Snow!

Just one day until Conner's due date and I just thought I would document on here that it did, in fact, snow in Austin, TX! The sun is out and flurries are about. For a bit there, it was snowing hard enough to look like fog as I was driving home from lunch with Cody. It was so pretty!

C'mon out, Conner! I want you to experience this!

Pregnancy progress

Seriously ready to meet this baby, but he seems to be even more serious about staying in! He is still so active! I was sure earlier on in my pregnancy that he would be early because of his size. Well, the doctor did an estimate of how big he was at about 37 weeks and said that he was between 5 1/2 and 6 pounds. WHAT? I'm HUGE! So that's when I decided that he wasn't going to be early. He's never coming out. He's too comfy. He doesn't have to do anything but have fun rolling around, kicking, punching, spinning and tickling me!

Here I am, at 39 weeks, 3 days pregnant and I just had my 40 week check up. I've been dilated at about 1 cm for almost 4 weeks now and apparently my cervix is super soft. The softness is a good thing. The doc said she could hardly tell it was there. This softening is incredibly helpful for when the contractions start up. She says that once Conner's head starts to descend that it will help with the dilation. That was definitely reassuring!

Right now, all I can say is, "Come out, come out, come OUT!"

Many Thanks

Wow, what a trip this year has been so far! I have a ton to be thankful for and YOU are just one person that has made a contribution to my life, so thank you.

I have a 97% complete bedroom for Conner. I owe that 97% to Candace and Christina who thoughtfully came up with the idea that instead of throwing a baby shower for me in Dallas (originally scheduled for 2 weeks before my due date), that they would come to my house and prep Conner's room so that Cody and I could focus on other aspects of getting our house "assembled". I couldn't have asked for a nicer gesture!

The ladies put two coats of paint on the walls, hung up the curtain and moved the furniture in. They also made the crib bed and loaded up the changing table with it's necessities. I also got the hook up with some needed baby items. I can't forget that they also prepared some yummy foods for us to thaw and cook when we are too tired to make dinner after Conner is here. They rock!

Other peeps stopped by, too! It was really neat to see them and accept their help with the baby's laundry, hanging pictures and sterilizing bottles!

Cody and I are so very lucky. Thank you all!

Promised Pics: Castle View makeover

These are before/after pictures of our master bedroom and the front flower bed. I wish I had taken pics of them after they were staged because it looked so nice!

Promised Pics: Aerosmith Concert

Beautiful day in the DFW for an outdoor concert. We got great lawn seats in the shade with a view and easy access to the path that went to beer and bathrooms!

Steven Tyler did not fall off this stage!

My beautiful friends. I'm so so so glad they invited me to join them!

Hard to resist singing along to the songs (or chatting through the unfamiliar ones that were never released)!

I just thought this was a fun picture to take of the ladies and the stage.

Pictures

I need to post them. I promise I will.

What's going on 'round here?

Visiting with Grace and Daniel was such a relaxing trip and a great wind-down for what was going on at the time and what was about to happen.



The night before we left (Wednesday), we found out that the house we were purchasing in just over a week didn't get a high enough appraisal and that scared us because we thought the sellers wouldn't sell for less. What were we going to do? Where were we going to live? How were we going to work things out since we were going to be out of state for the next 5 days? What about the baby?? How were we going to come up with all this extra money that we would now have to apply to the house that we weren't planning for? We worked on answering these questions for the next 4 hours on empty stomachs and with tear filled eyes. Our new home was suddenly out of our grasp unless we figured something out quickly. We finally decided to head home so we could eat and finish packing for the trip. It would work out, we were sure of it.



The next morning, we woke up at 6am, about 30 minutes AFTER we were supposed to be at the airport, finding a parking spot. We were up and out the door in 15 minutes and at the airport by 6:45. We barely missed the check-in time for our flight so we had to book another one. It ended up working out for us though. I called Grace to let her know about our flight "situation" and it meant that she was able to meet us at the airport with Daniel! Hooray! It was seriously good to see them! If you haven't been to visit those guys, DO IT!



Friday morning I missed a call from my mom. This is a huge deal to me because she rarely calls for any reason. At first I was upset that I missed her call, then upon hearing her message tell me that she was in Austin, I was even more upset. She also rarely comes to visit since she doesn't like to travel outside of her comfort zone. When I called her back, I apologized that I was out of town and that she should give me notice that she's coming so I can plan to be there. Unfortunately, she didn't have good news with this call. She informed my that my step-dad's dad passed away the previous morning. All kinds of guilt swelled up in me because I hadn't called him or stopped by to visit even though he and Grammie live just off Mopac and Bee Caves. She said there wasn't going to be a funeral or anything just yet, so I wasn't missing anything "important". I still wish that I had been there, though.

Grace, if you're reading this, sorry we didn't tell you about this while we were there. We didn't want to make the trip about all the crap that just unloaded on us! I hope you understand ;)

Ok, so we get back on Tuesday and all goes well the next day with the closing of our house on Castle View. I'm gonna miss that place but luckily it's only 4 minutes away and we'll get to easily show it to Conner! The purchase of our new house didn't happen when it was scheduled so Cody was called out of town and I got the priviledge of packing a ton of the remaining stuff and begin moving it to the new house that we are renting until we close. Fortunately, a family friend was able to help out some until the guys of Chi Phi and other heavy lifters were able to come out on Sunday when Cody got back. We are so thankful for their time and energy. We also owe them beer! It took until that Wednesday to get completely moved out of the old house (which we rented from the new owner so we could move) and now we get to focus on unpacking while Cody is in town! He has been called out several times, but that is the nature of his job in the spring and fall. Pregnant or not, it's not easy or fun when he's away.

Now, fun baby news! I just had my 34 week check up with the doc and my uterus is measuring at 34 cm. He's staying on track for his estimated due date of Dec. 5th. The other night, I was experiencing a strong Braxton Hicks contraction (a practice contraction) and I could see Conner's outline on my belly! I could practically hold him! That was so freakin' cool. He's still so little! This is my favorite part of the pregnancy!

Right now, that's news that is fit to print and all that I can remember at this point. ;)

10 weeks and 10 days

10 weeks until my due date! No, time has not flown by. I have been too busy to even think about prepping for his arrival, but after next week...

10 days until we officially sell our house and 2 days after that, we officially purchase our next one! But first, we get to visit Grace and Daniel in Virginia!! I've been looking forward to this trip for MONTHS and I can't believe it's actually happening this week.

We are crazy, yes, but we had to get this trip in while we could because I've never traveled on an airplane with a baby before and I thought it would be a nice getaway to see those guys.

To sum up: we're going on a trip, selling our house, buying a new house, moving and then thinking about setting up for Conner within the next 14 days!

I hope these stupid allergies don't get the best of me.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

So I had my 28 week check up with my OB on Friday. I drank the "fruit punch" glucose drink which was pretty gross but not unbearable (thank goodness). It has warnings on the bottle that says it may cause nausea, fainting and diarrhea. PERFECT! Just what a prego lady needs! I talked to the doc about the pelvis pains and she thinks that's just something I'm gonna have to deal with. Some women get kicked in the ribs, I get a baby sitting on my pelvis! Maybe this means when it's time for him to come, it will help me dilate faster? We'll see...

Also, included in this appointment was another doppler check to listen to Conner's heartbeat. He's sounds great! I haven't been worried about that at all because of all of his movements. I received my first Rhogam injection because I am Rh negative. I saw the tube of liquid that the nurse was going to inject into me and decided this was a shot that I didn't want to watch. Cody said the needle was quite big. It didn't hurt, but it did feel like I was being pinched and that the pincher wouldn't let go! Apparently the needle was big because after it was removed, some of the liquid dripped down my arm! It must have left a sizeable hole! When Conner is born, they'll check him for the Rh factor as well. If he's negative, then I won't have to have another shot. I'm hoping he won't be since I found out last weekend that being Rh neg runs in my family.

An hour after I finished my tasty drink, I had a CBC (blood draw) so they could check my glucose levels to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. They also just wanted to make sure that my other levels were fine (like iron). If I don't here from them on Monday, all will be well!

I started with the ugly with this post. The good news is with my weight. Since my last appointment, 3 weeks ago, I gained only 5 pounds! This is a big deal because I've gained a lot of weight each month for each weigh in. The bad news is that I gained 5 pounds. I'm only supposed to gain a pound per week from my last check up until I deliver. Hopefully I'll get on track, though I'm not exactly sure how.

Now I'm going to mention the cute! When I started this post, Conner was positioned on my right side, upper part of my belly. He then wiggled his way to the middle of my left side at about the point when I mentioned the blood draw. Then I mentioned the bad news and he moved over to the right side and now he's spread across my belly because it's moving on either side! This is such a trip!

Good morning, Conner!

Swelling

My feet HURT! The season opener for the Horns was alot of fun and a ton of walking. At the end of the night, I felt like I couldn't walk anymore and struggled to do so. The swelling was so intense. I have a feeling that I'll have to continue to icing them everyday and perhaps buy some shoes that are a larger size. I've gotten away with wearing my Crocs that are flip flops all throughout the pregnancy, but I think it's time to move on up. My toes look like mini sausages!! My feet feel like I'm carrying saddlebags! I'm looking forward to the cooler weather and am hopeful that will help.

87 more days!

Baby news

Conner is all over the place! I am looking/feeling huge at 26 weeks, 5 days. A perfect stranger actually said to me today, "you look like you're ready." I know he didn't mean anything by it and I can see where he comes from. I guess I'm just disappointed by this because it proves that I am in fact BIG! At least Conner has plenty of space to move around in there so he can stretch his legs. He seems to be doing that alot more these days! I love it! It is still the weirdest/coolest feeling ever. He's such a good boy, too. When I feel very upset about whatever, he moves around in my belly and it makes me smile and wonder what he's doing in there and also wonder where I'm going to feel him next. I'll get to continue being curious for the next 3 months!

I did have a dream over the weekend that I went into labor at 26 weeks and Cody took me to a delivery clinic to have the baby. They showed me my bed and I noticed there were 3 others in the same room and they all looked like cots and the room had wood paneling. I grabbed Cody and we left. I was curious in my dream why we didn't go to our hospital (we hadn't seen the rooms yet) because that is where our doctor works. In the end, I wasn't in labor so all worked out.

We went to Ray's lakehouse on Sunday to hang out and enjoy everything. The funniest thing that happened immediately upon our arrival was when I was chatting with Nicole in the kitchen and Brian comes down the stairs and turns the corner to get to the kitchen. He stopped suddenly upon noticing me and said, "Whoa! There's a baby in there!" We all just died laughing! I guess it has been a little while since I've seen him, but I didn't think it was that long!

I think Conner enjoyed his boat ride because I know I did! I was so jealous of everyone wakeboarding/battle tubing/skiing. I'll get to do that again next summer so that's good.

OH! Conner has legs and he likes to show them off! Most babies are in a fetal position where their legs are bent in close to their bodies, but not him. He extended both his legs for the student techinicians a couple weeks ago and it was a sight to see. So far the ultrasound of his legs is my favorite picture. I can't wait to see how long they really are. I'm sure he is making his daddy proud!

2nd busiest person you know

I don't want to say that I'm the busiest person you know, because I'm sure that you know someone busier. Nonetheless, I'll bore you with details of what Cody and I have been up to over the past month.

For 3 weeks we worked on getting our house ready to be listed for sale. We worked during the day and at night we packed, painted, hauled, donated, caulked, cleaned, watched some t.v., went to the lake and caught up with some high school buddies. We listed our house on a Friday evening, visited some long lost family, went to bed to be awakened by a phone call from a buyer's agent asking if they could stop by our house in 10 minutes. 15 minutes later we were out the door and didn't come back until that evening because we kept getting calls from agents wanting to show our house! It was an exciting day! We were hoping to celebrate listing our house by being able to stay in it and take a breather. We really wanted to go to Christina's Master's graduation party, but decided it would be best to stay home. Ultimately, I wish we had gone considering we didn't get to relax anyway.

All that hard work paid off because that Tuesday, just 3 days after people started looking at the house, we got our first offer! The next day, we got two additional offers! Well, we are under contract and negotiations have finished. Whew! Closing date is scheduled for Oct. 6th!

So, now that we have a contract on our house, we have to find a place to live. We didn't start looking until we listed our house as we were thinking it would take much longer (minimum of 3 weeks) to attract a buyer. SO our weekends and a few weekdays have been spent looking at houses. We looked at over 40 houses in Leander, Cedar Park, Austin and Round Rock. We narrowed those down to 5 and just put an offer on one in our neighborhood!

We started childbirthing classes last week and so far they seem to be pretty informative. We got to tour the labor and delivery area and let me tell you, these birthing rooms are pretty sweet. They are large enough to walk around in and have roughly 40 people in there with you! My step mom asked me prior to this visit if we were going to set up bleachers for people who wanted to share the birth with us! I told her no, everyone had to wait outside during delivery. Now, everyone could be in there and not see my "parts" because the room is so big! I'm still going to have them wait outside during delivery.

I wish we could have had more time to spend with friends during the past month. We were certainly going stir crazy for a while there. Luckily we were able to make it out to the lake and see a couple people to "get away". Now we're beginning football season and it seems like we're not slowing down!

I miss you guys!

Just for fun

I just decided to find out what the names Conner and Aiden mean!

Conner: strong willed

Aiden: little fire

Since we came up with these names immediately after we found out that I was pregnant, I think it's appropriate that he already seems to be acting this way. He is already so much like his dad!

So much fun at the H E B!

Hehe, a little Bob Schneider reference.

Ok, so my HEB experience wasn't all that fun. I was hoping this trip to the store would bring rain. I purposefully didn't bring an umbrella even though it was threatening a storm. I think the weather is catching on to my scheme to outwit it. It continues to not rain even though it would be funny if I got "caught" being prepared or if I just washed the car.

This was the first trip in quite some time to the store without Cody. Unfortunately, I had to buy heavy items like 2 gallons of milk, o.j., cat food and soda. This made for an unreasonably long trip to load the cart as well as my car, then unloading it all at the house. I didn't have a particularly pleasant experience at the store with the people there tonight. It didn't seem like people were being courteous by moving out of the way when in the middle of the aisle or creating "road blocks" by stopping their carts immediately next to another cart so no one else can get by. I had one lady just stare at me as I was trying to figure out which way she was going to go toward the sausages. Was she stopping where she was? Was she going to go left/right? I ended up squeezing past her, too!

Then at the register, the cashier lady left her register to go get a bag of sugar for the lady checking out because they were "sistas". I'm not making that up. The customer greeted the cashier with, "Hey, my sista!" Meanwhile, I was trying not to pass out because I just loaded the conveyer with the heavy items I was purchasing and became very obviously hot and had to fan myself with my shopping list. After the customer left and it was my turn, the lady greeted me, scanned my items and bagged them. That was it. I loaded my cart by myself and left.

Aren't they supposed to help you load, too? I thought people were supposed to be nicer to senior citizens, disabled and pregnant women! Maybe I was just expecting too much from my neighborhood HEB. But, one very nice man did offer to take my cart inside for me. I may have thanked him too much.

And then he kicked me...

... or punched me last night. Not a big deal except that we SAW it happen a couple times while we were laying in bed! I was reading Austin Monthly - particularly the articles about the best schools in Austin and the Austin Area, when I began to feel a little bit more pressure in my abdomen than usual that wasn't related to gas.

For some reason, I decided to look to see what was going on and that's when my abdomen quickly stretched outward and then went right back into place.

"OMIGOSH, Cody! Look at this!" Cody had already rolled over to go to sleep but he managed to quickly sit up and give his full attention to the bare spot of my belly that I was pointing to.

"He kicked and I could see it right here." Cody waited for a few seconds and nothing happened. (This seems to be a regular trend when I want Cody to feel Conner moving.) A couple more seconds went by and the same spot moved!

Cody's eyes just lit up and he got to see it once again! That was so neat!

Conner did settle down shortly after showing off for his daddy. I'm glad that he wasn't shy and that Cody got to share that moment with me!

Ugh, pregnancy brain.

Last week I had two appointments in the morning scheduled. One for my chiropractor and the other for my ob/gyn. I typically have my chiro adjustments at 9am M-W-F except for this particular day because my doctor appt. was at that time. Like clockwork I went to my chiro and didn't realize that my other one wasn't at 11am like I thought it was. I was so freaked out about missing this appointment. It was the one where the doc gives me the results from all the measurements taken from the ultrasound. Also, I wanted to discuss with her this weird pain I was having that affected being able to walk/drive/climb steps/stand up.

Luckily, they were able to fit me in on Wednesday. I was happy to find out that Conner is average in growth! His heart was beating a solid 150 bpm! Cody still gets confused by whether or not it's his heart or mine that the doctor is listening to. We told him that if my heart was racing, it should only get up to 100 bmp! The pain I was having is normal for a woman further along in her pregnancy. Basically the bones in my pelvis are softening and adjusting for birth. The doc did a pap just to make sure nothing else is going on around there.

I had my first solo babysitting experience in quite some time on Friday. I got to watch Kari's two kids. They were pretty good for me. Boy do they love being read to! I'm still hoping that Jonah's diaper stayed on after I changed him once he got up from his nap! I haven't heard otherwise, so I think I'm good!

In other news, we went to Dallas this past weekend and met up with Cody's frat brothers for dinner and drinks. They are a crazy bunch! More importantly from this weekend, I went to the Aerosmith/ZZ Top concert with Candace, Christina and Suzanne. We had fabulous lawn seats. It could only have been a more perfect evening if it were a tad cooler even though the temp was completely tolerable. It was so much fun and I'm so glad that Geoff couldn't come with Candace so that I could ;)

Oh, BOY!

At approximately 8:37 this morning, Cody and I witnessed a bold gesture by our baby and that was of HIM not being shy for the "camera"! We've chosen to name this little guy, Conner Aiden McGuire. It's a good Irish name, and it means he will share his dad's initials. We are so happy! What do we do now?

Looking back

1 year ago...

6 months ago...

today!

Happy FIRST anniversary to My Love!

Okay, Okay. I get it.

Regarding the little baby that fits in the palms of my cupped hands - I'll have to admit that it's had me worried.  I've been feeling it all along, mistaking it for GAS!  I think the kiddo's movements have been getting stronger the past couple days so that I can no longer deny what I've been feeling is actually not because of my diet!  Hooray!

Kari was really helpful with this realization when I talked to her yesterday.  I was still kind of skeptical until I realized where the feeling was coming from.  Yes, some of it was food related, but this is definitely (I'm pretty sure of it) not.  I don't feel the sensation of bubbles or butterflies though and that's what I kept waiting for to feel.  For me it's more like... have you ever tried to catch a small fish with your bare hands, and once you caught it, you could feel it moving around in the water that's in your hands and "bumping" into your hands trying to find a way out?  That's basically what this feels like to me.  Another way of thinking about it is like an irregular throb (not a pulsating one) in my lower abdomen that doesn't hurt and kinda moves from one spot to another at any given moment.

I'm hungry, so I'm gonna get some breakfast and see what this kid does when I give it some food!

Grr

I don't want to be at work today. Or tomorrow at that. It's hard to go to work and not be motivated to do anything. Typically I am a self starter, but recently I find it hard to do anything other than what is absolutely necessary. I'm really disliking that about myself right now.

I'm also unhappy with the news media. I'm sad that Michael Jackson died, but there are more important things to discuss than his death/funeral/custody, etc. 24/7. I haven't watched live television in a while so I've been getting my news from the internet or more recently, NPR. Luckily, I can choose NOT to click on anything related to him. I will, however, continue to enjoy his music.

One other thing is that I still haven't felt any recognizable movement from the kiddo. It's frustrating me and that frustration is frustrating Cody and his frustration is frustrating me! Vicious cycle! It will happen soon enough, I'm sure.

Gah.

Superstition

Last night I had my first dream where I was pregnant! In my dream we still didn't know the sex of the baby, but knew that appointment was coming up. Then suddenly I had the baby. It was a healthy baby girl even though she came quite early! I don't remember going to the hospital or anything like that occuring in my dream. We suddenly just had the baby! In my dream I remembered that I wanted to breastfeed and that I hadn't fed her yet. I thought to myself, "how do I do this? I need a lactation consultant!" Then the baby just began to nurse as if it was something she knew how to do all along! While she was nursing, I remembered that we were going to tell everyone what we were having, but instead we got to tell them what we just had! I wonder if this is my first intuition?

While typing this up, "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder came on! I love that funky song and I thought it was kind of fitting.

Also, this song came on, too: "More Today Than Yesterday"
"I love you more today than yesterday, but darlin' not as much as tomorrow!" -Spiral Starecase

I need to listen to Yahoo! Radio more often and tune into the Dallas station K-Luv Classic Hits. It keeps me singing throughout the day!

Fun, fun!

My mom and step-dad came into town for my grandparent's 70th wedding anniversary this week. They married on June 23, 1939. She was 19 and he was 22! They say at that time, Grandpa was considered "old" when he got married! They've done so much in their lifetime. Grandpa retired when he turned 60 and they have enjoyed and lived their retirement life to their fullest! Now, they're in Austin at a senior living apartment. They have new friends and are close to family. They are still so in love with each other, it's amazing!

It was great to hang out with my mom and step-dad. We haven't seen each other since I found out that I am pregnant. Mom enjoyed rubbing my belly and feeling it. I was very happy to let her do that. I don't think she got the opportunity to do so when my sister was pregnant with her kids. She's planning on making some maternity shirts for me to wear! I can tell that she is trying to be as involved as she can since she is 250 miles away.

Stupid me! I forgot to take pictures while they were here. I considered it, but Mom doesn't like to have her picture taken at all. I'm sure she would have since this is a special occasion. I also wish that I had taken pictures of the grandparents. They're so cute!

This weekend is another special weekend for us. Erin and Ryan are getting married on my dad and step-mom's wedding date! I am so happy for them and wish them both the best! This will be a fun, yet busy weekend for us. We'll be seeing many band kids we haven't seen in a while as well as some Chi Phi's. We are certainly going to try to make the most out of this trip to Houston 'cause who knows how often we'll get to head down there!

Baby orange update!

We had another ob/gyn appointment on Friday. Another ultrasound was done, this time on my abdomen! The baby is big enough (roughly the size of an apple or orange) to be seen from the outside! Cody got to hear the heartbeat for the first time and was slightly confused as he thought it was my heartbeat. I'm glad it wasn't because it was going about 140 bpm! Ultimately, he thought that was pretty cool!

I scheduled the quad blood test for this week. All I remember about this test is that it will check to see if I'm at increased risk for a baby with abnormalities. They'll call me within a week with those results. I scheduled my next appointment with the doctor for 5 weeks after this one. I also scheduled the uber fun appointment with the radiologist! July 13th we'll find out if we're having a boy or a girl and to see if we're on schedule for the Dec. 5th due date! I can hardly contain my excitement!

Buecker Family Reunion

Friday, Saturday and Sunday of last week were spent out in Kingsland with many members of my family. We had a ton of fun in the sun (shade for me, thanks) by playing with bubbles, frisbees, water balloons, bugs, FIRE, more bugs and water hoses! 10 of my second cousins, 12 years and younger, were there enjoying their time with each other and more importantly, Cody! They LOVED Cody!! The adults loved that Cody was entertaining all the kids! Needless to say, they all slept well at night ;)

We did go out to Lake LBJ for some tubing behind the boat and some swimming. I love the lake so very much. I took a quick dip in the water at one point, but the rest of the time was spent under the umbrella in the shade. I would have prefered to be in the water more, but that sun was insane! When we got back to my uncle's place, I took a nap and showered while the fajitas started cooking. I re-joined the group just in time to chop some tomatoes and then eat! Later, Cody taught the kids how to make smores. They had so much fun!

Sunday was the day of goodbyes as everyone had to head back home. The kids were not ready to head back, which was sad, but Cody was worn out and the adults were ready to go home. I think even though Cody had fun, he was happy for the break and was ready to go home.

I wish I brought my camera with us because there were many photo opportunities. I hope that my aunts will email some of the pictures out to us. OH- I have two cousins who are pregnant, too! One is due mid-November and the other has the same due date as me! It was fun to actually get to share pregnancy woes and excitement with them. This was their 3rd and 4th pregnancies!

I started thinking that maybe I was beginning to feel the baby orange moving around, but it still may be too early. We think that what I was feeling was gas! Go figure!

C'mon baby!

I'm ready to feel you moving around. Just a little bit is all I ask for!


Even though I've seen pictures of the baby and just last week I heard the heartbeat, it still doesn't feel real. From what I've read, I'm at the stage in my pregnancy (14w2d) where I will begin to start feeling the baby move. If I poke my stomach, I should be able to make the baby move, too. I've been doing alot of poking ;) Maybe I should eat something spicy and see what happens!

I have an appointment this Friday and I think it will entail bloodwork to make sure that I'm still within normal limits with my different levels. I think I'll be ok, so that's good. I think I will have a baby test to see if there are any problems with it. Maybe we'll schedule an appointment with the radiologist to find out the sex! We'll see!

Something fun and good for the world!

On May 20th, 2009, Drew Olanoff was diagnosed with cancer: Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Ever since that day, Drew has blamed everything on his cancer. Losing his keys, misplacing his wallet, Twitter being slow, the Phillies losing, etc.

Why? Because you have to beat up on Cancer to win... and you can help out.

Blame Drew's Cancer for anything and everything you want. Tweet with the hashtag #BlameDrewsCancer and it'll come here ( http://blamedrewscancer.com ) . We'll keep a tally and hopefully when all is said and done and Drew beats Cancer, some nice company or companies will donate a dollar for every unique person who Blames Drew's Cancer to the American Cancer Society and the Make a Wish Foundation.

It's fun to watch the tweets arrive! You can go to the blamedrewscancer website first so you can see how it works.

great walking song

So I was using my brother's ipod as I did my 2 mile walk this morning. When I was half-way done with my last lap, this song came on the player and I thought it had a great walking beat. It does have some explicit lyrics, but some of it is funny. It certainly helped me through the last part of the walk that seemed to never end!

The Bloodhound Gang - "Mope"

Healthy Pregnancy

So today I officially enrolled in a pregnancy study. The idea behind this study is that pregnant women should be a healthy weight when conceiving and that they should gain a healthy amount of weight while pregnant. Luckily I was a healthy weight to start with, but I'm afraid of gaining too much weight.

I hear from moms and soon-to-be moms that I should eat whatever I'm hungry for because that's what my body is craving. I'm also not supposed to worry about my weight. Well I can't help but worry about it. I was worried about it before I got pregnant, because lets face it, I got pretty sedentary and have gained about 15 pounds since not being in school, and I do not want to gain any more than that!

My family history shows that the women in my family gain at least 50 pounds during pregnancy and the doctors say I should gain 25-35 pounds. My family history also shows that I may not lose the excess weight once the baby comes. I am scared to death of this! I know that I need to eat more fruits and veggies, but I don't have a clue how to shop for them and I am tired of the same 'ol bell peppers and carrots and bananas. They taste good, but apparently my tastes in food is picky right now. Luckily the only food aversions I've had so far is toward chinese/japanese/korean foods. I do love Italian and mexican like whoa.

Okay, back to the point. I did some testing this morning at the doctor's office. They took my weight, bp and listened to the baby's heartrate (140bpm!). Then I did a stretch to show them that I am not flexible because I can barely reach past my knees while sitting on the floor, legs extended in front of me! Next I did a little bit of weight lifting which turned out to be tougher than I thought! Last, I did a 2 mile walk (around the block 4 times) at my own pace. That took 36 minutes! Geez, I am so out of shape and could use the help of the pregnancy workout group that meets three times a week for an hour. But alas, I was randomized in the control group. I am not going to Vegas anytime soon, because it was a 50/50 chance of getting randomized into the workout group and apparently I'm just not lucky enough!

The silver lining is that even though I don't get to work out, I do get some free yoga classes to go to later in my pregnancy. That's ok, I'll take that!

Hopefully I'll gain a healthy amount of weight that will be easy enough to lose while staying healthy for the baby. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of this study when it is complete!

My favorite text

This is a text message that I received today at 2:30 from my brother:

"I love you too Chelle. And I'm going to miss you as well."

He just stopped by work on his way to the airport. This will probably be the last time he'll be in Texas until maybe this time next year, if he's lucky. He's reporting for duty in Iwakuni, Japan by May 31st. I am so excited for him and this new adventure.

I can't wait to see him again.

I love you, Bubba!

B O R E D but lot's going on...

At least that's the way it is at work. I do have stuff to do, but if I do it, then I won't have anything else to do. I am beginning to get worried that I won't have a job with the way things are heading with a certain creditor. I am very upset at the owner's ex-husband for ruining the creditable business that was established by not paying his bills and creating businesses and credit lines on our company's good name. Because his bills come here, under our name, we're getting into trouble and it's wreaking havoc on all our morale. What can we do?

AIM conversation

Ok, so this is a copy of a "conversation" between Cody and a friend of his who just found out that Cody is going to be a dad. The name has been changed to protect the friend ;)

Shaun (3:52:28 PM): good news, bad news
Shaun (3:52:31 PM): are you ready for it?
Shaun (3:53:38 PM): the bad news is that for the first three months you wont get more than one hour of sleep at a time, youll be constantly irritable and angry, and youll probably come close to being fired
Shaun (3:54:25 PM): the good news is...around month 3, just when you're loading three bullets into your revolver, and contemplating double murder-suicide.......he/she starts sleeping through the night, and smiling a smile that will melt every part of you
Cody (3:58:28 PM): dude, the ultrasound is already melting me some
Shaun (3:58:39 PM): yeah thats cool and all
Shaun (3:58:48 PM): first three months is like Hotel Hanoi
Shaun (3:59:51 PM): (Chi Phi campout for three months)
Shaun (4:00:37 PM): then they smile my man
Cody (4:03:24 PM): so a lot of pooping and spitting up in random places after eating food that doesn't smell too appetizing and hopefully no sherriffs stop by?

The sherriff thing is in reference to their campout that they have with the pledges. I thought this was cute and wanted to share with y'all!

Thank you all for your warm wishings! It is very appreciated by this super scared/nervous/excited mom-to-be!

I'm pregnant.

There. I've said it and you've read it, so it's actually happening.

Our baby is due December 5th.


YAY!

The new job

In previous posts, I have expressed a great disdain for my old job. I loved the people I worked with (except the one I worked directly with) and the company was great, but the job was just plain stressful and it took way too long to get too and from work. That's why when Ingrid offered me a job at her shop again as her bookkeeper, I accepted the position.

This job is way less stressful, can be fun and an added perk is that I get to wear jeans with tennis shoes to work!

Recently though (the past week) I have gotten pretty stressed out. We just re-opened the business in September with very little inventory and a whole lot of debt. The owner won sole ownership of the golf shop in her divorce, but while she was taking care of their deathly ill child out of state, he wasn't paying the bills. Ugh - it is a sad, sad story.

Anyway, we're working through it all. It has been tough. Stupid creditors keep calling and asking for money. GRR!! ;) These guys I work with are great though. I can't give them enough credit. They worked Monday through Saturday without a day off for 3 months until I got here so they could each have a day off during the week. All their hard work is allowing me to be able to pay these vendors more, which makes us all happy!

What's weird is that even though I'm not personally responsible for these debts, I get a nervous stomache while talking to them. I can't wait to be caught up!

This is definitely a more enjoyable job than my previous one! Yay!

I've been meaning to write

I bet you are thinking this is another post about my brother; who just got back from Iraq; who is now in Austin staying with Cody and I; who just got his new orders last week to go to Iwakuni, Japan; who may start dating the girl of my dreams for him; and who I couldn't be happier for. But I'm not.

Instead I will remember April 1, 2001.  I miss my dad and I hate that date. I wish he could be here.  Some days I don't even think about him, but when I do, I have such strong feelings of sadness that he can't be here to see Chris and what all he has achieved.  I wish he could see Tracy and how her life and her kids are so great!  I wish he could be here for Betsy right now because I know she could really use someone to help her through these trying times with her job.  I selfishly wish that he could be here to know Cody.  I know that they would get along so well and that Daddy would really like knowing Cody's family.

When I think back to 8 years ago, I remember just how sick he was and how glad I was that he was no longer suffering.  Cancer truly sucks.

I would like to thank my friends for being there for me.  I know if it weren't for you being strong for me and supporting me, then I couldn't be the support for my family.  Some of you actually read this blog!  Just know that I am forever thankful for your friendship and am deeply appreciative of your selflessness.

My Bubba

My totally awesome brother is coming home now!  As I am typing this, he is on a plane from Kuwait to the US!  We just found out yesterday and that night, I booked my flight to surprise him in San Diego in 2 days when he finishes with his de-briefing.  I am so thankful that my job is allowing me to miss almost 2 days of work so that I could be there for him when he arrives.  Yay for the new job!

Oh happy day!

My brother called me this morning from Ramadi, Iraq! What a nice surprise! I am completely looking forward to seeing him when he gets home. It's supposed to be mid-March, but we'll see. He is planning on coming to Austin in early April. Then at the end of the month Cody, my little sister and I are going to Phoenix to meet up with my older sister and Chris. Twice in one month! But it doesn't end there! We're having a family reunion in Kingsland again this year but in June so he'll get to come out for 2 more weeks.

I just can't get enough of my Bubba!

the radio

I didn't think the day would come when I would actually be tired of listening to music on the radio.  They play the same stuff over and over.  Right now I don't even want to listen to my cd's because then I'd be doing the same thing as the radio with the exception of the songs being ones that I like.  The weird thing is that while I'm at work, I enjoy listening to the XM station for music from the 60's.  At least that is stuff I haven't heard in a while.

Completely unrelated - Cody and I took the Christmas tree down tonight.  It was finally a night where we were both home, without anything else planned for the evening and actually had the energy to perform this long overdue task.  I must say that the lights on the tree did create a nice ambience that the lamp just can't provide.  That's okay though, 'cause the tree is put away!  Woo-hoo!

Which Sports Car Are You?

I'm an Audi TT!

You're not the fastest, nor the most nimble, but you're cute and you have style. You're not intensely competitive, but when you pass by, everyone turns to look.

Take the http://www.tomorrowland.us/sportscar">Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

You know what? I'm okay with that!

Feeling just a little bit older

My little sister is turning 21 tomorrow (Feb. 2nd).  She's legal to drink now.  Wow.  It actually seemed like forever before she would graduate from high school, now she's old enough to drink AND she's graduating college a whole semester early!  I'm so proud of her.  It must be difficult being the youngest and accomplishing all that she has.

I want to lose it!

I just finished watching The Biggest Loser tonight.  That show moves me to tears every single time I watch it.  These people are amazing!  I need to stop making excuses for myself.  I know that I'm not overweight and that I want to lose a few measly pounds.  But why is this so hard?  

New Year's Resolution

I can't believe that I have forgotten to share what I have resolved to do for the year 2009.  It was actually pretty darn easy for me this year to decide even though I was in Puerto Rico when my mind was clear of anything related to home.

First, I decided to take better care of myself.  That involves:

-drinking less soda.  That is pretty much the only form of liquid I consume and I don't even drink that much in a day.  While on the trip to Puerto Rico for Grace's wedding (and then to Antigua for our honeymoon), I decided that I wasn't going to have any sodas.  It was pretty easy considering I only like to drink Dr Pepper and neither places had some readily available for me to drink.  By the time we got back to Texas, I wasn't in withdrawals or anything.  Sure, I had that special craving for my favorite carbonated concoction, but it wasn't hard to turn down.  So far, it has been 27 days since my last soda!  I did have a strong urge for one earlier tonight for some reason.  It would be so easy to cave considering that there is one ready to be consumed in the door of our refrigerator AND it has a koozie on it!

-losing 15 pounds.  This one is soooo not easy, but I'm hoping it will help that I'm drinking mostly water these days.  I'm also hoping that this next item will help.

-finish a half marathon.  It's baby steps for me.  I walked/ran a 5k in October last year, so I think this will be the next step.

-take my vitamins.  I'm not good at all at taking any kind of pill, let alone multi-vitamins.  So far, I've been doing okay.  I think I've only forgotten to take 4  days total over the past 2 months!  Yay!

Finally,

-take better care of our house.  Cody and I are happier at home when it's clean, so we're going to work harder at cleaning on a regular basis.

I think that is it.  I think I have set some reasonable goals, some easier than others.  By the way, Happy New Year!

dinner for one

So before I left the house this morning, I was prepared enough to get the beef out of the freezer to thaw so that when I got home, I could throw some rice into the rice cooker with a cup of salsa (for spanish rice) and brown some ground beef to mix it all together.  When I got home, I started the rice and put the meat in the pan to start browning.  After all the meat was in the already hot pan, I noticed that the meat was weird looking.  It wasn't odd colors nor had it gone bad.  It turns out that instead of thawing ground beef, I thawed some beef that was meant for chili.  Ugh!  Well, I tried to make the best of the situation by preparing it as I would normally, but honestly.  It was not that good.  The meat is meant for chili!  Boy was it tough!  The rice turned out well though which made me happy!

I did learn my lesson.  Look at the label on the meat package before thawing!

Time to put the "yummy" leftovers in tupperware so I can enjoy again for lunch tomorrow ;)

can't believe it

Our Christmas tree is still up!  It's one of those pre-lit kinds, not a real one (though it would be nice).  The funny thing is that the tree is the only Christmas decoration we put out this year!  Our first Christmas as a married couple and we put up a pre-lit Christmas tree.  Oh, we didn't even decorate it!!!  It looks really pretty at night when it comes on at 5:45 and goes off at midnight!  I guess it's time to take it down.  Maybe I'll surprise Cody with it when he comes back from his work trip!

I hate it when I do this...

I actually love blogging, but unfortunately, it's not my top priority.  I think about what I'm going to say in blog allllll the time, however, I never actually get around to updating it (as you can tell). I bet you're clamoring to know what Cody and I have been up to since my last late post ;)

First of all, I was asked to re-join the Instant Replay Golf staff!  I was offered a full-time job as the store's bookkeeper.  I loved doing that kind of work before, so I was excited to do it again.  It's a fun atmosphere, with work that I enjoyed doing, casual dress, and the hours are 10-6!  The down side is that I would be getting a significant pay cut.  I thought that my sanity would be worth it and so far, I was right!

The two guys I work with are just like the guys I used to work with.  These guys are goofy.  They just love to goof off when there isn't a customer in the store and it's hilarious!  I love being a fly on the wall in there!  I am actually getting things done after figuring things out on my own to solve some problems with programs we use!  Unfortunately, business is kind of slow right now since we were closed for 6 months due to family issues, but word of mouth has helped and people are stopping by again!  Tell your friends to skip Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy and go to Instant Replay Golf!!

Christmas was relaxing.  We stayed here after having such a busy Thanksgiving.  We enjoyed the holiday with Cody's family.  More of Cody's family came into town 2 days after Christmas, so we got together for a nice Chinese dinner at a small place around the corner from mine and Cody's house.  We were afraid they wouldn't be able to accommodate all of us, but they had a secret room that we fit in just fine.  During our meal, we got a call from one of Cody's aunts.  She let us all know in one phone call that his cousin just had her baby!  We saw her on Christmas day and she was looking fantastic.  I hope someday (when it's my turn) that I will look as radiant as she did while she was at the "any day now" stage of the pregnancy!

Ok, that's it for right now.  If I don't post it, it will be another month before the next one!