every laugh! It truly is an entire book of laughs! Check out some of the other chapters in the book and you can imagine how hilarious the book is!!! The titles are her own, but the parenthesis is what the chapter is about.

Psycho Chick (Hormonal Rage)
Passing Stonehenge (Constipation)
Freddie Krueger Ain't Got Nothing on Me! (Dreams)
Well, It's Not 1972 Anymore! (Baby Boomers Explaining How It Was in Their Day)
Did a Sewer Tank Explode, or Did You Just Fart? (Gas)
The Crying Game (Hormonal Blues)
So, Anyway, Like I Was Saying. . .  Wait, What Was I Saying? (Wandering Mind)
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Prettiest Pregnant Lady of Them All? Clearly Not You, Lady! (Face Acne and Rashes)
Poopin' on the Table (The Dark Side of Delivery)
I Just Need to Lie Down For, like, Five Minutes. . .  Okay, Maybe Three Months (Sleepiness)
Let Me Repeat (Husband No-No's)

I am not done, but with the amount of laughter that it's producing, it's worth the wait!

Christmas at the Casa de James

Well, nothing too terribly exciting for the James household this Christmas, we were in bed early last night, someone had to work Christmas this year. We went to church last night, I have always loved the way the church looks at Christmastime, so peacefully illuminated by candlelight. Alarm went off at an early 4:00am this morning, I was up and out the door to rush to my parents to cook breakfast for Jason's team. Thank goodness my mother offered her help, otherwise I don't know how I would have gotten it all done; and we had a special guest, my brother getting off from work, he stopped by for breakfast with us all.

So I rush to PD, yea, that was the quickest drive I ever made to PD to get the guys their piping hot breakfast, of course it was because of all the green lights and no traffic that I got there so quickly ;) I came home and attempted to get some rest but it just wasn't happening, so I curled up on the couch and proceeded to watch some movies that a friend gave me...I couldn't get off the couch they were so good! (vampire stuff, I knew the hubby wouldn't care to watch with me) Around lunch I loaded Dixie up in the car and we went to PD, her Christmas present was getting to spend the day at work with daddy. Jason said she sniffed everything and had a good time at PD, just like old times.

Since Jason was working during the day alone, and Bubba was working Christmas night, we did a Christmas dinner at my parents this year. It was kinda nice, we got to end the day on a great note with our gifts. I got lots of new clothes...yea maternity ones. Jason got a whole slew of new shirts, so he can't complain anymore about not having anything to wear. His big gift was a work bench for the garage so he can put all his tools away, I got a new badge charm, his Sgt. badge.

This was a nice, quiet Christmas. We were off to bed early again for Jason to get up and go to work tomorrow. At least we have Monday off together to go and hang out, and then there's always New Years, of course I highly doubt we do anything this year!

Merry Christmas everyone,
Love The James Gang!

'Tis the Season

For some reason, I'm just not in the "holiday" spirit this year, and with hormones and mood swings, it only makes it worse! I have an inner rage like no other! I snap at anyone and everyone, especially those close to me. It's finally starting to get cold but seriously, this week it has been 90 degrees outside so that's been another downer. At least it was a short week, and we get to wear jeans to work - although I only have 1 pair that I can really wear right now so I had to go home and wash them every night! Jason is working this weekend, so I don't know what I am going to do sitting at home alone all weekend?!?! Oh that's right...shopping! Jason's favorite thing for me to do! :)

It was quite an exciting week at work, we think we have finally eliminated the mice problem with some plug-in devices that are suppose to emit sound waves that keep them away. They seem to be working, we only had one on Monday morning but we think it might have been a lil' straggler. However, they have begun some horrendous pounding upstairs! We came in and had some dust all over our desks, throughout the day I had what looked like snow in my hair from it falling down all day! The banging got worse throughout the week, scaring us all day just about every day. They are breakout out the jail cells on the fourth floor, so concrete cells, metal bars, the works and the workers up there honestly don't understand how bad it sounds to us down here...we think that any minute our ceiling is going to come crashing down! We have had water leaks, dirty water in the bathrooms, some welding embers come through our ceiling, but mainly just the noise...it shakes our entire desks!

I went with my parents to our old neighbors this week, for their annual Christmas dinner together. I got to see my best friend growing up and his wife, let them in on the news (and growing waistline!) and just catch up since I think it's been since our wedding that I saw them. It was a lovely evening, hubby had a meeting so he missed out :(

My Bubba made me some tamales...oh I can't wait to eat them!!! I LOVE bean and cheese tamales, he remembered and made me some, then he invited Jason and I to dinner. He's so sweet!

My mom and I went shopping all day today, needed some last minute gifts for some people, but boy am I tired! I need to get some rest since I have to wake up and make breakfast tomorrow for Jason's team. Thankfully my mommy has offered her assistance!

Jason and I are off to church this evening, I always tell Jason that we should have done a Christmas wedding, the church looks so pretty at Christmastime with all the decorations. I say "in our next life, we get married during Christmastime!"

Happy Holidays everyone!

Christmas in Bridge City

Christmas was nice in Bridge City with Jason's family. I got a body pillow, which I am so thankful for! Jason is planning on getting a work bench for his tools so he got a gift card towards that at LOWES. 

Jason was her jungle gym for the weekend

Us and Granny

 

The entire family

Jason was everyone's jungle gym this weekend

Here we go again

Another lovely week gone by. We went to the doctor this week, the baby is actually measuring smaller than they say it should be but nothing to be concerned with. She just said that my due date must be wrong. I've tried to explain to them that I know my body and my body has always been weird but nooooooooo why listen to me? Trust that handy-dandy cardboard wheel you have there, that's surely more reliable than my word Ok, done with my rant :)

Mood swings are still in full swing. The biggest thing is emotions. They are up and down and I just don't ever know when they will swing. Any little thing will hurt my feelings now, and I have a really hard time of biting my tongue too if you do make me mad.

We had a Secret Santa gift exchange this week at the office, mine was AWESOME! I got all sorts of really neat gifts throughout the week and an iTunes gift card at the end of the week! We had a White Elephant gift exchange as well at the office Christmas party and it was some fun!

We still have a mice problem, I now am up to 5 in one week! I came in on Thursday morning and had 2 on one trap, I said it was a 2 for 1 deal day! That day though we caught/had 7 mice in our office. It was bad, they are getting brave, running under our feet and in and around us while we are working. We have been told that there is nothing that anyone can do other than set out traps and hopefully catch them one at a time. Comforting huh? So of course that plays into the whole emotions thing.

Jason and I are heading to Bridge City this weekend to have Christmas with his family, unfortunately Jason will be working on Christmas day so we don't get to have much of a Christmas this year.

Happy Friday everyone, it's a payday for us - we always love those!!!

Baby James December 2010

We went to the doctor on December 13th for our monthly check-up. Everything was fine, I am somewhere between 12 and 13 weeks, baby has been off by a few days so we aren't for certain where I am at. Baby is growing and doing well though, mommy has certainly gotten her appetite back but still no weight gain yet. Woo-hoo, let's see how long we can hold this up! I still have Christmas and New Years to think about!

Baby James has his/her arms up by the head, which is the left end of the photo, belly in the middle and you can see the legs sticking up on the right; it was actually quite difficult to get a photo because he/she kept moving a lot

Here is a little bit better photo, the line was for measuring the baby, which is sitting at about 6.11cm which is about 2.5 inches

I did have one more photo of the baby but it's sitting in my office, it's a really good photo though, up close and you can almost see the definitions of the baby's face, thanks to Aunt Jaclyn for pointing those out to us! Doctor says that baby will begin to grow more rapidly as 2nd trimester is very important in the growth of the baby, next appointment is set for January 13th.

Christmas Party

Every December, my Bubba always has a Christmas Party, for the past couple of years we have been fortunate enough to be able to attend. Unfortunately, I was the DD for the evening, and the "clean-up" crew as well! I haven't stayed up that many hours straight in a loooooooooong time!

Me and my Bubba, almost didn't get this shot!!!

The traditional with my Danny-boy :)

An "office" photo

Me and Carrie, it's like we're holding on to each other for dear life!

Oh my sweet hubby...yes this is indeed how he chose to take the photo, standing over me with the camera upside down, I love his picture taking capabilities!

Oh what a week it has been!

I am still trying to get a hold on these "mood swings" and all the emotions but this week was one for the record books! Monday I went to see a friend for his birthday and to share the news, got into my office a little late that morning. Upon arrival, I noticed some little black specks on my desk. Now I guess I need to backtrack here just a little bit. See, they are doing construction in our building, a building that is very old and infested with all sorts of critters. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that some of my snacks had been nibbled on, asked for traps but still waiting. Well, Monday morning with the droppings and emotions, let's just say that s*** hit the fan! So I asked again for the traps, shut my door and proceed to cry. Then I begin cleaning out my office, getting any and every sign of food out of here. I also decided it was a good time to clean out some personal things that had been here for a while. Well, I moved one bag and, well, see for yourself...

 I picked up a bag and this was under it...yes those black specks are droppings...

Then I moved my bookshelf out and this was behind it...again, more droppings...

In case it's hard to see...those are candy wrappers, and the black specks are rat droppings...here all along I've been blaming our cleaning crew for eating my candy and who would have ever thought it was these little critters. So as you can imagine, I'm worried, do I need to be in this type of environment while pregnant and so on and so forth.  I had Jason come get me and take me to lunch I was so upset, I come back and am just wallowing in my own misery when my co-worker walks in and asks me whats up. I'm telling her all about it, showing it all to her when all of a sudden she interrupts me with "Mandie there's a mouse in your office, it just poked it's head out to see me from behind your desk." With that, it was all she wrote and I was all upset again. She ended up sending me home after we called asking for some mouse traps and were told that they got my request 2 weeks ago but they are just out and the guys haven't gone to get more...lovely...

So I come back the next day and go and take mouse traps from other parts of our office...places where people aren't working anymore. I set those out in my office then finally I get brought about 2 boxes of traps. I leave them out over night surely expecting something to be on them when I came in the next day but nothing. Someone had told me to put some peanut butter on them, so I did and went to lunch. Came back about an hour later and here is what was waiting for me when I got back:

The maintenance people didn't like that I put peanut butter on them...apparently that makes them not sticky...well obviously it worked for this poor sucker. Now, they are right, I came in this morning and my traps were all over my office, the oil from the peanut butter made it possible for them to get away and they did...messed up 2 of the traps, so I had to set new ones all out, about 6 traps for now, possibly more by the end of the day and plan to leave them out over the weekend. Someone actually suggested to me that I start getting them stuffed and have them as trophies in my office. You know, some hunt deer...I hunt mice. :) Hey...at least I can joke about it now, at the beginning of the week it wasn't funny, and still bothers me the fact that I have mice running around while I work. And the more people pick, the worse off it is.

Happy Friday everyone!

Why Women Cry - Watch Her Eyes

With my lovely crying spells these days, I came across this a few weeks back and thought it was really cute and quite fitting under the circumstances. Makes me feel a little better about crying now, maybe not such a big sign of weakness after all.

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry. Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said: "When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfaltering.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

Mood swings and other fun stuff

So now that everyone knows, I have hit the lovely stage of crying spells and mood swings like no other! I have a short fuse as it is, a low tolerance for ignorance I like to say, and on most occasions I am a 'tell-it-like-it-is' type of a person. So take that and amplify it all and you have me on a daily basis! The crying is the weirdest thing, I don't like to cry...sign of weakness...never cared to do it, especially not in public! My gosh, these days, I get a paper-cut and the waterworks are in full swing! I'm making do though, thankfully I have great friends that are there to tell me that as crazy as I may seem, I am acting completely normal...normal...yea right! I think the hardest thing for me right now is all the 'help' and 'advice' that is coming. I don't like to depend on others to do for me, I can take care of myself on my own, independent woman I am! So it's hard for me to hear "don't do this" and "don't do that" or "are you sure that you need to be doing that?" I know everyone means well, but half the time I want to scream "I am pregnant, not incapacitated!!!" Ok...I'll step off my soap-box again.

Pregnancy is the most amazing thing though, I have come to realize that. Your body is going through so much, you have no control over it at all so you think you are a crazy person, but in the end you will have the most amazing reward. I have now entered my second trimester! First trimester was a little rough, I consider myself lucky as far as the sickness went though, it was just constant nausea, but it still wasn't fun. I think one of the hardest things for me is the lack of energy. It amazes me how at about 2 or 3 every afternoon I literally feel as if I have taken a Benadryl and could just go right to sleep. Poor Jason, when I get off work, the last thing I even want to think about is food so cooking has become obsolete now-a-days. I mean, you have the drive and the 'want' to do things but you just don't have the fuel and energy to get anything done. I have had a few nights here lately of some horrible sickness again (thought I was past this!), so I haven't had much sleep lately. Not that any sleep these days is 'good' by any means. I don't really have that much of an appetite either right now. I am hungry I guess, and know I need to eat, it's just that nothing appeals to me right now. For the past 3 weeks or so I had a MAJOR sweet tooth! Sour Patch Kids, Bright Crawlers...anything like that, sweet and sour, I couldn't get enough of. I was loving some spicy food! I think Jason is sick of Mexican food though for a while :( I do have the random cravings on different days, some days I want nothing but pickles, some it's nothing but ice-cream, others it's nothing but pepper so it's just a day-to-day thing of what will I be craving that day.

I had to finally go and buy some maternity clothes, the belly just doesn't suck in anymore :) It's funny, I try to suck in when I'm getting ready in the morning, and it just sticks out...actually hurts to try and suck in!! Guess that's a sign that I should quit trying huh? :) However, I do see what all the fuss is about, I don't know that I will EVER go back to regular clothes again after wearing maternity pants!!! The most amazing thing ever, everything fits...no matter what...it all stretches and fits!!!

This was the day I told the office...as you can see, it's hard to hide the 'pooch.' I sat at my desk for most of the morning, until a friend called and said she just had to tell someone so I let her and in a matter of about 15 minutes, the entire office knew the news.

I go back to the doctor next week, getting excited now as the baby is growing more and more and what we have to look forward to with each and every doctor visit,it's too bad right now we have to wait an entire month between visits huh?!?

Oh...and just for those who are wondering and want it on your calendar:
Official due date of Baby James - June 23, 2011
Date to find out pink or blue - January 24, 2011

Thanksgiving

Well this Thanksgiving was a crazy one, we traveled quite a bit! I left work early on Wednesday and we drove down to Bridge City to spend Thanksgiving day down there. Then we drove back that evening because I had a hair appointment (yes you read right, doctor says it's perfectly fine as well as acrylic nails and pedicures!) the next morning. Jason's family came up to Bryan though to spend the weekend with us and go see the Christmas lights. Jason got the entire weekend off, but this means that he will be working the weekend of Christmas all by himself :( Anyway, it was a nice time in both places, we told Jason's Granny while down in Bridge City about the baby and she was very happy for us. Now we just need to tell my grandmother then the whole town will know!

----- WHY WOMEN ARE CRANKY -----

I just thought this was funny...I am sure cranky these days, with reason I would like think, but for the most part I try to catch myself although it has been really hard these days. I like to think of myself as a "tell it like it is" type of a person, my mouth speaks before my head has time to think about it sometimes. Anywho...this just made me laugh and think to myself that I have only just begun the best years of my life! :)

ENJOY!

We started to 'bud' in our blouses at 9 or 10 years old only to find that anything that came in contact with those tender, blooming buds hurt so bad it brought us to tears. So came the ridiculously uncomfortable training bra contraption that the boys in school would snap until we had calluses on our backs.

Next, we get our periods in our early to mid-teens (or sooner). Along with those budding boobs, we're bloated, we're cramped, we've got the hormone crankies, had to wear little mattresses between our legs or insert tubular, packed cotton rods in places we didn't even know we had.

Our next little rite of passage was having sex for the first time which was about as much fun as having a ramrod push your uterus through your nostrils (IF he did it right and didn't end up with his little cart before his horse), leaving us to wonder what all the fuss was about.

Then it was off to Motherhood where we learned to live on dry crackers and water for a few months so we didn't spend the entire day leaning over Brother John. Of course, the amazing creatures that we are (and we are), we learned to live with the growing little angels inside us steadily kicking our innards night and day making us wonder if we were preparing to have Rosemary's Baby.

Our once flat bellies looked like we swallowed a whole watermelon and we pee'd our pants every time we sneezed. When the big moment arrived, the dam in our blessed Nether Regions invariably burst right in the middle of the mall and we had to waddle, with our big cartoon feet, moaning in pain all the way to the ER.

Then it was huff and puff and beg to die while the OB says, 'Please stop screaming, Mrs. Hearmeroar. Calm down and push. 'Just one more good push' (more like 10), warranting a strong, well-deserved impulse to punch the %$#*@*#!* hubby and doctor square in the nose for making us cram a wiggling, mushroom-headed 10 pound bowling ball through a keyhole.

After that, it was time to raise those angels only to find that when all that 'cute' wears off, the beautiful little darlings morphed into walking, jabbering, wet, gooey, snot-blowing, life-sucking little poop machines.

Then come their 'Teen Years.

' Need I say more?

When the kids are almost grown, we women hit our voracious sexual prime in our early 40's - while hubby had his somewhere around his 18th birthday.

So we progress into the grand finale: 'The Menopause,' the Grandmother of all womanhood. It's either take HRT and chance cancer in those now seasoned 'buds' or the aforementioned Nether Regions, or, sweat like a hog in July, wash your sheets and pillowcases daily and bite the head off anything that moves.

Now, you ask WHY women seem to be more spiteful than men, when men get off so easy, INCLUDING the icing on life's cake: Being able to pee in the woods without soaking their socks...

So, while I love being a woman, 'Womanhood' would make the Great Gandhi a tad crabby. You think women are the 'weaker sex?' Yeah right. Bite me!