oh darling, don't you ever grow up don't you ever grow up, just stay this little oh darling, don't you ever grow up don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple

It's now Week 30, only 10 to go! At least, only 10 until the due date, who knows when Baby S. is going to make his debut, lol. In eight days, I have my [hopefully] last ultrasound this pregnancy. My doctor wants this u/s as a follow-up to the anatomy scan that I had in October. Thursday, we find out if Baby S.'s kidneys have done what they're supposed to do. If not, then I'm guessing we either have another u/s or we just wait until he's born?

Christmas was crazy this year. I don't recommend traveling anywhere while 29 weeks pregnant. A long car ride, even with frequent stops, is no fun. Neither is sleeping somewhere other than your own bed. But, seeing our families was nice. So it kind of made up for the uncomfy car trips. :)

Just a short update this week. Either, I'll do another post later this week about Christmas and family visits...or not at all. It all depends on what I can get done around the house.

it came upon a midnight clear that glorious song of old from angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold

I originally posted this on Christmas day in 2008. But I like it and wanted to share it again this year. I hope all of my readers are enjoying their holiday season and having a wonderful time!


Merry Christmas, My Friend
by LCpl James M Schmidt, USMC, 1986

‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone in a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone. I had come down the chimney, with presents to give and to see just who in this home did live. As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see: no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree. No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand. On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land. With medals and badges, awards of all kind, a sobering thought soon came to my mind. For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen. This was the home of a U.S. Marine. I'd heard stories about them, I had to see more, so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door. And there he lay sleeping; silent, alone, curled up on the floor in his one bedroom home. He seemed so gentle, his face so serene, not how I pictured a U.S. Marine. Was this the hero, of whom I’d just read? Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan. I soon understood, this was more than a man. For I realized the families that I saw that night, owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight. Soon around the nation, the children would play and grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day. They all enjoyed freedom each month and all year because of Marines like this one lying here. I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home. Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye. I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice, "Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more. My life is my God, my country, my Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep. I couldn't control it, I continued to weep. I watched him for hours, so silent and still. I noticed he shivered from the cold night's chill. So I took off my jacket, the one made of red and covered this Marine from his toes to his head. Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold. And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride, and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him so quiet in the night, this guardian of honor so willing to fight. But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure, said "Carry on, Santa, it's Christmas Day, all secure."

One look at my watch and I knew he was right, Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.

'cause I gotta tell the world what you mean to me wrap you up in a melody so you'll be stuck in my head all day 'cause you're already there anyway, yes you are

Yay! We've made it to Week 29! At least, according to the EDD I got at my first appointment back in July, it's Week 29. Who knows how much longer March 07, 2012 is going to be my due date?

At my last appointment on December 15^th, my doctor measured my fundal height for the first time and it was approximately 13". Doesn't sound so bad when it's in inches, does it? On average, women measure at 1cm for each week of pregnancy. Thirteen inches converts to 33.02cm. This means at 28 weeks, 1 day, I was measuring about the same size as the average woman who is 33 weeks pregnant! If I keep measuring that far ahead, she will order an ultrasound to verify my due date and check his growth. When my doctor showed me the tape measure and said something about being large, I was tired enough that it went right over my head. I asked her, "Wasn't he measuring ahead at the ultrasound?"
To which she responded, "Not that big."
I didn't even catch it, lol. I was just like, oh, okay. My fiancé caught it, but didn't say anything because he knew I was cranky, hungry and wanted to go home. He just let it be until later in the day when it dawned on me that 13" is more than 30cm (I was doing the rough estimate using m knowledge that 12" ruler has 30cm on the other side). I guess, because my doctor was so nonchalant about the measurement, that it didn't occur to me to freak out, lol.

My last appointment was the one-hour glucose tolerance test. I never got a phone call about my results, so I took that as meaning a I passed. My doctor has said, that if we don't call you about test results, take that to mean good news. I was told that I'd be notified within two business days if my results were abnormal. So Monday, the 19^th, when the clock hit 6:00p, I did a little happy dance, lol. My nurse all but forced me to drink the nasty sugary solution. My appointment got rescheduled due to my doctor's schedule conflict. So my appointment was too late in the day to drink the solution. You have to have your blood drawn exactly one hour later for accurate results. One hour after I arrived would have been right in the middle of the lab's lunch hour. So my sullen child attitude had my nurse worried that I was going to refuse the test and she got one of the phlebotomists to bring up a drink and they had me drink it at 12:00p. Five minutes to drink the nastiest drink ever. I didn't have a choice, I was given the orange flavor. It tasted like pure sugar. Well, okay, orange flavored pure sugar. I hate anything that's really sweet. It made me nauseous, and I kind of think that if I hadn't been so determined to keep it down, I would have thrown up from it. You're given five minutes to get the whole drink down, and I took three minutes. I wanted to stop after the smell hit my nose (so before the first gulp, lol). It reminded me of Tang; I don't like Tang.

Because of the holidays, my next appointment is three weeks after the last. The next one will be two weeks later, though. It's getting so close to the day I get to meet my little one!! Both my fiancé and I are excited to meet him. We're both also hoping that my due date is wrong, he's not a giant baby and there's nothing wrong with him.

Christmas is in a few days. I won't be posting again until next week, when I post the weekly pregnancy update. I have lots of family stuff to do and a few last minute things to get ready for the holidays. I do have a Christmas post scheduled on Christmas day, so if you're interested in reading it, please come back and check it out! Otherwise, happy holidays!!

well this heart of mine has been hardened like a stone it might take some time to get back what is gone but I'm movin' on and you don't haunt my dreams like you did before oh when I would curse your name

My fiancé asked me to post a link on my blog. It's for a cash for surveys site:
http://www.cashcrate.com/3363559
The site is CashCrate. Basically, for any person to click on the link and sign up, he gets a referral bonus. If you do choose to sign up, it will ask you for your first and last name and your mailing address.

I signed up because he asked me to. Plus, I'm home all day and frequently bored. I figured, making a dollar a day wasn't a complete waste of time. I only click on the Videos tab because it will minimize the unwanted emails. I guess if you have a disposable email address for the sole purpose of using CashCrate, then the offers aren't horrible. I'm posting a screenshot so you have a better idea of what I'm talking about. Right-click on the image to view in another tab to enlarge it.

I joined on December 14^th, so you can see that it definitely takes time to build up money. But I guess if you're someone who only relies on CashCrate for an income and spend a lot of time doing the offers, surveys, etc. it might not take as long to reach the $20 minimum before they send you a check. And at the very least, you get $0.03 each day just for checking in and viewing an offer. You don't have to complete the offer for the daily $0.03 bonus.

*shrug* Like I said, it's something to do when I get bored and cleaning the house is already done.

oh, I don't wanna spend my life jaded waiting to wake up one day and find that I've let all these years go by wasted

It's the start of Week 28. Which means no matter how you choose to look at it, I am without a doubt in the third and final trimester now. :) I know that I said last week was the start, but that's when I considered it started. My doctor doesn't consider it started until this week, week 28.

Last week I mentioned that my one hour glucose tolerance test is this week, it's tomorrow. Hopefully I pass! I was told that within two days, I would be notified if there was a problem, but I don't know if two days means by Monday, or by Saturday. I plan on asking that tomorrow when I go in. Still not looking forward to the stupid test at all. The drink sounds nasty. The nurse for my doctor described it as a really sugary, really flat soda. Blech!!

My fiancé is really getting excited about the baby we're going to have soon. It's cute. ♥ In the past week, he's decided that our son-to-be is his little monkey and needs a monkey themed room. Which so far is the bathroom in the second bedroom. We have a monkey face bath rug, monkey toothbrush holder, monkey soap dispenser and monkey towels. He plans on getting the trash can, tumbler, shower curtain and shower hooks to match. I'm not sure if he plans on getting anymore towels or if one hand towel and one bath towel is enough. I just realized that the blue paint we picked out for Baby S.'s nursery is super close to the blue of the monkey towels! When we picked paint, there was no thought of a monkey theme anywhere, lol.

Oh, and last night we went into Walmart for coffee creamer and milk. We came out with a large stuffed monkey, lol. Don't worry, we also got the coffee creamer (two flavors), a gallon of milk and 5-piece bakeware set. I needed a bread/loaf pan so I can make banana bread. And even though we did not buy a super, high quality pan, it doesn't bother me. I plan on using it once every few months or so, I didn't need the best available. I just wanted something not aluminum foil with a clear plastic lid, lol.

I think from now on, I'll be referring to Baby S. as Baby Pages. His initials are P.G.S. and pgs. is the abbreviation for pages. We didn't do it on purpose, it just worked out that way. So when I think about him, I think of his as Baby Pages.

but Mama I'm in love with a criminal and this type of love isn't rational, it's physical Mama please don't cry, I will be alright all reason aside I just can't deny, I love the guy

Woo! Made it to the third trimester! Week 27 starts today, is also the start of the third trimester and means there are exactly three months left until the due date! Next week I have another appointment. This time I'll have the one-hour glucose tolerance test, I hope that I don't have gestational diabetes. This appointment was three weeks after the last one, but starting with my next prenatal appointment, it switches to every two weeks. And then I'm guessing, starting with Week 36 my appointments will switch to every week until Baby S. is born.

On Friday (12/02), my fiancé and I went on our monthly grocery shopping trip. My budget for the month is $200, but I try to keep the big trip on the first or second of the month to under $175 so that there is some money left over for little things that we might need later. Like milk - we go through so much milk. I'll be happy when I'm no longer pregnant and my lactose intolerance comes back, lol. And yay me! I kept it under $140 and that was with buying stuff that was not on the original grocery list, lol. But anyway, we went grocery shopping on Friday and in Walmart, my fiancé was standing behind me and placed his hands on my belly while I waited for some people to go by so that I could push the cart into the aisle I wanted, and a guy about the age of my parents walked by and said, "it's a boy!" We laughed, because it was kind of funny since he was right. And then at Giant Eagle a little later in the day, the girl doing the wine samples offered me one. Umm, hello? I definitely look pregnant now, no longer fat. I just politely told her, "no thank you." It's possible that when my coat is zipped up, as it was when she asked about a sample, I just look chubby. So I brushed off her silly offer. :)

Then on Saturday (12/03), we got together with some friends. And I got to play with their little boy. He's 18 months old and adorable!! After he went to bed, the adults played Carnival Games for the Kinect. It was fun, even if I didn't actually play. But the boys had fun. The weekend before, we'd all played Mario Party 8 on the Wii. Apparently, it's going to video game night every weekend, lol.

Last week, I mentioned the belly shots. I think I'm going to wait until the end and make a slideshow of the progression. But if you're really interested in seeing the growth of my belly, you can always check out the photos on facebook. Those are bi-weekly shots starting with week 20.

if you go hard you gotta get on the floor if you're a party freak then step on the floor if you're an animal then tear up the floor

It's the start of Week 26. Time is flying by - as long as I only think about what week I am in, not how much time is left until March.

Tomorrow is the first of the month, so that means grocery shopping for the month. I hate grocery shopping, and I'm starting to hate it even more while pregnant. I'm slow moving and too much walking around hurts my stomach. Of course, once I stop moving and take a break the pain pretty much goes away. So for that reason, I guess I can't complain too much. Because I don't want to have to grocery shop more than once, our meals for the entire month are planned out before I go grocery shopping. I only buy what we need to make those meals (and work lunches for my fiancé). If there's still money left in the budget after that, we get the snack stuff. And so that I don't get bored and want to go out to eat all the time, I try to make a variety of meals that includes both staples that I know we like and a 3-4 new meals that we haven't tried before. Plus, a lot of times, I end up making a meal that is way too big for us, but I can then portion it into another meal (or two) that can be frozen for up to three months. That means one less day to cook in the future!

::sigh:: The preceding paragraph makes me feel like someone's mom, lol. Not the 20something I am. Oh, well...I guess technically, I'm already someone's mom and being budget friendly isn't the worst thing in the world.

Last week, for Thanksgiving, we went to visit my family in Michigan. Also, because it was decided that we should cut costs and go down to one vehicle, we "gave" my car to my 16 year old brother. He does have to pay for it, but not too much because before too long he's going to need to replace the tires with new ones. But it has brand new brakes on it and my fiancé did an oil change recently, too. So it's not like we took it up to MI for him in crappy condition. Clean, maintained and in pretty decent (maybe even good) working order. I don't actually know about the working condition of my Cavalier because I haven't driven it since October 15^th. I drove the S10 to MI for our Thanksgiving visit. Let me just say, I still hate driving anything bigger than a small car, lol.

And sorry, there still isn't a baby bump picture this week. While we have taken the pictures each week, they're still not on my computer, so I can't upload them. Maybe once they're on my computer, I'll make a post that includes the missing weeks. Or maybe side-by-side progression from Week 14 to whatever week I'm in when I get around to that post, lol.

now I'm in the fast lane going 98 by now I know she can smooth operate me I know now she's no goody two shoes but hey I got myself nothin' to lose

Day 30: Best song you've been introduced to on this challenge
I haven't been introduced to any new [to me] songs on this challenge. So...I'm just going to pick a song I like. It's currently the one playing on Pandora. :)

well you know everything's gonna be a breeze that the end will no doubt justify the means you could fix any problem at the slightest ease yes, please...

Day 29: Favourite TV theme song.
The Wizards of Waverly Place theme song is catchy and I like it. And y'know, I'm a dork and like the tv show, too. :)

I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world life in plastic, it's fantastic!

Day 28: A song that can be thought of as cheesy
Umm...no clue. Isn't that a very subjective adjective? Anyway, my choice is...

Guess this means you're sorry You're standing at my door Guess this means you take back All you said before Like how much you wanted Anyone but me Said you'd never come back But here you are again

Day 27: A song you play when getting ready for work
Umm...I'm an unemployed mother-to-be. I don't get ready for work and haven't in six months at this time (I'm counting getting ready for school). But usually there was no specific song, just whatever was on the radio as I was getting ready.

but you gave away the things you loved and one of them was me I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee clouds in my coffee, and...

Day 26: A song your parents played when you were a kid that you liked
I don't really remember anything specific that my parents played because I have very similar tastes in music to my mother, so she's almost always had a radio station playing that I would pick out as well (plus, the rule in her car was that the kid in the front seat got to pick the radio station). My dad, the same thing, I have very similar musical tastes to him. So...that really only leaves my step parents. My stepdad, while I think he plays "old man" music, I like a lot of the stuff played on his favorite radio station (one of the classic rock stations). My [former] stepmom would mostly play crap that I don't like. ::shrug:: So...I guess she's my best option for this challenge. I'll go with this song...

it's been a long time since I rock and rolled, it's been a long time since I did the stroll ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back, let me get it back, baby, where I come from

Day 25: Song from an artist/band you'd like to turn your kids on to
Woo! I'm actually going to have a kid to fulfill this challenge, lol. But honestly, I have no idea what kind of music I want my son to like. I just know, I don't want him to like something too horrendous. I can tolerate a lot of different music, but some I just can't. So...I think a band that I want him to like is...

I can make your bed rock I can make your bed rock girl Kane is in the building nigga I can make your bed rock I can make your bed rock

Day 24: Memorable song from a vacation
Well...I guess it's a good thing that the only vacations that are coming to mind are ones that I went on with my fiancé. Too bad I can't remember any of the music listened to, just the fun. Oh! Wait, I just remembered a song. I don't like this song, but I don't dislike it either. I just remember us finding it funny that the radio stations in Northern Michigan were playing the song with how heavily they edited it, lol.

don’t ever laugh when a hearse goes by you just might be the next to die they’ll wrap you in a big white sheet from your head down to your feet

Day 23: Great song for a Halloween party
Okay, so this challenge day is a little late seeing how Halloween was nearly a month ago. But I couldn't stand to listen to Christmas music (challenge days 15 and 16) before Halloween. It's bad enough that stores, radio, etc. feel the need to play Christmas music starting November 1^st.
But anyway, best Halloween song is this one. Creepy, yet campy.

I can't take it, take it, take no more never felt like, felt like this before come on get me, get me on the floor DJ what you, what you waiting for?

Not much has changed since Week 24, but it's now Week 25. I had my monthly prenatal check-up yesterday and tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

At yesterday's appointment, we heard Baby S.'s heartbeat. It sounded like normal. I learned that in three weeks I will have my glucose tolerance test. Here's hoping I pass it! And then after that, every two weeks. Depending on when that appointment is scheduled, we will get to see our baby on the ultrasound just before 2011 ends or just after 2012 begins. :)

A couple of days ago, our cat Socks ran into the laundry room (he's not supposed to be in there) and I swear that kitten knows that I'm not able to bend down as well to pick him up. He ran into the corner, between the wall and the washer, behind the broom and crouched as low to the ground as he could. I was like, 'really? you little turd.' Lol, but of course, as soon as I picked him up, he started purring. The only reason he's no longer allowed in the laundry room is that he likes to bunch up the rug and make it all but impossible to open the garage door. So for our safety when trying to come back in the house, he's no longer allowed in there.

and I'm gonna keep on lovin' you 'cause it's the only thing I wanna do I don't wanna sleep I just wanna keep on lovin' you

Day 22: Favourite song from a movie
Hmm...I have quite a few soundtracks, but when I think of movie songs my mind automatically goes to Disney movies, lol. But after thinking about this for a few minutes, I realized that my favorite movie song is probably from the the movie Drive Me Crazy (1999). While it's not my favorite song from the group, it is a song I like a lot. Or at least, it's my favorite at the moment. :)

well I'm going home, back to the place where I belong, and where your love has always been enough for me I'm not running from

Just having a little bit of homesickness and using humor to get over it. One of my facebook friends posted this and it made me laugh. :)

Michigan, according to Jeff Foxworthy:

.:. If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't even work there, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you've worn shorts and a jacket at the same time, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If "vacation" means going anywhere North of Grand Rapids for the weekend, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both doors unlocked, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If the speed limit on the highway is 70 mph -you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you find 10 degrees "a little chilly", you may live in Michigan.
.:. If you actually understand these jokes, repost this so all of your Michigan friends and others can see, you definitely do live - or have lived - in Michigan

not long ago you found the answers were so crystal clear within a day you find yourself living in constant fear can you look at yourself now can you look at yourself you can't win this fight

Day 21: Favourite song from a genre you don't usually listen to
Most often, I listen to Pop (e.g., Britney Spears, Katy Perry, etc.) and Country (e.g., Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum, etc.). So even though I like other genres equally well, I listen to the Britney Spears and Carrie Underwood stations on my Pandora account the most often. I'm using that as an excuse choose my favorite Rock song. :)

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it this brokenness inside me might start healing out here it's like I'm someone else, I thought that maybe I could find myself if I could just come in I swear I'll leave won't take nothing but a memory from the house that built me

Day 20: A song that perfectly matches the video
I don't really watch music videos. So this is hard one. I had to think about it and watch a lot of music videos. Took me a couple days to complete this challenge day (yes, that means most posts were done long before the date posted). After spending almost an hour the second day, I finally gave up and just went with a video that followed the lyrics pretty well.

that I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up 4 wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seats... I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights, slashed a hole in all 4 tires...

Day 19: Your favourite karaoke song
Hahaha!! I can almost guarantee that I will never get up and sing karaoke (remember this post from song challenge #2). But...if I did, I'd have to pick something easy and that I knew the words to. Because it's a sure bet that I am beyond drunk if I agreed to karaoke. :)

This go around, I will pick this easy song...

we got too complicated it's all way over-rated I like the old and out-dated way of life

Day 18: A song that reminds you of a happy occasion.
Hmm...after some thought, I decided to use a song that I don't actually like. But I can remember it being a song my friend really liked and it's from when I hung out with my friends the most. And that was a very happy time in my life. :)

I wanted love, I needed love, most of all, most of all someone said true love was dead and I'm bound to fall, bound to fall for you but what can I do?

Day 17: A song from a band that was recommended to you this year.
I'm cheating for this post. I asked people on facebook to leave me a comment recommending a band. I got a few interesting responses and decided that The Black Keys were the best choice. They sounded the best.

there he is my little man I'm sure he'll get in trouble every now and then and I pray to God that when he does I'll be just as understanding as my father was 'cause the last thing that I want to do is let him down so instead of being angry I'm gonna throw my arms around him and I'll say

Yay!! Next big pregnancy milestone has been met! Today is the start of Week 24, which means that Baby S. is now considered viable. Thankfully, the hospital that I'm supposed to deliver at has a Level III NICU, so if something happens and Baby S. decides to come too early, he'll have the best chance. :) Only 112 days until March 7, 2012.

In less than a week, I have my next prenatal check up. I hope to get some answers to questions I keep forgetting to ask. But I started writing them down, so hopefully, I remember to take my notebook with me, lol. More than likely I will have a glucose test scheduled to test for gestational diabetes. There aren't really any telltale symptoms, so I'm hoping that I pass the darn test! I'm having a hard enough time with the restrictions I already have, I don't want the added restrictions of GD. If I'm lucky, I'll have my next ultrasound scheduled at my next appointment, too. Since that will be just about 29 Weeks and my doctor wants to do a follow-up u/s around 30 Weeks. My hope is that she'll do it prior to 30 Weeks as opposed to after. But oh, well. Either way, just before Christmas or just after New Year's, I'll be having another u/s to check out Baby S.'s kidneys. Just to make sure they're un-dilating on their own instead of being a problem for him after he's born.

I'm supposed to be drinking a ridiculous amount of water every day. Whether it's allowed or not, I count my little glass of orange juice and my medium glass of milk each day in my water intake. If I didn't count those, too, I'd be doing even worse than I already am. I barely reach the halfway point each day. I'm just not thirsty enough to down the massive amounts of water. When I'm on the ground floor, I keep a water glass on the counter and force myself to take a drink every time I go in the kitchen (or near the kitchen). And then I have a water bottle next to my bed (that takes about a week to empty, and it's only 16 ounces). And when I come upstairs to play on my computer, I bring my water glass with me. That's the time that I can usually drink the most water. I absentmindedly drink it. But honestly, I hate having to drink all this water!! Not because it means I have to pee more - I don't - it just means that I pee more than a trickle. I really think Baby S. is pressing on my bladder all day, because I don't have a UTI. But because my stomach then feels full of liquid and I feel even more squished than I already do. I'm not a very tall person, so there really isn't much room for my organs to be moved around and there really isn't much room for Baby S. He can only go out, so I look farther along than a taller woman would at the same point. And my organs can only go up and back. :(

Since finding out that I'm pregnant, I joined a couple of online parenting communities. Specifically their March 2012 Birth boards. Since joining and seeing the craziness of people, I realized that I have a crap ton less sympathy/empathy than I thought I did. Maybe I just haven't encountered the "right" people, but on quite a few topics, I can't see the other view at all. I've tried and I just get annoyed with the people. And since I want to offend people as little as possible, I refuse to say what those topics are.

chestnuts roasting on an open fire Jack Frost nipping on your nose Yuletide carols being sung by a choir and folks dressed up like Eskimos

Day 16: A Christmas song you can't stand.
There isn't really any Christmas song that I can think of that I cannot stand. Just the overload in general that bothers me. (See yesterday's post.)

I'll be home for Christmas you can count on me please have snow and mistletoe and presents under the tree Christmas Eve will find me where the love light gleams I'll be home for Christmas if only in my dreams

Day 15: Favourite Christmas song.
I'm not a fan of Christmas music. Not really anyway. I like it a little on the day after [U.S.] Thanksgiving and then it's okay on Christmas eve and Christmas day. But the constant stream of Christmas music in stores starting around November 1^st drives me insane and makes me kind of a Grinch. That being said, I think my favorite Christmas song is "I'll Be Home for Christmas" because it's one of the few that I have yet to hear a version of it that I don't like.

been so long that you'd forget the way I used to kiss your neck remind me, remind me so on fire so in love way back when we couldn't get enough remind me, remind me

Day 14: Great make out song.
What am I? 13? Lol, umm...yeah... Haha, I'll just pick whatever song was last playing during cuddle time before falling asleep. There's usually some kissing involved in that. :)

some people aren't lucky like us some people they just give up when the hard times fall the thrill of it all is gone

Day 13: Song from an album you used to hate, but now like.
Hmm...there aren't really any songs that I can think of that fit this challenge. If I hate an album, I don't usually change and like it later. There's a reason, I buy very few albums. I don't want to waste my money on something I don't like. But...there are a few that I don't like a lot, but like a song from. So I'll use one of those.

no pido que todos los días sean de sol no pido que todos los viernes sean de fiesta tampoco te pido que vuelvas rogando perdón si lloras con los ojos secos y hablando de ella

Day 12: Favourite song in a foreign language.
I ♥ Shakira. This song is one of my favorites by her. My favorite songs by her is sung in English, which is not a foreign language to me since it's my first language. And I guess technically, Spanish isn't a foreign language either as I spent three years taking classes in it and could probably become fluent quickly if I was practicing more. But anyway...

I-I-I wanna g-o-o-o-o all the way taking out my freak tonight I-I-I wanna sho-o-o-o-ow all the dirt I got running through my mind whoa

Day 11: A song to play when getting ready for a night out.
Umm...I guess a fun, happy song is a good one. Right now, I don't really have any routine to getting ready for a night out. Maybe once going out at night is a rarity that requires a babysitter, I will have a better idea.

Man, this 30 Day Challenge is harder than I expected when I chose it. Guess, this means, from now on, I read the days a little better before starting it, lol.

if I die young, bury me in satin lay me down on a bed of roses sink me in the river at dawn send me away with the words of a love song the sharp knife of a short life, well I've had just enough time

Day 10: A song from a band you've recently been introduced to.
I haven't been recently introduced to any bands. Not unless a song that's been on the radio less than a year counts. And I'm not even sure if been less than a year, it might be longer. I don't really listen to the radio, I either listen to my MP3s on my computer or listen to Pandora radio.

this is my temporary home, it's not where I belong windows and rooms that I'm passing through this is just a stop on the way to where I'm going I'm not afraid because I know this is my temporary home

This cartoon pretty much sums up how I feel right now.

I don't actually have any "fat" pants, but still. The only pants that I have that could fall into that category aren't fitting well; and I cannot wear my regular pants. Not as is. And not with a BeBand. But the two pairs of maternity jeans that I have are still slightly too big. Which is a good thing, because it means that more than likely they will continue to fit me as my pregnancy progresses. But still...I'm over this awkward stage in clothing. :P

it's hard to feel the rush, to brush the dangerous I'm gonna run right to, to the edge with you where we can both fall far in love

Day 9: A song you listened to over and over after hearing it for the first time.
Umm...pretty much any song that I like a lot, lol. But the most recent would probably be Lady Gaga.

all the right friends in all the right places so yeah, we're going down they've got all the right moves in all the right faces so yeah, we're going down

::sigh:: For the first time this pregnancy, I called my OB's office about something going on and was told to go to Labor and Delivery if it didn't get any better or got worse. Well...about two and a half hours after they had called me back with my doctor's suggestion, my pain wasn't worse, but it wasn't any better and I had some new sensations to it. Since the combination of those things stressed me to the point of crying over the pain (because, yes, it did hurt me that badly), my wonderful fiancé took me to my hospital's L&D department and sat in the boring hospital with me.

Turns out, I was overreacting. The best guess of the certified nurse midwife on call was that it's round ligament pain. Really? I got worried about a perfectly normal pregnancy symptom for my first doctor call? ::sigh:: That's why I feel like I overreacted. Well, that in combination with the fact that I think I only had two ER visits as a child. I had to be really badly off for my parents to make a special trip, lol. And with the way my worrisome nature is going during this pregnancy, I'm so going to triple that count by the time March gets here.

Unfortunately, unless I can become super active, it's likely to continue and/or get worse. Well...when I walk around too much, the sciatica on my left side flares up. It's bad enough that as opposed to the every 3-5 months it would happen before getting pregnant has turned into every 2-4 weeks while pregnant. I don't need to agitate it more by getting super active. I'm trying to move around the house more and stretch out. I know that I need to start working out with the prenatal yoga DVD so that my body feels less tight. If I can get motivated, then that is my goal for tomorrow: do some prenatal yoga and balance games in WiiFit Plus.

I was slightly annoyed with the CNM because I can't sit up too quickly without excruciating pain right now (it's one of those sciatica days) and she put the bed up so quickly that I had tears in my eyes from the back pain and then of course, couldn't move very well for the next few minutes. And this was after telling her already that lying flat on my back hurts a lot due to the nerve pain. The L&D nurse though was very nice about it. She tried to be gentle and slow so that it was the least amount of discomfort. But unfortunately, you have to lie flat on your back for them to put a fetal monitor on your stomach. Baby S. kept kicking where the monitor was strapped around me. :) It was funny, because every time the fetal monitor gets moved it makes an annoying staticky noise and he kept making it happen.

But, there are two positives to the unnecessary L&D trip this afternoon. First, in the last two weeks, I have only gained .4 lbs - which means a few things: Baby S has slowed down his rate of growth (or I lost weight and he's still growing like a weed); and I still haven't broken that evil number yet. And second, I now know where L&D is and might not have to schedule a hospital tour after all.

summer has come and passed the innocent can never last wake me up when September ends

Day 8: A great chill-out song after a night out.
Anything calm is a good song...so I think I'll have to pick...

she's a dwelling place for demons she's a cage for every unclean spirit, every filthy bird and makes us drink the poisoned wine to fornicating with our kings fallen now is Babylon the Great

Day 7: A great driving song.
Hmm...I think this might require me to drive more often than I do, lol. But...on the drive from Detroit to Columbus, I liked listening to some songs better than others. So I'll choose one of those songs. :)

I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons finally content with a past I regret I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness for once I'm at peace with myself I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long I'm movin' on

It's a sad day. I finally changed my profile picture from my sweet kitten to me. She was the best little kitty ever, so cuddly and lovable. Unfortunately, in January 2011, we had to put her down because of complications from feline leukemia. :'( I cried. And we only had her for a few months, too. I was too attached to that little kitty.

But this August, we adopted two new kittens. One of which, we swear is Fluffy reincarnated. :) Our male kitten, Socks, is like her in so many ways, it's the most awesome thing ever. What's even more awesome is the fact that we didn't choose him, he just showed up in our garage one day and wanted to stay. :D

And...one last thing. Come be my friend or subscribe to my posts on facebook! Sorry, I know, it's a shameless plug. :)

'cause I'm just a girl I'd rather not be 'cause they won't let me drive late at night I'm just a girl, guess I'm some kind of freak 'cause they all sit and stare with their eyes

Day 6: The anthem of your misspent adolescence.
Yeah...my adolescence wasn't misspent. So...I'm just picking an angsty song from that time frame, lol.

and it didn't take 'em long to decide that Earl had to die goodbye Earl those black-eyed peas they tasted all right to me Earl

Day 5: A song you hate from a band you really like.
This is a hard one because there aren't really any songs that I can't stand to listen to from bands that I like. It's more like, I have the occasional song I like from a band I hate. So...I'm just going to pick a song that I don't like as much as others. :)

meet me in outerspace we could spend the night, watch the earth come up I've grown tired of that place, won't you come with me we could start again

Day 4: A memorable song from a high school dance.
This is probably the only song that I remember from a high school dance. My friend had asked me to dance, but the next song the DJ chose to play was so not dance material, lol. I remember the Incubus song, but not what he changed it to.

you are my sunshine, my only sunshine you make me happy when skies are gray you'll never know dear, how much I love you please don't take my sunshine away

Day 3: A memorable song from elementary school
As far as charted music goes, there really isn't anything that stands out for me. But I do remember my kindergarten teacher calling us her "Sunshine kids" and singing "You Are my Sunshine" to us.

something isn't right I can feel it again, feel it again this isn't the first time that you left me waiting

Day 2: A song from the best concert you've been to
The best concert I've been to was a Good Charlotte concert. Yeah, yeah, I know, lame. But what made it the best was that I was being the "nice" older sister and taking my youngest brother to a concert for his favorite band at the time (he was in eight years old and in 2^nd grade). But anyway, there was someone smoking pot in the crowd and he tells me, "it smells like cotton candy." Lol, there was no mistaking the smell for cotton candy and even though I'd never been around someone smoking pot before, I knew it was pot and not cotton candy. (C'mon, I was 19 years old and had been near enough people who smoked, just after the drugs were gone, but the smell lingered. Just like cigarette smoke - the smell lingers on the one lighting up even after the cigarette is gone.)

laid back swervin' like I'm George Jones smoke rollin' out the window an ice cold beer sittin' in the console memory lane up in the headlights it's got me reminiscing on them good times I'm turning off of real life drivin' that's right I'm hittin' easy street on mud tires

Time for round three of the 30 Day Song Challenge. And I just know how much you've all been looking forward to this. :P

Day 1: Your favourite song right now.
See? This is an easy favorite song challenge, it specifically asks for "right now."

if I could, then I would I'll go wherever you will go way up high or down low I'll go wherever you will go

It's Wednesday, you know what that means: weekly update! Baby S. is now at gestational age, 21 Weeks. And we found out on Monday that he is a boy and measuring large for his age. He's in the 65^th percentile for weight. Maybe for height, too, but I don't remember the ultrasound tech saying anything about how long he measured. Oops.

The ticker isn't completely accurate since at 20w5d, Baby S. was measuring at 16oz. I keep telling him to slow down on his growth and be a little baby, lol. Sorry, no baby bump picture this week. Disappointing, I know... ;)

The awesome neighbors we have are moving this weekend. :( I'm hoping that we can continue to be friends with them. They are really nice and have the cutest little boy! Without them, we'd actually be needing so much more baby stuff. They've been so generous and given us so many things. I still think we need to something nice for them - I don't feel like the OSU football tickets were enough.

Again, I'm grateful for the baby growing inside me. But I hate being pregnant! I've never experienced heartburn before in my life! For the last few weeks, I've been having it on occasion. The first time, I was whining and complaining to my fiancé about the pain in my chest. And he laughed at me and told me it was heartburn. :( Well, how was I supposed to know?!? I'd managed to go 26 years of my life without having that experience before! If I never get heartburn again (once this pregnancy is over), I will be so happy!

if you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea I'll sail the world to find you if you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see I'll be the light to guide you

Today was the anatomy scan and we got to find out the sex of the baby, too. We're going to have a boy! It's exciting, but hasn't raised my excitement level like a girl would have. But to be honest, I was expecting to be told "boy" because I wanted to hear "girl" so badly. It's not that I had a strong feeling either way, I didn't.

As I mentioned already, today was a the big 20 week ultrasound. We heard Baby S.'s heartbeat. It keeps getting just a tiny bit slower than the previous HR. But still well within normal and healthy. But as he gets bigger, it should slow down. Still sounds like galloping horses though. :) We got seven stills from the u/s. That's very cool because this time around, he actually looks like a human being to me instead of a weird, parasitic lump in my uterus (my thoughts of earlier u/s like my 7w5d one). Being that the u/s was to check the anatomy of my developing fetus, I was paying attention as the tech did her job so I could kind of see what was going on. I caught the labels: cerebellum, stomach, RT kidney, LT kidney, [something to do with umbilical cord flow] and boy. Except for "boy," I was very happy to see those. It means the body parts that should be there, are there and he's healthy. The "boy" label was just fun. But...we did get some slightly bad news: his kidneys are dilated. Now for the upside of that news: kidney dilation is super common in boys and most babies outgrow it by birth. My doctor isn't worried, just wants to do another u/s in about 10 weeks to check up on him and make sure he's still healthy. So...yet another chance to "see" our baby before he is born and more importantly, I'm not worried.

So...I eat a lot. Like, a lot a lot, lol. So I feel very huge. I know that I'm not and every time I have an OB appointment, I expect the scale to give some ridiculously high number when I step on it. Fully clothed, I still haven't broken the number that scares me. Sorry, not sharing that. While, I'm much more comfortable in my own skin, I am not very comfortable with my actual weight. But anyway, I'm actually right on track for weight gain (according to this) - I am just slightly above the 25 lbs line, but still between the 25 lbs and 35lbs lines.

can you meet me half way right at the boarderline that's where I'm gonna wait for you I'll be lookin out night n'day took my heart to the limit and this is where I'll stay I can't go any further than this I want you so bad it's my only wish

Do you know what today is? It's the start of Week 20!! That means I am halfway through this pregnancy! So exciting!! Four more weeks and then we make it to yet another awesome milestone (viability).

Not only is today a great day for Baby S and me, it was an awesome day for my fiancé and Baby S, too. We were lying in bed, just cuddling and I noticed that I could feel the little one moving around. And out of curiosity, my fiancé placed his hand where I said I was feeling movement and he could feel it, too! (Just check out the screenshot from his super excited facebook update. Keep in mind, he rarely updates facebook, so this must have been big to him.) I'm still excited about that five hours later, lol. You'd think that the first time I felt movement or the first ultrasound would have been the "this is real" moment for me, but nope, having someone else be able to feel something made it real for me. I think I can finally stop worrying so much that something terrible is going to go wrong.

The last thing I have to say today: it's totally time for some maternity pants. :( I can't wear my stretchy jeggings anymore. The waist band is killing me today. As soon as the dryer is done, I'm changing my pants into some comfy yoga pants.

whatever road you may be on know you're never too far gone my love is there wherever you may be just remember that you will always be my baby

Today, I am just having a fun day posting about baby. No potential T.M.I. this time. ;)

But anyway, today is the start of Week 19. I am almost halfway there! Unless, I already hit the halfway mark and don't know it because my baby is impatient to meet all of us and will be born early. But honestly, as awesome as a shorter pregnancy would be, I'd much rather be miserable [potentially] for those last few weeks and have a healthy, full-term baby than to give birth earlier and have a pre-term baby. Here is the most recent belly picture (taken this morning):

I'm still not very big, but I definitely have a tummy. Most of the time, I'm okay with it and accepting. But some days, I just feel fat and unattractive. Woohoo for having a great guy who always makes me feel better about my looks though!

And now on to some silly quizzes that "predict" when labor will be and what it will be like...

Quiz #1:
Madame Zaritska, using her mystical powers, has the following prediction:
The day you deliver, outside will be rainy. Your baby will arrive in the middle of the night. After a labor lasting approximately 11 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 5 pounds, 10 ounces, and will be 20 inches long. This child will have medium brown eyes and a lot of auburn hair.

If I have a brown-eyed, red-head, then I apparently cheated on my fiance without knowing it. Everything else, I'm okay with, lol. Especially the tiny baby part!

Quiz #2:
Your labor prediction quiz results are below.....
I know you were hoping we weren't going to say this, but don't expect this baby to come early. Your baby is nice and comfy tucked away in your womb and has no interest in joining the rest of the world. We predict your baby will be born after its due date. Your baby will most likely be born in the morning. Justmommies predicts that your baby will weigh approximately 7.0 pounds and that your labor will be about 12 hours long.

And just for laughs...

As usual, if you're having a hard time seeing either picture, you can always click on it to enlarge in the same window. Or right-click on it to view it in a new tab. :)

An open letter to the busybodies (a.k.a. Prego Ninja Police)

I did not write this. I was in an online community for women due in March 2012 and someone else posted this. She was also just copying and pasting. :)


Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women, as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, "surely she doesn't mean me," then you should probably read this twice.

1. The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you a jerk.

2. Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father, not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby."

3. On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth, and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it!

4. The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix, or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5. Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight. Ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!"

6. By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes. Nor do we need to know how badly you will feel for us because we will be pregnant during the summer and how glad you are that YOU will not be pregnant this coming summer.

7. There is a reason that tickets to Labor & Delivery are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL, or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. You weren't invited to be there when the baby was created, you probably won't be invited to be there when it comes out either.

8. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital, and the parent's home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out." If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.

9. If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules, and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

10. The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Sincerely,
All the Pregnant Women in the World

all I really want to do is all I really want to do is all I really want to do is love you and love you and love you

I'm excited!!! Friday, my mom and friend will be here to visit me (and my fiancé, too)!!

Within the last week or so, I started to be able to feel the baby "thumping" around on a fairly regular basis (here is the updated milestones page). It's a really weird feeling. Reassuring since I couldn't see spending the money on an at-home doppler so that we could hear the heartbeat whenever we wanted to try. According to a book that I was reading (or maybe it was just online at BabyCenter.com), it's not uncommon for a first-time mom (that's me!) not to feel fetal movements until Week 20 or 21. So I wasn't expecting to really notice any movement until the last week or so of October.

Two weeks from today, my fiancé and I find out if we're the parents of a little girl or a little boy. Sorry, my plan is to keep it secret until the baby gets here. Not sure if I can, but I plan on trying. :)

Seriously, I'm always hungry! I ate dinner around 6:30p because my fiancé got called into work tonight and had to leave at 7:30p. He told me to go to bed and not to wait up for him. But I have insomnia, and it's bad since becoming pregnant. Normally, it was something that bothered me every once in a while (this being maybe once every two weeks on average), but now it's almost every night. I'll be so exhausted when I try to go to bed, but as soon as the lights are out... I'm awake and ready to go. It sucks. But anyway, I was trying to say, we usually eat dinner kind of late - like 8:30, 9:00p - so that I'm not awake too much longer after eating dinner. I know it's not that great to eat and then lie down, but if I stay up for too long after dinner, I get hungry again. Usually I go to bed around 11:00p, which wouldn't be so bad if I could fall asleep right away. But because it takes so long to get comfortable and/or fall asleep, I end up falling asleep around 1:30, 2:00a. So of course, I don't get out of bed until late - like 11:00a or even later. :/ It's a vicious cycle.

*** POTENTIAL T.M.I. - Stop reading now if you don't want to see it ***

So now, I move on to the much more embarrassing aspects of pregnancy. Like peeing yourself and leaky nipples. :(

I have pretty bad allergies in the fall. Don't get me wrong, I have bad allergies all year long. They're just worse in the fall (my first allergy pill prescription was given in the fall because I couldn't take the crappy feeling anymore). Bad allergies = a lot of sneezing. A lot of sneezing = urine leakage with every sneeze. Therefore, bad allergies = peeing myself a few times each day. I am not amused with this newfound incontinence. I guess I can be thankful that it's barely anything, just a few drops at most. But without a panty liner, that's still call for an underwear change every time I sneeze. I mentioned this embarrassing aspect to my fiancé a few weeks ago when I noticed it and he jokingly offered to buy me some Depends. Gee, thanks, hun.

Last night is the first time that I noticed that my nipples are now leaking. I have no idea what it is, I'm assuming it's some kind of lubrication for the breast milk or it's colostrum. Either way, it grosses me out because I get stupid little, crusty spots on my pajama shirts (see below picture for the embarrassment, right-click on it to view image in a new tab if you want to see it better). Once I noticed it last night, I realized that it's happened before. I just didn't know that's what the spots on my shirt were because I'd been cleaning up in the kitchen and just assumed that I got something on me while cleaning. ::sigh:: The most embarrassing part of this story is how I reacted. I was in the bathroom after showering and noticed that my right nipple was a little weird looking, so I inspected it. When something came out, I screamed. My fiancé came into the bathroom to see what he needed to kill, because apparently I screamed like there was a spider or bug in the bathroom. When he realized what made me scream, he laughed at me and walked away.

they say it's your birthday it's my birthday too yeah they say it's your birthday we're gonna have a good time

So...today is my 26^th birthday and Week 18 of pregnancy.

Now that I have a date for the big ultrasound (the anatomy scan at 20 weeks), I'm excited to find out if we're having a boy or a girl. I know, I know...I was the one saying I didn't want to know, keep it a surprise. Now, it's just a test of how long can I keep it a secret from everyone else, lol. I can keep our baby's name a secret though. And I will.

Earlier this afternoon, I was standing in our driveway and noticed that my shadow no longer has a boobie bump, just a tummy bump - and this realization kind of made sad because I am still having some body image issues (kind of having a hard time embracing new pregnant body me). So I went inside and looked in the mirror...and yep, my tummy ever so slightly protrudes past my boobies now. Of course, I still can't see anything other than my boobies when I look down, but without a bra, that's a little different.

I'm not really having a great birthday. Don't get me wrong, I have 30+ posts on my facebook wall from friends (and family). Most of which are actually people I talk to and not just friends that I added because I know them and we get along but aren't close. I got a couple texts from friends and family, too. A card from my grandma and grandpa. And hugs and well wishes from my fiancé. And of course, the daily cuddling from Socks (my super affectionate male kitten). All of which sounds like a wonderful birthday. And I suppose to some, that is. But it's my first time having to celebrate my birthday all by myself. My fiancé really started his new job this week, so he's gone from about 5:30p to about 2:00a each night. Not such a big deal on the days he's doesn't have class because I still see him a little bit. But tomorrow, I'll be lucky if I see him for more than 60 minutes total.

Normally, not being able to do anything with my fiancé on my actual birthday wouldn't be a big deal because I have family and friends to do stuff with. And even though I've begun making some new friends here, it's not the same. So it hit me hard that I get to spend most of my birthday alone. Oh, well, on the bright side, my mom and friend will be here October 14^th and we can celebrate my birthday on my "birthday." (The state of Ohio made me 10 days younger than I am when they printed my license originally.)

I wanna put you in my car and drive and turn you up loud, roll down all the windows and shout it out I love this girl oh If I could press play, repeat how happy I'd be wherever I'd go I'd have you there with me

Day 30: Favorite coffee table book
I chose the only one I have. And it's in my bookcase, not on our coffee table. I honestly, don't get the point to coffee table books. Also, I don't know if this is actually a coffee table book. But seriously, who puts books on their coffee table? Especially when you have pets and a child running around. Growing up my dad's second wife had a few books on the coffee table. But the coffee table was in a room the kids weren't allowed in, but for some reason it was okay if the stupid dogs went in there. Anyway, I digress...here's my pick:

there you go making my heart beat again, heart beat again, heart beat again there you go making me feel like a kid won't you do it and do it one time?

Day 29: Book you’re currently reading
I'm not reading this one cover to cover. Just picking and choosing parts of it to read. It's one of the books we checked out from the library a couple weeks ago. It's more of reference book when I don't feel like Googling something, lol.

I'm here fallin' for you my hearts callin' for you I know I never can get enough don't hold back one bit of your love strong and steady for you I'm all ready come on, baby, give me a little more you

Day 28: Last book you read
I finished reading this book before we moved from Michigan to Ohio. That's how long it's been since I read a whole book. :( But I finally have a library card and can check books out. As well as read what's on the Kindle. I <3 reading. I need to do more of it.

a little bit of guitar a little bit of truck a little bit of hound-dog an' a little bit of luck a little bit of bacon a little bit of beans a little bit of you lovin' up on me a little bit of how it's s'posed to be a little bit of life

Day 27: Favorite fiction book
Obviously, the book used twice already is actually my favorite. But another book I like a lot had to go here. :) So this isn't necessarily my favorite, just one I like a lot and enough to read more than once. But I can say that I like almost every book by Philippa Gregory that I have read. So far The Other Queen is the only one I'm not a fan of. I've been reading it for three months now. It's barely 200 pages and I can read 700+ pages of the last Harry Potter book in about two days. Do you really think the book is that hard to read?

they say in this town stars stay up all night don’t know can’t see ‘em for the glow of the neon lights and it's a long way from here to the place where the home fires burn

Yesterday I had my monthly OB appointment (every four weeks, there were two appointments in September) and some prenatal screening done. To be honest, I'm freaked out about what the results could be. I know there isn't a high risk of my baby having chromosomal abnormalities (e.g., Trisomy 18 and Down syndrome), but still... I only went ahead and had the quad screen done because my insurance will cover it and my fiancé asked that I have it done. I hate having my blood drawn and no matter how good the phlebotomist is at his/her job, it hurts and I don't like it. But at least, I didn't cry yesterday when she was taking my blood.

Anyway...I've been feeling pretty good lately, so naturally, I'm worried that something is wrong with the baby. Nope, Baby S has a good, strong heartbeat and is more than likely moving around a lot. I wouldn't know though because I don't know if it's my stomach/intestines being weird or if it's a baby moving around that I feel, lol. The nurse who does the check ins for my doctor asked if I'd been feeling baby move yet, and I had to say "no" because I don't know. As long as I can feel Baby S moving around in there by my next appointment (20 weeks, 5 days), I'm not worried. It's perfectly normal for a first time mom (FTM) not to be aware of what she's feeling until the movement is a bit stronger. And since I'm a FTM, I have nothing to worry about right now.

The next appointment is when we find out the baby's sex: an ultrasound followed by an OB appointment. I'm hoping for a girl, but a boy is just as good. I don't know why I want a girl so badly, but I do. ::shrug:: My fiancé wavers between wanting a boy and wanting a girl. So it appears that he just wants a healthy baby regardless of sex. :)

Just this week, our neighbors gave us a brand new, still factory sealed, in the box baby bath tub. But I'm not removing the one we have on the registry because I'm not sure if I like the design of the free one. It looks easy enough to use and safe enough, but I'm not sure yet. If I change my mind, I'll totally be removing the cute Fisher-Price whale one we have on the registry. But so far, they've given us 34 pieces of baby clothing (4 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, 28 onesies), 12 baby caps and 16 receiving blankets. Which by the way, all of it is brand new. They were given way more than they could use for their six week old son, and also, he was a big baby, so the newborn sizes didn't fit him at all. Pretty much anything smaller than 6-9 months size is off the registry thanks to the generosity of our neighbors (and the members of their church). All of my siblings and I were smaller babies and it sounds like my fiancé and his siblings were smaller babies, too. So...my fingers are crossed for a little baby!

sometimes it's a pair of old faded denim I know it's gonna fit me like a friend or some radio song you can't help but sing along wishing they'd spin it over and over again

Day 26: Favorite nonfiction book
Probably the only non-fiction book I've read that isn't a textbook. After seeing the movie and the documentary on the History Channel, I decided to get the book and read it. Probably the only time my 16 year old brother and I can agree on a genre: military history. LOL

I'm sorry for the demon I've become you should be sorry for the angel you are not I apologize for the cruel things that I did but I don't regret one single word I said

Day 25: Favorite book you read in school
Mostly I hated the books we were required to read in school and only read them because it was required and easy to do so. This one, I started out not liking it, but after a chapter or two, I liked it.

the dawn is breaking a light shining through you're barely waking and I'm tangled up in you

Day 24: Book that contains your favorite scene
A little confused why I chose this book. I've never read it, don't claim to have read it before. I've only seen the movie. I must be cheating and assuming the movie is like the book. Or just pulling a book out of my a**, lol. Anyway, if I am assuming the movie is a close follower of the book, I know that's wrong. So...yeah...guess away!

who's to say what's impossible well they forgot this world keeps spinning and with each new day I can feel a change in everything

Day 23: Book you tell people you’ve read, but haven’t (or haven’t actually finished)
This is an easy one. I loved the movie that came out in 1993 when I was a kid (still like it) and tried to read the book more than once. But never could get into it.

I met a girl and it was easy to see that she was falling hard for me that girl she wanted me to know

Day 22: Book you plan to read next
I plan on reading Philippa Gregory's second book in the Cousin's War series next. If it's still on the Kindle. If not, then I'm not sure if this will still be the next book that I read. I'm hoping for it still be next though.

all he could think about was I'm too young for this got my whole life ahead hell I'm just a kid myself how'm I gonna raise one

I'm bored and procrastinating doing something pretty important (oops). So I thought having a fun post with a pregnancy survey was a great idea. :)

Due date:
March 07, 2012

How far along are you now:
16 weeks, 1 day

Boy or girl:
Wouldn't you like to know? ;)

Was baby planned:
Not in the least, but that doesn't mean he or she is any less wanted. :)

Do you know who the babies father is:
No, not at all. (Very heavy sarcasm, I know that doesn't translate well in written text. But I think this is a stupid question.)

If so, who is it:
My fiancé.

How did you find out you were pregnant:
I felt flu-like symptoms and knew there was no reason that I would have gotten the flu. Plus, the negative/positive home pregnancy test worried me so I did a second one about five days later and it was a positive HPT.
"Well they have this test that you pee on. I thought I was doing it for a science experiment, but apparently my body had different plans!" <-- The answer given by the girl I copied this from. It made me giggle, so I'm leaving it here.

What were your first symptoms:
Nausea. Plain and simple.

Who did you tell first:
My fiancé. It went much better than I had expected it to. :)

Who was with you when you found out:
My cell phone, lol. I was using it as a stop watch to make sure I waited long enough before throwing away the pee stick. Freaked out and went downstairs to show my fiancé.

How far were you when you found out:
If you count my suspicious mind, then 4 weeks, 5 days. If you count the failed first HPT, then 5 weeks, 3 days. It was confirmed by the OB at 7 weeks, 5 days.

What was your reaction:
Oh, s***.

What was the baby's father's reaction:
Positive. That's the only word I'm going to use to describe it.

What were your parent's reactions:
Mostly positive. Definitely became excitement quickly.

Any names:
Yep. But those are sealed up with sex of the baby. ;)

Have you heard the heartbeat? If so what was the HR:
Yep. At my first appointment, we heard the little one's HB during the ultrasound. It was a healthy 164 (if my memory is correct, if not then 160something). I've heard it again at my second appointment Sept. 1^st, but didn't get a HR that time.

Baby ancestral types:
Mom (me) - Belgian, Romanian, Italian, Czechoslovakian, English...that's all I can remember, but I know it's a long list.
Dad (fiancé) - Portuguese...and that's all I know of off the top of my head. I know there is more, but don't know it.

Will baby have any siblings:
Biological, no. My fiancé has already decided he's never getting me pregnant again (I guess I've been that bad, lol). Maybe at some point, we'll look into adoption. But probably not. So we're going to have one human kid and multiple animal ones. :)

Have you and dad felt baby move:
Nope. It's possible that I've been feeling it, but since I have no idea what to feel for, it all just feels like weird stomach rumblings to me. So until there's definite baby kicks happening, Dad won't be feeling anything.

Who will be in the delivery room:
The necessary medical personnel and hopefully my fiancé. Right the plan is that he will be there, but he's not sure if he wants to be in the same room as me while I'm delivering a baby. Apparently he's a little afraid of me. -_-

Will you use medication:
Probably not. :( I hate needles, so I'm not sure how well getting an epidural or an IV will work for me.

Did you have morning sickness:
Yes. It could have been worse and probably would have had I been able to eat more often than I was. I did learn quickly though that my prenatal vitamin could cause me to go from feeling okay to vomiting. So it took me less than a week to learn: take it with food or milk and close to bed time.

Cravings:
Yep yep. Usually it's weird stuff like cherry tomatoes. I actually sent my fiancé out to buy some in the middle of me making dinner one day. I basically told him, "Go buy these now, or I won't make dinner."
I'm lucky he loves me, otherwise...

Did you have any mood swings:
::sigh:: My poor fiancé, he's such a good sport. I try to pay attention to what I'm doing and how my mood is, but I don't always catch it right away. I can be a moody b**** as it is, so add in the influx of hormones and...yeah, you get the picture.

Formula or breastfeeding:
For the sheer fact that it costs less, I am willing to try breastfeeding. I know it's supposed to be better for baby and blah, blah, blah. But to be honest, I don't want the sore nipples. I don't want to be the only one who can feed the baby. So while I plan on trying and getting a breast pump and bottles so my fiancé (and anyone else) can help with feeding, I'm not opposed to formula. Because formula is not that bad. There are plenty of babies who are solely fed formula and they grow up perfectly healthy. Besides, what if I'm sick or need a medication? Can't breastfeed then. So yeah, our kid will be getting formula. It just might not be the primary food source.

When did you start to show:
I haven't been able to suck in my gut for the last few weeks. So...I'm guessing that means around 14 weeks, I was showing. I did have one stranger notice when I was about 12 weeks along. She was a nice, older woman and wasn't trying to embarrass me. And last week, the head maintenance guy for the complex asked my fiancé while I wasn't in earshot if I was pregnant. He didn't want to put his foot in his mouth and still have to come work on our apartment, lol.

Are you excited:
Yep. ♥

Who will help with baby after he or she is born:
Right now, no one is expected to come help. I know that's kind of stubborn, but I like that. Yes, help could be nice. But I don't want other people coming in and telling me what to do right away. Let me and him figure out what to do, and if we need help, we have a phone. :)

What is your favorite thing about being pregnant:
Umm...eating a lot and losing weight. :/ Yeah, that happened. But as long as I stay healthy and the baby stays healthy, my OB isn't worried.

What is the worst thing about being pregnant:
The entire first trimester (minus weeks 1 and 2, when I technically wasn't pregnant yet) and the new pains associated with a growing uterus. And here I thought menstrual cramps could be bad. I might never complain about those again, lol.

What one thing do you miss doing since being pregnant:
Strangely enough, it's being able to drink. I don't drink much as it is, so that's weird to me. I think it's just because now I can't drink and I don't like being told what to do.

Any days you wish you weren't pregnant:
Yes, but no. I'm happy we're going to have a child, but I'm not happy being pregnant. It's not as great as other moms like to make it sound. Don't get me wrong, it's not super horrible, it's just not the great thing many women make it sound like. :)

How many kids do you want:
Just one. Maybe down the road, we'll decide that a second one is a good idea, but probably not.

How many pregnant women do you know:
A few. Most of them, I'm happy and excited for them. One or two, I've got an irrational anger towards. Oh, well...I'll get over it. :)

Are you ready for baby?
Sure...about as ready as anyone can be for a life-altering change with no ideas of what is going to happen.
We have a crib, mattress, baby clothes, receiving blankets, caps, a diaper bag, a cradle swing from Fisher-Price and a baby registry. That's really all we can do to be ready. Have a plan and wait for it to implode because babies don't live according to their parents' plans.


Ahahahaha! I opened Pandora to use the first song that played as the lyrics for the post title and Kenny Chesney's "There Goes My Life" started playing! Slightly fitting as this baby is an unexpected surprise. :)

I’m giving up on doing this alone now 'cause I’ve failed and I’m ready to be shown how he’s told me the way and I’m trying to get there and this life sentence that I’m serving I admit that I’m every bit deserving but the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair

Day 21: Favorite picture book from childhood
This book has possibly the most beautiful paintings in it. Okay, so I haven't looked at the book since I was about 12, but this is definitely a book that the fiancé and I will be reading to the little one. <3 It's still on my bookshelf because it's one of my picture books that I never got rid of.

this is more than just romance it's an endless summer I can feel the butterflies, leading me through it take my heart, I'll take your hand

Day 20: Book you’ve read the most number of times
Okay, so I know that I already used this book this challenge. But being my all-time favorite book, it also happens to be the book that I've read the most amount of times. When I was a kid, when I'd read all the books in the house, I would go back to this one when I wanted something to read. True, it started out the abridged version, but since I have read the unabridged version more than once. :)

oh it's what you do to me oh it's what you do to me oh it's what you do to me oh it's what you do to me what you do to me

Day 19: Book that turned you on
Just like the post on Day 14 was slightly embarrassing, so is this one. But seriously, books are not a turn on for me. Potential TMI, but if I want fiction to turn me on, I'll just watch porn with the fiancé. But anyway, I took the easy way out and chose the only romance novel I've read (complete waste of my time). And to be honest, I'm not even sure if this is the correct title. I know it was one of the three in the trilogy, just can't remember which one. Sorry.

I dare you to move I dare you to move I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor

Day 18: Book you’re most embarrassed to say you like
Meh, I'm not really embarrassed to say that I like any book. But since so many people bash the books, I figured it was a good one to use today. Books are meant to be entertainment. Not every book you choose to read has to be a literary classic. Lighten up and have fun every once in a while. :P

if I could, then I would I'll go wherever you will go way up high or down low I'll go wherever you will go

Day 17: Shortest book you’ve read
I'm guessing here. I know I read this book to my younger brothers when they were little. But I honestly don't know what the shortest book I read was. Sorry.

so long ago, I don't remember when that's when they say I lost my only friend

Day 16: Longest book you’ve read
This is pretty easy because I haven't read many super long books. Most of the long books I know of, didn't have much interest to me.

I said, "hey girl, what's your name? haven't I seen you before? I recognize them dark green eyes when you walked through the door. are you alone, or are you with someone?

Day 15: First “chapter book” you can remember reading as a child
I remember reading this in kindergarten and near the beginning of it. So I was four years old, maybe within a few weeks of my fifth birthday. Yeah, I was that kid doing everything way before my classmates. My grandma taught me to read because I was her granddaughter and her favorite. :) She has three sons and no daughters, she wanted a daughter, but settled for her firstborn grandchild. <3