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!