Countdown

Soon...

I won't have any more heartburn

I won't have to pee 2 or 3 times a night

I can have a diet coke if I want it

I can take over the counter drugs if I need them

I'll trade one kind of pain for another

The slight (compared to last time) swelling will go away

I won't have to watch my heart rate at the gym

I won't be in control of when and if I get to sleep

I won't get to feel the baby moving inside me anymore

I won't have to wonder if we're having a boy or a girl

I'll be changing (at least) twice as many diapers

The Little Man won't be an only child

Our family of 3 will become a family of 4

Last week of Thanks

22- Living in an HOA (Home Owner's Association). Particularly an HOA that includes snow removal. That's right folks, we don't even own a snow shovel.

23-Not working in retail. I worked years in retail, while going to college. Which meant I worked long hours around the holidays. My mom and I ran to the mall (we ended up only buying one item that wasn't even on sale) on Black Friday. Once again I was so grateful for not working in retail.

24-My doctor. I've mentioned on more than one occasion that I love my doctor. I've been with her for over 6 years, she's my regular doctor, my OB, and the Little Man's doctor. The clinic is great to work with, I like the MA that works with her, and almost all of the other dr's and PA's I've ever seen there.

25-My deep freezer. I love having extra space for pre-made dinners and the occasional frozen pizza, just in case.

26-DVR. I don't watch a ton of tv shows, but it's so nice to not have to care when they're on. They're on whenever we want to watch them. Plus, it's REALLY nice to have a few episodes of Sesame Street, Super Why, and Thomas the Train on there for the Little Man. Saves us money from actually buying DVD's.

27-Assigned seating at the movie theater. Seriously, this was a GENIUS idea! I love not having to go in early to get a good seat.

28-Laser Eye Surgery. This has to be one of the top 3 things I've ever spent money on. Ever. I've never regretted it for one second.

29-My Christmas Tree. I absolutely love it. It's the perfect size, and I'm actually quite happy with the decorations. I think I'll collect a few more in the next year (I chose ornaments at a year-round Christmas store, and bought a few every month or so during this last year). I also still need a topper, but it really doesn't look bad without anything. The Little Man loves it too, and insists we leave the lights on all of the time. I don't mind, it's pretty.

30-Surprises. I love surprises, and I really don't have many. It's a lot of fun waiting for a surprise, even if you know it's coming. Like, Christmas or birthdays... or maybe finding out the sex of your baby. Yes, I realize it's still a surprise when you find out during an ultrasound... but it's kind of like finding out what you're getting for Christmas in September. Hopefully we find out this next surprise in the next week or so!

Thirty

Today Justin turns 30.

It's a pretty boring day. I didn't even make a cake. I did make a Banana Cream Pie, which is what he asked for.

And the Little Man and I surprised him this morning with a belt and a new pair of (too big) basketball shorts. Oh.. the excitement!

One bad turn... deserves another

I was so bummed that I totally forgot to post on Thanksgiving, that I didn't even bother posting yesterday. I was SO close! Maybe it should count for extra credit that I have updated this blog (almost) every day, while still keeping my other two blogs updated as well. I've already hit 30 posts for the month, but I'm still pretty disappointed.

Thanksgiving was spent at Justin's mom's house. Great food and company. It's always a pretty quite affair at their house, I think there was just 7 of us this year. The Little Man even got to hang out with Mimi and Papa a little early while Justin and I went to a movie earlier in the day. I took my camera with the intention of getting a few pictures, but I only got a couple of the Little Man in some new PJ's at the end of the night.

The day after Thanksgiving my mom came down and we put up my Christmas. I was pretty excited this year because I bought a new tree last year. It's a skinny 10 foot pre-lit tree that looks awesome in my entry way! If and when we ever move I have no idea if I'll find a place where it will look as good, but for now I love it.I also had a doctor's appointment. I'm pretty sure this baby will be here in 10 days or less. I continue to progress, and I'm leaning towards getting started a week early. Justin's not thrilled with the idea, so we'll see what happens in the next week.

Here's to yet another blown NaBloPoMo... I guess there's always next year!

Dear Amoxicillin

I'd like to thank you for a decent nights sleep last night. I'm not sure why I always have to get a sinus infection whenever I get a cold, but because of that infection I was able to start taking you, and for the first time in 8 days I am starting to feel like myself again.

Normally I could also thank DayQuil, NyQuil, Mucinex and a number of other over the counter remedies that could have helped, but with the baby... I guess I had to wait until it got bad enough for antibiotics. Either way, I'm hoping to get a week or two of sleep before I have to start giving it up again.

Giving Thanks Week 3

I just realized I missed my list of things I'm thankful for. Probably because I wrote Sunday's post at 4:30 in the morning, and hadn't slept more than an hour at the point. Hard to find things you're thankful for when you're sleep deprived. (Which is getting slightly better, I'm able to fall asleep, and only up for a couple of hours in the middle of night because of this dang cold, which is most likely a sinus infection now).

15-A garage that we can park our cars in. It is SO nice to not scrape windows, need to warm up cars, or even get wet or wind blown when you're coming and going.

16-Cereal. That's all I want to eat right now. I'd have it 3 meals a day if I could. And, I guess I could, but I'm still trying to get protein and other nutrients every day. But, I seriously can't get enough of cereal -any kind.

17-Sleep. I'm not getting enough currently, and that will not get any better in the near future. But, when I'm healthy, I usually have no problems falling and staying asleep. I realize what a blessing that is. Plus, the Little Man is a great sleeper too, which has be wonderful.

18-Grandparents. Last night we had birthday party #2 for the Little Man. He had 5 grandma's, and 4 grandpa's there. We were missing a set from that side, plus 2 sets from my side. Between grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-GREAT grandparents, he has 15. What a blessing!

19-Modern conveniences. I just finished a book for my book club called, "These is my words". It's about a women and her family in the late 1800's -early 1900's. There were a lot of babies born, babies and other people lost, and hardships in the story. It made me so grateful for doctors, hospitals, and medical and other advancements that make my life so much easier to live. Even if I still can't take anything for this cold, I'll survive.

20-My two year old. I think I included him on a previous list, but he's just great! He's so smart and fun and happy that it's just been a lot of fun spending my days with him. I'm afraid that he's about to be severely neglected and have a mom who's tired and has a lack of patience, so I'm trying to be extra fun and attentive for the time being.

21-The Library. I've rediscovered the library with the Little Man. He loves going there and getting books. Plus, I've started reading a lot more library books instead of buying them.

Happy Birthday Party #1

We celebrated The Little Man's birthday with the Hardcastle's last night. I think he's been to enough birthday parties to understand what was going on. The presents and singing helped too!

My mom went a little overboard, and was too excited to not let him open up one of his presents early. He loved it.

So did Justin.

As we expected, he was pretty excited about the Thomas the Train cake -mostly just the Thomas the Train. He loved having people sing Happy Birthday and sort of understood blowing out his candle.

Thanks everyone, he had a great night. We're looking forward to party #2 with Justin's family tonight.

Insomnia

I don't actually have insomnia, but I haven't been able to sleep all week. Mostly it's because I have a terrible sore throat and congestion, and can't take any drugs for it. Oh, what I'd do for some NyQuil right now. Tonight my throat actually felt better than it has for days, so I had high hopes. It's 5 am, and I've slept for about an hour, hour and a half -tops. I suppose I should just get used to this, but I'd sure love a decent nights sleep before the baby comes.

So, I thought I'd post. This year, for the Little Man's birthday, instead of making several 'practice' cakes for one party, I'm making two cakes, without practice. I didn't come up with the design on my own (just google "Thomas the Train cakes"), but here's what I made last night.

Classic

Justin and I often have discussions about what a 'classic' movie is. Personally, I think Justin's term of classic (or even a good or half-way decent movie) is a bit lenient for my standards. I admit that I'm a bit of a movie snob.

My favorite movie is probably still Good Will Hunting. I love it, love the screenplay, the story, etc. I could do without the language, which is why I don't watch it very often any more, but it's still my favorite. Other favorites probably include Love Actually, Crash, Top Gun, Steel Magnolias... I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of right now.

Today I was thinking about personal favorites that most people of never seen, or never given a second thought to. One of them for me is definitely All The Pretty Horses (which I'm watching right now). It might be because I read the book, several times, and loved it. I know it got horrible reviews, but for whatever reason (yes, I know a small part of it is the leading man) I think about it all the time, and think about lines and scenes from it. I have to watch it every once in a while. Other favorites in that line are probably, The Four Feathers, Rounders, The Princess and the Warrior, and an HBO special Reverse the Curse of the Bambino.

I've started and stopped writing this post a dozen times now, which is never good for the reader. I guess I wanted to say I was watching All the Pretty Horses, and I love it. If this was an actual conversation between you and me, I'd ask what weird, embarrassing, or just unheard of movie is YOUR favorite?

Nicknames

I'm sure as the month progresses I'll have plenty of my own things to post about (Little Man's birthday, the CAKE for the Little Man's birthday, the Little Man's first and second birthday party, Justin's birthday, etc).

But for now, to keep from only talking about the new baby, the pregnancy (1.5 cm dilated, 50% effaced, head down), and me being sick, I took another prompt from the list.

nicknames you have and why you have them

Most of my nicknames are pretty much shorter versions of my first name, which should explain WHY I have them...

Mel
Melly
Mel Bell (that one was from my dad, not sure how it started)
Hardcase (from my maiden name, and only people from New Zealand ever called me that)
Melody (not so much a nickname, but a kid on my caseload from work called me that for years, but only because he thought it was my name. Until one day, months from me quitting, he just started calling me Melanie.)

And there's one more, which I won't write here. Kathy and Bryon, both of whom don't read this blog, gave it to me and it's even printed on my iPod... but I'd like to avoid any weird people finding me from doing inappropriate google searches.

One month (or less)

I think being pregnant the second time around has it's benefits.

I'm not quite as anxious about the labor part (although I am starting to get nervous that it would be totally different -and worse- than the first time). I have just about everything we need for the new addition, unless it's a girl, then we'll definitely need more pink things.

Although I'm uncomfortable and not sleeping much, things have gone a lot smoother this time. My nose didn't puff up until just recently (instead of around the time we got a positive pregnancy test), and I'm still wearing my wedding ring.

I'm sure nothing can change your life as much as having that first child can... but I'm beginning to think that the close second, is adding a second. I truly can't believe in less than a month (less than 3 weeks, if I have any say) we're adding to our family. It seems a little unreal at this moment.

I guess we'll figure things out soon enough, it seems like other families do, eventually. Until then, I'll continue to feel a bit of anxiety and curiosity (boy or girl?), and the poor Little Man will continue to point to my tummy and say 'baby' without having ANY idea what is in store for him.

Oops

For those of you who know my husband, you have probably wondered to yourself how he keeps track of everything. Between full time jobs, part time jobs, business ventures, volunteering, and church callings, it can get a little hectic.

And, he doesn't keep track of everything -just for the record.

One example? Keeping track of what car you're driving. Not just which one of the two cars you actually OWN, but what car you drive, period.

He was running late to teach at UVU and parked in a different area then he usually does. I guess that threw him off when he was leaving to come back to Salt Lake City. He found a Subaru, opened the car door, threw his stuff on the passenger seat and started the car. Or, tried to start the car. It lurched forward, like a manual does when you don't have the clutch in. Only... our Subaru doesn't have a clutch. He was in the wrong car.

Same year and model (I never even asked if it was the same color), but the wrong car. He got out, found our car, and drove home.

So... if any of you drive a similar car to ours, there's a good chance your key might fit in our car, which is a little disturbing. But mostly, I think he needs to take some time off!

Half way through

We're halfway through November... and I haven't missed a day yet. I have high hopes for this years NaBloPoMo.

This one is day 17 from the list I keep referring too.

Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why.

This girl here.

I wouldn't trade my life for anything (or anyone). But, I think it would be interesting to live a day in her shoes again, and visa versa, actually. I was single, with girl friends on an awesome vacation, applying to graduate school, working full time and happy. I could have been smarter with money, drove an old car (uh, that I am STILL driving), was waiting for "Mr. Right" I suppose, but I wasn't standing still, waiting.

I think if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't be disappointed or impatient to get to where I am. Or... maybe I'd be even more anxious to be a wife and a mother. Soon to be a mother of two. Oh boy, what have I got myself into??

Long overdue

According to one of the blogs I read, there is an internet meme (can anyone explain why they are called that?) called "What's in your pockets?)"

Well, I needed to clean out my purse anyway, so I took a picture of the contents. Let's start in the top left hand corner. A boy scout patch from something we went to for my dad, change, hair things, sunscreen and a paper I need for Young Womens on Tuesday.

My cell phone, a pair of earrings, a couple of eye make-up brushes (no idea) and an "I voted early" sticker.

My wallet, a spoon and fork for the Little Man. Mary Kay oil-blotting paper and lotion. The pile in the right hand corner is garbage and right under that is a diaper and wipes.

We're half-way done, aren't you sorry you're reading this post now?

Back on the bottom left hand corner we have a reminder to renew my social worker license (which I did not do in time, not sure what's going to happen with that) and some pretzels. The dentists' card we recently saw, a couple of Tums packets, Zicam, baby Tylenol, too many chapsticks for one purse, and a couple pieces of bubble gum from the Aggie parade.

I'm pretty sure those gift cards don't have money on them, and why anyone needs that many pens or two pair of sunglasses in their purse is beyond me. The last things there are a few packets of fruit snacks and a color swatch for my brother in law's wedding.

So, that's it. Like I said, cleaning out my purse was WAY overdue, but it looks great now!

Giving Thanks Week 2

Okay... how about 7 more things I'm thankful for.

8- Google Reader. If you don't use it, you should. I read well over 100 blogs, Google Reader has changed my life. That might sound a bit dramatic, but it's sort of true.

9- A working wireless router. It wasn't working for a couple of days, and we thought we needed a new one. Seriously, this lap top is basically a big Free Cell game without the internet. Justin got it working again yesterday.

10- My siblings. I really like that the four of us (and spouses/significant others) have become such good friends.

11- Sushi rolls. Mmmm... I haven't had any since I became pregnant until last night. Justin and I splurged a bit last night and went out with friends to Bonsai. Man, I love rolls with wasabi. I should thank my friend Yvette for introducing me to sushi while we were roommates too.

12-Morning walks with friends. We all enjoyed being able to walk outside all summer, but I'm still grateful for the mall walks. It's nice to get out, talk with understanding friends and let the kids get some energy out.

13-Living close to family. Lots of reasons for this. Last night it was for a willing brother-in-law and to-be sister-in-law who came and watched the Little Man while Justin and I went out. I've realized what a blessing it is to be close to family when you're raising your own. I hope we always stay close.

14-Secure job(s). I know no job is totally safe and secure, especially in the current climate, but Justin is a good employee and seems to be a valued member of his team. I'm sure we could risk it and he could/should be making more money with another company, but his current employer has treated us very fairly, we have amazing insurance, and it's allowed him to be home more while still pursuing other ventures.

Day 13

Here's another one from that list... day 14- a picture of you and your family. I thought it was fitting for today's post.
You're right mom, we REALLY need to get a new family picture done! We've had a few since, but I can't seem to find a copy of them. (This is missing Jenny, Trevor, and The Little Man).

Preparations

One of the things on my imaginary list of things to do before the baby gets here (I should really actually MAKE a list... it might actually have a better chance of getting done that way) was to have a freezer full of meals for my family.

Uh... this kid is going to be here in a month (or less) and up until yesterday, I had a total of ... ZERO meals in my freezer. Luckily, my sister wanted to get some freezer meals done as well, and had a day off of work yesterday, so we cooked.

All. Day. Long.

My feet are still swollen.

Actually, by the time we got back from the store in the morning and started, we went for about two and a half hours, took a break (little man and I took a nap, Jodi had lunch with her boyfriend) and finished up, with even the clean up, about two and a half hours after that.

Not too bad. With what I finished off today, I have a minimum of 30 dinners in the freezer. It's only 6 or 7 different items, but I'm hoping to stick a few more things in there over the next few weeks, just doubling up on whatever I make for dinner that night. Soups, enchilada's, sloppy joes, shredded pork, meat loafs, and a few lasagnas.

Justin is pretty excited. He loves food, and loves it even more when it's (nearly) ready to eat and inexpensive. I think at one point, we were browning 12 or 13 pounds of hamburger/ground turkey in a couple of electric skillets and at the same time boiling 4 or 5 pounds of chicken.

All in all, it was a very productive day.

Proof that my kitchen doesn't ALWAYS look like that.

Hopefully the Little Man forgives me for ignoring him most of the day, and allowing him to watch a LOT of tv!

The last one

It occurred to me today, after seeing countless tributes to our veterans on social media sites and blogs, that next year this holiday will most likely feel very different for me. And, a year or two after that, even more so.

We haven't talked much about this, in fact, unless you actually know Justin or I, you wouldn't know that Justin will soon be enlisting. I don't know if that's the right term though, he'll be accepting an officer's commission for the Navy Reserve. If that even makes sense.

Last year for Veterans Day we were in Washington DC, listening to the President speak, in the pouring rain. Pretty cool place to be for Veterans Day, if you ask me (other than the rain). I've always felt like I showed respect and admiration for our veterans and appreciated their service.

I suppose I will gain more of an appreciation in the years to come as I support one a little closer to home.

Say it ain't so

This was written on the baby's blog yesterday. I stole it. But, it was mine to steal, so it's okay.


Baby, you've become quite the pain in my butt. Literally.

I looked over your brother's blog hoping I mentioned when this particular problem started, but I wasn't ever very specific. I had sciatic nerve pain around this time (can't remember what week it actually started). It was horrible. Even horrific, at times. It only lasted a 3 or 4 weeks, and let up a week or two before I delivered.

I felt a twinge of the pain yesterday afternoon and almost started crying. I went to my prenatal water aerobics, hoping whatever was happening would just go away with a bit of stretching and exercise. I felt GREAT in the water. The instant I walked out of the pool it was back.

By the time I woke up this morning it was official, I have sciatica. Looks like this may be something I get to enjoy with all of my pregnancies. Any one have any magic tricks? Or new drugs that the current medical profession has no idea about that I can take while pregnant? I'd take just about anything at the moment.

Fall Back

First of all, I don't enjoy this time of year and the time change. And, it's not because it get's dark at 6. The Little Man doesn't seem to get it, and the extra hour of sleep I once enjoyed for one day before kids has turned into an hour less of sleep for 6 months. At least, that's what happened last year, so we'll see if we can get this kid on a new schedule soon.

Second, I wanted a reminder of the week of fall/autumn we enjoyed. Please don't take this as complaining about the weather. (Facebook has enough of that, I feel like jumping off for a week or so when the seasons change, that's all anyone usually talks about). We've had snow for 2 days, nothing heavy, but it's still snow, and I doubt we'll get any warm days in the near future.

Last week was fall, and we tried to get outside often (even took a break from mall walking and continued our park walks most of last week).

There's no place like...

Your dentist??

I'm 30 years old, and had an anxious feeling today when I went to the dentist -for the first time that I can remember.

I posted about this before, but our family dentist finally retired. I'm actually a few months late on my 6 month check-up because I just didn't want to go and see a new dentist. Justin finally just made me an appointment with someone he's been seeing for a year.

It was okay. The cleaning didn't even last 5 minutes, and I'm pretty sure she didn't get the 4 furthest back teeth. I didn't do an x-ray because I'm pregnant, and the dentist told me that two of my fillings should be replaced. Actually, he told me they were old, "I mean really old, at least 15 years old." I mentioned they couldn't be more than 9 years old, because my first fillings were in 2001. He acted surprised and said they looked 'really old'.

Whatever.

I've now joined the rest of society. The dentist is just a mildly uncomfortable visit every 6 months.

I miss Dr. Pete.

Give Thanks

I have way too many things floating around in my head at the moment, and I don't feel like writing about any of them. But, I still need a post for the day. On facebook a lot of people have been writing something they are thankful for every day. (Ya know, Thanksgiving...). Maybe I'll do a weekly list for this month of excessive posting. (It's excessive for me. Even though I keep up to date on 3 blogs, I still only post maybe 3-7 times a month between all of them).

1. The Little Man. Justin and I are tag-playing church today since he's sick. I had to teach in the first hour, so we're just hanging out at home together now. I'm sure I'll experience that magical experience when baby #2 arrives, and I'll love him/her just as much, but for now, I just feel so lucky to be a mom and to be his mom. The Little Man is so much fun and truly brightens my day every day.

2. Justin. I don't say this often enough (on the blog OR in person), but my husband is one of the most hard working men I know, and has gone to great lengths to allow me to stay at home with our kid(s).

3. Naps. I don't sleep much at night anymore, so these have become even more important. I don't get them everyday, but I lay down more often then not most days. The Little Man has been messing with his naps, (like not taking one a few times this week) but I'm working with him on this. It's just too soon for him to give them up, so hopefully he agrees and with a slight change in the schedule, he'll keep them up for a while longer.

4. Laptops. I'd never get on the computer if it wasn't for my laptop. Some days that might be a good thing, but I really like feeling 'connected' to the outside world, and use the computer to get that. I suppose I like blogs and facebook for the same reason.

5. Playing the piano. I don't really play much for myself anymore, but I've always loved playing, and I enjoy being able to play for other people when they need me to. Plus, it now provides a small income since I teach piano too.

6. Friends. I have great friends I've had forever, and even though we don't see or talk to each other as much as we used to, I think we'll always be friends. I'm also grateful for so many friends that are close by, and in similar situations as me, it gives us a lot to talk about, and kids for the Little Man to play with.

7. My education. I may not be in the work force at the moment, but I'm so glad that I have a degree, and will most likely use it again in the future. Maybe even further my education too.

Fire

We're a little under the weather at our house today. The Little Man has had a cold, which I think he's passed on to me because I've got a horrible headache and sore throat. Justin said he doesn't feel great either. Last night I almost forgot to post too, so I thought I'd get it done early today.

Problem is... my brain is not functioning (headache + no sleep last night). So, I got on here and found a prompt. Since my in-laws recently had to leave their home due to the threat of a fire, I thought it was an interesting way to look at things.

If your house was on fire, what five things would you be glad to see go up in flames.

Justin and I talked quite a bit that weekend about what we WOULD take if our house was on fire and had an hour to pack up, but not what we'd leave.

1-Our kitchen table. I really liked it when we bought it, and I thought we were getting a nice piece of furniture. The top of our table is so scratched, and we've only had it a couple of years. Who knows what it will look like once we have a couple of kids around.

2- Our DVD player. Our last DVD player quit working (probably had something to do with the Little Man pushing it onto the floor one too many times). I had an old DVD/VCR player that we started using. It works fine, but it's just a bit annoying for a few reasons. Plus, I think it'd be nice to have a Blu Ray player, and they're pretty affordable now. I just don't like spending money on things before I really NEED them, so we'll stick with it for now.

3-Our old laptops. This is for Justin. I think we have 2 or 3 old laptops around. If we got insurance money for them, maybe it would be enough for him to get a iPad. He really, really wants them. It just hasn't been in our budget yet, plus, I think they're a sophisticated 'gameboy' for adults. I don't know many productive uses for them, except to play games you can play on your iPhone, and search the internet, which you can do on a lap top.

4- Our cable box. Don't ever ask me about our cable service, because I can't help but tell you exactly how I feel about them. We don't have a lot of options, due to the fact that our development has a contract with Utopia, so Comcast and Quest didn't lay any of their lines down. We could get a satellite, but it would have to go on the front of our house, which we're not thrilled with either. We don't have a problem with Utopia, but the companies they partner with for cable are HORRIBLE! In the next couple of weeks, we'll have our 3rd company in a little over 2 years (the first two went out of business) start providing service. Let's hope they're better than their predecessors.

5-Although having anything go up in flames would be terribly sad and inconvenient, I wouldn't mind starting over with my entire wardrobe. If we had insurance money for that, I'd love to just purge everything in my closet, and start fresh.

66%

That's the chance you have in my family of losing your appendix. My dad is in surgery having his removed as we speak. My mom lost hers a couple of years ago, Jodi when she was in high school, and I lost mine at the ripe old age of 10.

Gordon and Matt had better watch out.

Too easy

"A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you."

I suppose the one on the right started the process, but the one of the left definitely made my former life almost unrecognizable.

Day 1 (on Day 3)

Okay... from the list, this is day 1. A recent picture of yourself and 15 interesting facts. Since all I think about these days is the pregnancy, maybe I'll try to make the 15 facts about that, but there's no promise that they'll be interesting.

I have no recent pictures of me, really. But, check out that orange bump in the background... that's me.

1. I'm 34 weeks pregnant, and hoping I've only got about 5 more to go. We'll see.

2. My doctor (OB) is also a family doctor. She has been my doctor for 6 years, since I moved to Salt Lake, and is also the Little Man's doctor. I love it. Sometimes I feel like I call a lot (between the two of us) but I love having one doctor for our family. It doesn't happen very often anymore.

3. I'm still walking about 3 miles a day. This is pregnancy related, trust me. I'm also doing prenatal water aerobics at least once a week. I think I've still gained less this time around, and I'm much healthier (no edema so far).

4. People are just as surprised this time around that we didn't find out what we're having. (boy vs girl)

5. It's much easier to tell people that I won't have an epidural, since I managed to have a natural birth the first time around.

6. We're delivering at a new hospital this time.

7. I've tried to have babies at any time other than the holidays, but it just doesn't seem to work out. My very first pregnancy would have been due in August, and my 3rd was due in September. I guess my body just really wants to deliver sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe we'll have better luck next time.

8. This kid moves like CRAZY! I'm actually trying to think of a nickname for the baby (for the blog) along these lines. The Little Man was pretty content with a jab here and a jab there... not this one. It's still full body movements, somersaults, and jabs to my bladder. All. The. Time. Maybe he/she's our little Kick boxer, Soccer Player, Wiggles... any suggestions would be appreciated.

9. As far as the swelling, I'm so much better off this time around. By August of the Little Man's pregnancy I couldn't wear my wedding rings. I can't wear my diamond (it's a thicker band), but I'm still wearing my wedding band. That's a good sign.

10. I'm really looking forward to have a newborn again. But, scared to death about the lack of sleep. I need sleep. I just don't function when I don't get sleep.

11. I think the Little Man is going to like having a baby around (at least at first). I also think he might try to be a little too helpful. And, I'm just waiting for the first time that he'll crawl into the crib or even bassinet. We can't seem to keep him out of it right now.

12. I'll spare the details on this blog, but I'm going to breastfeed again. Along with my pump, an expensive prescription, herbal supplements, and a strange apparatus to help supplement, I'm hoping to make it to 6 months this time.

13. I have a mile-long list of things that I still need to get done before the baby arrives. A lot of people say I should just wait until 'nesting' kicks in, and I'll get it all done in 3 days. I never felt like I nested with the Little Man, so I had better start checking things off whether I feel like it or not.

14. I think we're having a boy. At the very beginning I thought it was a girl, but now I feel like it's a boy. There are a few differences with this pregnancy, but I imagine there are more similarities. We'll be happy with either (of course), but I know just about everyone else is hoping for a girl. Let's be honest, they're just more fun to shop for.

15. Even though I really don't want the baby to come now (trying to avoid the NICU) and I know that sleep won't be easier once the baby gets here, I still just want it to be here. I'm getting excited to find out if it's a boy or a girl, see how the Little Man reacts, and just be done with pregnancy. I know there are women out there that claim they LOVE being pregnant, I'm just not one of them. I love feeling movements (except between the hours of 11pm and 5am), and I'm grateful that I'm able to carry healthy babies, I'm pretty close to miserable when I'm pregnant. So, I'll be happy next month when we're finally done. (Until the next time).

Vote

The last few years I've voted early, you beat any lines and make sure you don't 'run out of time' on election day. If you don't know where to vote or WHO to vote for, click here. Well, if you're in Utah. If you're not in Utah, that link won't help you much.

And if you don't vote? Then I would prefer you not complain about anything that goes on in your life. Seriously, all day I've been thinking about people who don't have ANYTHING good to say about a single politician, and I wonder how involved they are in politics or even in their community.

If you don't like it... DO something. And if you won't, then, although you are still entitled to your (uneducated) opinion, I don't feel like you're entitled to voice your opinions after the fact. That includes (perhaps most of all) comments on facebook. And if you think there isn't a way to get involved... just talk to me or Justin. There are PLENTY of ways to be involved, and yes, you DO have the time. Yes, even YOU do. Trust me.

Nablopomo

It's National Blog Posting Month. Nablopomo. I've tried this a few times, and I've been successful... maybe never, but I've come close. I think I'll give it a try again this year. It might help me keep my mind off a certain event that is approaching, too slowly most days, and other days it seems to quick.

A friend of mine posted this list, a week or so ago, and I bookmarked it, hoping it might give some inspiration on the days when I have none. (Like today -WHY did I already post about Halloween??)

I'm not going to go in any kind of order, so today will be Day 8, short term goals for this month and why.

I really needed to do this, and will probably make a check list (thanks, mom) to help me get everything done this month. Here's the why... the baby is coming! Most days I feel totally over this pregnancy -I'm just done. I'm getting bigger, more uncomfortable, unable to sleep, and although things don't magically get better right after the baby comes... it's a step in the right direction.

Here's a short list of my main goals for the month:
-Laundry. I've found all of the neutral baby clothes, now I just need to wash them and get them hung up. Which also means I need to go through the clothes currently in the Little Man's closet, put away the old ones, and move his current clothes into his new room.

-Dinner. My goal is to have a minimum of 30 frozen meals in my freezer before the baby. We went through and have eaten all of the last batch, so I've got my work cut out for me. I need to start stocking up on hamburger/turkey and chicken. Any good recipe's you haven't already shared, please do so.

-Holidays. I'm about half way done with presents for Christmas. Which, for our family, also includes about 10 birthday gifts. I'm not kidding, between November to January, we have half of our family having birthdays, and I'm just adding to the problem this year. I need to have all of Christmas/birthday gifts purchased and possibly even wrapped by the end of the month. My tree will go up right after Thanksgiving, which I'm really looking forward to this year. I bought a new (pre-lit) tree last year.
Oh, and to NOT commit myself to any holiday get-togethers this year. I tried that when I had the Little Man 6 days before Thanksgiving. It didn't work, and it was a Thanksgiving I will never forget (and not for the good reasons).

-Exercise. This is just an on-going goal. I've managed to walk about 3 miles every day during this pregnancy. And now that it's colder weather, I've become a mall-walker. I also get to the prenatal water aerobics at least once a week, although I try for twice a week.

-Other baby stuff. Like, preregister at the hospital, update our birth plan, finish re-reading the Bradley book, continue with the specific exercises that go along with it, etc. I've only got about 40 more days, which sort of freaks me out a bit. I'm sure I'm missing things that should be on this list, but it's a start!