The Adventures of Eli

Playing Rough

2010-09-30T18:37:00.004-04:00

Eli is having a little problem at daycare. He has been playing with the babies, which is ok but, he’s been playing a little rough. And by a little rough, I mean he’s been laying on them, choking them, and hitting them. He’s never been around babies before. I’m at a loss. I have no idea how to teach him not to do those things. I tell him every day that he needs to be nice to the babies and not lay on them or hit them. I know he’s not meaning to hurt them. He just wants to play. But he likes to play a little rough sometime. Case in point…

Big John has a black eye courtesy of Eli. They were playing on the bed the other night. Eli was hiding from mommy under the covers. He would come out and yell for me to come back there and find him and then throw his head back under the covers. Well, the last time he did it, instead of throwing his head under the covers, he threw it right into Big John’s eye socket. All I heard was Eli yell “MOMMY!” And then Big John yell “GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!” So I ran back there to see Big John holding his eye and moaning. Eli was almost crying because he didn’t know what was going on. So I scooped Eli up and took him in the other room to give Big John time to stop seeing little stars flying around his head. He said it almost knocked him out. This is his second black eye courtesy of Eli. I’ve been lucky so far and have been able to avoid getting one.

So do any of you have any ideas how we can teach Eli to be nice to the babies? His daycare ladies are disciplining him when it happens. But they can’t do much. They can’t spank him or smack his hand. They can just tell him no and out him in time out if they want to. Well, that doesn’t always work with Eli. So, please help me figure this one out.

Eli Gets Schooled

2010-09-22T08:54:00.002-04:00

Eli started preschool last week. Wait… Let me say that again Eli. started. preschool. last. week. Does anyone else see the problem with that statement?? He is not even 2 yet people!! But his daycare does preschool during the day so he gets to do it also. Now don’t get me wrong. I love the fact that he gets to get a head start on learning. I am so glad that she offers it because that’s the only way he would get preschool. But it just makes me sad that my baby is in PRESCHOOL!!

It’s so much fun though. He has a school binder that we get to bring home every night and see what all he did that day. So far, he has worked on the letters A and B, and the colors red, yellow, and brown. He can identify an apple (because A is for apple). He can identify the letter B but not the letter A yet. But the first thing that he learned really made me cry. But I have to tell you the whole story first.

I thought his preschool started on Sept. 20. So on the 13th, I got home from work and we decided that we were going to grill out for supper. Big John had to go down to the store and get some charcoal. So that left just Eli and me at home. I had to go to the bathroom and since I can’t ever go to the bathroom by myself anymore, Eli was in the room also. Our bath mat has 6 big squares with a big flower in the center of each one. Eli was on the floor pointing to all the flowers and saying “flor”. Then I heard him saying something else so I listened really hard. He was pointing to each square and saying “One, Two, Tree, Four, Fye, Sis, Seben, Ate, Nine, Ten!! I almost fell off of the toilet!! I was so excited and I couldn’t wait to tell Big John.

By the time Big John got home, I had convinced myself that I was just hearing things. He didn’t really count to ten by himself. That was crazy!! We hadn’t even started teaching him that. So I told John about it but said that I thought I was hearing things. So later on, Eli was sitting with Big John and we had just got done reading Goodnight Moon for the 1,467,917 time. Eli likes to “read” it to us so Big John gave him the book. He started pointing to things on the pages and counting them. I started crying and made sure John knew what he was saying. It was so amazing!! I couldn’t believe that my baby was counting all by himself. That’s when Big John decided to tell me that I was wrong about the start date of preschool. It had started that morning. He learned to count in one day! My little man is so smart!!! I can’t wait to see what he has learned by Christmas!

Date night

2010-08-31T15:46:00.000-04:00

You know, I thought getting back into working would be a lot easier than it has been. It’s been over a month and I still don’t think my body has adjusted yet. I am always tired and we go to bed before most 9 year olds do. I don’t understand it. And I hate it. I just want to sleep in every day like I was before. But I get to, no make that have to be a responsible adult and bring home some money so we don’t end up on the streets. Ok, it wasn’t actually that bad. But it is really nice to have some money left over to do some fun things with.

For example, this past weekend, Big John and I dumped the kid off at my brother’s house for a sleep over with my nephews. We went and played bingo on Friday and we both walked out a winner!! Then Saturday morning we got up and traveled around Indiana all day hitting up some wineries. We made it to four different ones. It was so awesome!! To think, these places actually give you tons of wine to sample for free!! I can’t believe we haven’t done this before. And one of them that we went to if you help them pick the grapes, they pay you in wine. Let me say that again. THEY PAY YOU IN WINE. I am quitting my job right now.

We really did have a great time together. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do anything like that. Our marriage needed it. Not that things were bad. Because surprisingly, they weren’t. I was so afraid that our money issues would start to cause a problem between us. But I think it actually brought us closer. I think it’s because of all the time we spent together at home as a family. We didn’t have the money to go and do things so we made being at home fun. But that isn’t to say that we didn’t wish that we could have a night out. I think every married couple with kids needs a date night every once in a while. We are going to hopefully make this a regular thing. So what do you and your significant other do on date nights?

I'm Baaaaack!!!!!

2010-08-26T10:25:00.003-04:00

I am not dead… I did not fall of the face of the earth… I did not run off and join the circus (although I thought about it a few times.)

So what happened to me, you ask? Well, the only answer I can give is life. Life happened. A job was lost. I became a stay at home mom for 10 months. It was 10 long, short, blissful, frustrating, happy, sad, maddening, humbling months. Eli has changed so much and as a result, so have I. I have so much admiration for women that are stay at home moms now. I did it for only 10 months. Those of you that do it for your child’s entire childhood deserve some recognition. Too many people don’t realize how hard it is to be a mom day in and day out with no break, no time for yourself, and no help. Heck, I couldn’t even pee by myself. But on the plus side of that, Eli now knows how to use toilet paper.

Eli is now 20 months old going on 14. He has an attitude (which Big John says he gets from me. I still am not convinced…). He is a little dare devil. He likes to fling himself off of various pieces of furniture and then laugh when I freak out. He usually has to do things all by himself. But when he gets frustrated with trying to do something, he will let me and everyone in the neighborhood know about it. He is very smart and picks up on things so quickly. Some things we wish he wouldn’t pick up on… But for the most part we are so proud of everything he has learned. I did Mommy School with him almost every day. We would work on a different skill and read lots of books. He loves to read which excites me so much as I am an avid reader also.

He loves to swim. My parents have a pool and he was in it quite a few times this summer. The last time he was in it he was swimming by himself using just arm floaties!! He is going to be a little fish just like his daddy is.

Well, I promise it won’t be so long in between posts from now on. I will post some more recent pictures of Eli soon also.

6 months

2009-06-23T09:43:00.005-04:00

Wow lot's of things have happened in the last month! We have been so busy lately! I can't believe that it's almost July. Which also means it's almost my birthday!!! I'm like a little kid about my b-day. I get so excited and giddy as it gets closer! It doesn't help that every year we have a huge bash to celebrate. But that's because my mother-in-law and brother-in-law also share my birthday. Yeah we all have the same birthday! Big John always remembers it though...

Eli has had a big month also. He is six months old now. I can't believe it. It's gone by so fast! He is a little man!

He has two ~~little razors~~ teeth in his mouth. He gnaws on anything he can get in his mouth. And I do mean anything. But he has been pretty good through the whole teething process. He hasn't been too fussy or anything. I would post a picture of his little razors but he hates it when we try to look at them. He will clamp his lips shut and make a really mean face when we try to pry his mouth open to get a good look. So really he could have a whole mouth full of teeth by now and I would never know...

He is about 5 seconds away from crawling. He gets up on all fours and lunges forward and then does it again. He's like a little caterpillar. Last night he almost got his arms into the mix but then he face planted into the carpet. I think he will be crawling by this time next week. And then we get to baby proof our house.

Our town has a little festival every year called Heritage Days. This year we entered Eli in the Little Prince contest. It was for baby boys 4 months to a year old. The categories were prettiest eyes, best smile, most photogenic, and overall cutest baby. Which one do you think he won??

Oh yeah!! He's the overall cutest baby!! He is the Little Prince of Heritage Days!! He got his picture on the front page of the paper and everything. He even got a trophy! He hasn't let it go to his head though. He's only demanded that we bow before him a few times.

Last weekend was a busy one for us. It was Big John's first Father's Day. We celebrated by spending the whole weekend with our family. On Saturday we went to a State Park nearby and went for a picnic. The guys got to do a little fishing and we all had a really nice day. Eli loves anything that involves being outside so he had a great time also. Sunday we spent the day with my family. We went to a car show that my dad loves to go to every year. After that we went to my parents house for dinner and swimming. Eli got to go swimming for the first time. I was kind of worried that he wouldn't like it. I don't know why I was though. He loves his bath and this was just like a really big bathtub. When we put him in and at first he didn't know what to think.

But then he realized that he really liked it! He splashed and kicked and had a great time. He even put his face in the water and looked at me and smiled real big! I have a feeling that he is going to be like a little fish!

Eating

2009-06-05T14:09:00.007-04:00

Eli loves to eat. I'm not kidding when I say that we can't shovel the food into his mouth fast enough to satisfy this kid. We have been holding him on our laps to feed him and it wasn't really working very well. He is to squirmy. (Is that a word??) So then we started putting him in his car seat which worked but it made a mess of the seat. So we finally broke down and got him a high chair.

He loves it!! He was a little scared at first but now he loves to sit in it. And just the other day he discovered that he's not alone in the chair. There's a monkey that sits in it with him. He will just sit and stare the monkey down waiting on him to steal some food or something. He talks to him too. I'll try to get some video of the baby/monkey exchange and post it soon...

Big John and I alternate who feeds him so that one of us (me) isn't doing it all the time. So one night I will give Eli supper and Big John does cereal before bed and the next night we switch. Big John hasn't been feeding Eli as long as I have so he hasn't really mastered it yet. If you notice the picture above, we strip Eli down to his diaper to feed him anything not in a bottle. The reason for this is things can get rather messy at times... Especially when daddy is feeding him cereal!

I don't know if you can see it or not but he has cereal up by his eye!! We almost have to give him a bath after daddy feeds him!!!

On another note, I have been going through some pictures and found some that made me almost cry at how big Eli is getting! Here are just a few to let you see how big he has gotten in almost 6 months!!

The year of the Bible

2009-05-22T13:17:00.007-04:00

I read a news article that appalled me this morning. It seems that the Georgia Representative Paul Broun has introduced a bill that, if passed, would deem the year 2010 as the Year of the Bible. He says the bill seeks to recognize that the Bible played an integral role in the building of the United States, including providing the basis for our freedom of religion that allows Muslims, Hindus and even atheists to vocalize their own beliefs.

But wouldn't you know said atheists and others are protesting the bill saying that it’s an endorsement of religion by the federal government, and we shouldn’t be doing that.

Ok so here's where I get on my soap box...

If you look at our country today you will see suffering, despair, and sin everywhere you look. I happen to think that maybe if people weren't so afraid to "endorse" religion, our country wouldn't be in the shape that it's in. It hurts me to read the news everyday and to listen to reports of joblessness, homelessness, and the lack of morals that seems to affect everyone.

This is a direct quote from the article on Yahoo. When I read it, I was absolutely devastated.

Atheists, who might feel themselves a particular target with the declaration of a biblical year, aren’t even worried about Broun’s effort.

“Right now, we’re seeing atheism on such a rise,” said David Silverman, vice president and national spokesman of American Atheists, a group dedicated to fighting for the civil rights of atheists.

“We are seeing Christianity on such a dramatic decline that we’re not particularly worried about it. We’re thinking that this kind of old-style George W. Bush Republicanism is about to go away,” Silverman said, referring to the latest Pew Forum survey of American religious life, which showed nonreligious Americans as the fastest-growing group.

That is the saddest statement I have ever heard.

I grew up going to church every Sunday. But once I got to the age that I could decide for myself, I decided that I didn't need church and that I would rather sleep in on Sunday mornings. I did this for quite a few years. I never considered myself an atheist. I always have and always will believe that there is a God in heaven.

A few years ago, Big John and I were struggling with infertility and I was about at rock bottom. I thought about it and decided to try going back to church. In my mind, it couldn't hurt anything. We found a church that we love and look forward to going to each and every Sunday. After a few Sunday's, we decided that we wanted to get serious about this and dedicate ourselves back to the Lord. Almost immediately, my life changed. And so did my outlook on my life and my problems. We have had the most wonderful few years and I don't hesitate to credit it to the fact that we joined our church and gave our lives to God.

I know that there is a lot of turmoil in the world today. I happen to think that maybe this is God's wake up call to us all. Maybe this is His way of saying- Hey I'm still here even if you did forget about me. Stop denying my existence and things won't be so bad. I am not saying that God is vengeful. I think he is just reminding us Christians that we need to stand up and be heard. We, as a society, are so concerned about everyone's civil rights. What about Christians civil rights? Don't we have the right to say a prayer in school? Don't we have a right to have In God We Trust on our money? Don't we have a right to practice our religious beliefs without being looked down on?

I understand that we need to respect everyone's opinions and choices. But don't tell me that I can teach my child to pray and then have to tell him that he can't pray in public. Don't tell me that the phrase one nation under God is offensive. I find your lack of faith offensive. But I don't try to tell you that you have to honor my beliefs.

Think back to the 1950's. Crime wasn't nearly as bad as it is now. Our country was in a lot better shape than it is now. People weren't afraid to let their children walk down the streets. You didn't worry if your child’s teacher, or neighbor, or bus driver, or Scout leader was a child molester. People had morals. People were Christians. People had religion. Our country as a whole had religion. And we weren't afraid to stand up and say so.

I for one am not going to be afraid to stand up for what I believe in. No one is going to tell me that I don't have the right to display my religion. If you don't like it, don't listen, or look, or read. If you don't understand why I do it, ask me and I would be glad to talk to you about it. If you agree, STAND UP WITH ME AND BE PROUD!! Don't be afraid to tell people that you are a Christian and you believe in God. If everyone could do that, maybe Christianity wouldn't be on such a dramatic decline in our country.

The Evolution of Dance

2009-05-15T14:00:00.003-04:00

Part 1

Part 2

Skin Free Winner!!!

2009-05-11T09:17:00.003-04:00

Here is the winning comment!

janetfaye said...
3. I blogged:
http://grammyjanetsplace.blogspot.com/2009/05/may-giveaways.html

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

May 6, 2009 12:26 AM

Congrats!! Email me at bigjohnsgirl@sbcglobal.net with your contact info and claim your prize!!!!

For everyone else that didn't win, stay tuned! I will have another great giveaway soon!! It's awesome! I promise.

I had a really awesome post all planned out for Mother's Day and then I got so busy I didn't get it posted. So I guess I have to save it for next year. I hope you all had a great Mother's Day!!! I know I did!

25 Hours in a Day

2009-05-08T11:18:00.008-04:00

Who hasn't wished for more time in the day? I have a lot recently. There just doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything I want accomplished. The wonerful people over at Frigidaire realize how much work we moms do every day so they decided to have a contest just for us. Head on over to their website and enter for your chance to win some really great appliances. All you have to do is tell them what 5 things you would do if you had an hour to yourself for a day. I know it's really hard to narrow down your list to just five things. Also you can take their Daily Dare for another chance to win a brand new Frigidaire Affinity washer and dryer. Log on every day for another chance to win.

ShopWiki

2009-05-01T14:39:00.003-04:00

If you haven't entered my awesome giveaway, click here to do so!!

I stumbled upon a really awesome website the other day. It's ShopWiki's health and beauty site. Click here to check it out.

For those of you that may know me, you know I am addicted to all things health and beauty. I love lotions, hair care stuff, and don't even get me started on make-up! I am always on the look out for new cosmetics to try. As a result, I have an overload of things I don't use very often. But, every once in a while I do break them out and I am so glad I have them!

I browsed around on this site for over an hour. It is a great place for one stop shopping. I like it because they have a bigger variety of stores available than other search engines.

I started searching in the Cosmetics and Beauty Tools section. The thing I like the best about it is it gives you buying guides and helps you choose the product that would be the best for your skin type. I found out that I am using the wrong foundation for my skin type! All this time I didn't know anything about it. I also learned a really cool technique of how to do smokey eyes. I love that look and have never been able to reproduce it.

I also looked at the Hair Care section. I found out that I don't condition my hair right. I always apply the conditioner all over my head. But according to the Wimpy Locks No More section, I am only supposed to put it on the ends of my hair. That would explain why my hair looks so weighed down all the time. I also found a flat iron that I am currently coveting!!!

So needless to say, this website is a great source for tips, tricks and products for all of your Health and Beauty needs!! Check out these other sections they offer:
Mineral Cosmetics
Personal Care
Mens Products
Bath and Body
Skin Care
And for those of you that use Organic products,
Organic products

You also might be interested to know that they have a great baby and toddler section that includes a ton of buying guides for things like car seats, strollers, health and hygiene, and more. Check it out here.

Skin Free Review and Giveaway!!!

2009-05-01T11:07:00.005-04:00

Ok so a few days ago I told you about the wonderful people over at Skin Free. I contacted them about their Exzema Relief Kit. Eli has some really dry skin on his face and head. We thought it was just cradle cap at first. But it wouldn't go away. And then it was also on his face.

We have always used free and clear laundry detergent so we knew that wasn't what was causing it. We started using Aveeno Baby body wash and it still didn't help. At Eli's 4 month doctor check up, his doctor confirmed that he has exzema. She said to just keep doing what we were doing. But I wasn't satisfied with that.

When I got the exzema reflief kit from Skin Free, I was kind of skeptical. But it works wondrful!! I used the soap the first night we got it. It has no scent to it at all. It lathers up real nicely. Most bar soaps don't lather enough for me but this one does. It lathers just as much as a body wash.

The After ShowerMoisture Spritz feels a lot like baby oil. I don't use this as much because it makes his hair and scalp very oily and greasy looking. I think if his dry skin was all over his body or other places than just his head I would use it. But I think I am going to use it this weekend. When I shave my legs, my skin is really dry afterwards. So I think I will use it to make my legs more healthy.

I would highly recommend the Exzema Relief Kit to anyone that has a baby with dry skin or even an adult with dry skin.

Here is what Skin Free has to say about Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Soap and Shampoo Bar:

Our soap is like no others. It’s rich, creamy lather makes your skin feel rejuvenated and fresh. Most commercially available “soaps” are actually detergents. They remove skin oils and break down the protective barrier that helps skin healthy. Removing skin oils causes itching and can contribute to cracking and infection of delicate skin.

We “superfat” our soap with extra virgin olive oil, which contains natural anti-inflammatory agents, anti-oxidants, and natural vitamins that aid in healing and soothing your skin. Naturally moisturizing shea and cocoa butters are added to reduce the tight, dry feeling normally experienced when using typical commercial soaps. The lack of chemical preservatives, fragrance, or colorants in this soap makes it ideal for individuals of any age, especially the very old and the very young, those with allergies, dermatitis, sensitive, or very dry skin.

Awarded the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance August, 2008, our soap is like no others. It's rich, creamy lather will sooth and moisturize. Perfect for delicate, sensitive, or very dry skin. Helps with eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, and acne.

And now for the good stuff; the giveaway!!

Up for grabs today is a Skin Free Exzema Relief Kit. It contains 1 After Shower Spritz and 4 Extra Moisturizing Soaps.

All you have to do to enter is head over to Skin Free and take a look around at their wonderful products. Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me what product you would buy and why. You MUST leave me a valid email address. That's how I will contact the winner.

For additional entries:
-Follow my blog publicly (2 extra entries)
-Fave me on Technorati (1 extra entry)
-blog about my contest and link back to this post (5 extra entries)
-tweet about this contest on twitter (3 extra entries)
Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry that you earn.

Contest will run until Friday May 8th. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified within 2 days. You will have 3 days to claim your prize or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

My kind of Mother's Day gift!

2009-05-01T11:05:00.005-04:00

There's really no need to say anything about this picture. I think it speaks for itself!!

Awesome contest for Moms

2009-04-24T08:30:00.003-04:00

For those of you that have kids, you know that once the little ones come along you take a back burner. That's why I love the website 5 Minutes for Mom. They know how important it is to spoil Mom every now and then. In honor of Mother's Day, they are having some WONDERFUL giveaways. Check it out!!

OH MY GOODNESS!!

2009-04-22T12:07:00.001-04:00

HAHA!! Fooled you!! This is from one year ago! Scared you didn't I?

One year ago today Big John and I got the news that would change our lives forever! We found out that Eli was coming. I can't describe that moment to you in words. We had been trying to get pregnant for 20 months. And FINALLY it had happened. We kept it a secret between us for a few days. It was a lot of fun knowing that we had this big news and we were the only ones that knew it. Afterward, a lot of people couldn't believe that we kept it to ourselves for 4 days. I talked to my mom everyday on the phone and never once hinted around about it.

The last year has been a whirlwind of emotions for us. We were extremely happy, scared, loving, scared, excited, scared, and did I mention that we were scared?

But it was all worth it. The long months of trying, the long nine months of being pregnant and preparing for everything. The 3 extremely long days of labor. (yes I said 3 days!) Every moment of waking up through the night. Every moment of not knowing what we are doing and trying everything until we get it right. Every tear shed, every frustration, every angry moment. I thank God for every one of them. Because it means at the end of the day I get to come home to this!!

Oh yeah! I'm addicted!

2009-04-21T13:56:00.001-04:00

Hello. My name is Big John’s Girl and I am addicted to Ebay.

I can’t believe how addicting it is to sell things on Ebay. A few weeks ago, we went to a charity auction and bought a few things that we don’t need. (Imagine that!) So I decided to try my hand at selling on Ebay. I set up a sellers account and took all the pictures of the golf bag that Big John bought last year at the same auction. I listed it with the buy it now option thinking no one would buy it at that price. The next morning when I came into work and checked my email there was one waiting on me saying that I need to ship it out because someone bought it. I couldn’t believe it!! Someone paid full price for this golf bag overnight!! So then I went home and listed an autographed seat cushion. It was signed by Celine Dion. Again, I listed it as an auction with the buy it now option. I put on there $50 thinking that would be a nice amount to make on it considering I paid about $5 for it. Before the night was over someone had bought it! So now I’m looking around my house trying to find more things that we can sell. Who knows. Maybe I can even quit my job and sell full time!! Yeah right!

Life Happened

2009-04-21T13:18:00.003-04:00

Oh my goodness!! I can’t believe how hard it is to find time to blog now. I have no good explanation for my absence except life. Life has been happening all around me. I have been enjoying my wonderful husband and my amazing son.

Eli is 4 months old already!! He had his 4 month check up at the doctor’s office last Friday. He weighs 15 pounds 10 ounces and is 26 ¼ inches long. He’s a BIG boy! We started him on baby food. He had green beans first and didn’t really like them. After 3 days of trying to get him to eat them, we switched to peas last night and he loved them! He gobbled down every bite I gave him! He has also started sleeping all night long. That’s right. I said all.night.long!! HALLELUIA!!! I can’t believe how good I’m sleeping now! It’s wonderful. He loves to turn over onto his tummy. But then after a few minutes he gets mad that he’s on his tummy and he can’t quite figure out how to get back to his back. The last couple of mornings when I go in to get him up he is sleeping on his tummy. He just looks so cute with his little butt sticking up in the air!

Big John’s birthday was yesterday! Happy birthday, Big John. He’s 31 years old now. We had a party for him over the weekend. Nothing big. Just family and friends over for a cookout. There were babies galore at our house! It was a lot of fun!

I have been using a new product for Eli. He has eczema on his face and head. We can’t use any scented lotion or soap on it or he gets a really bad breakout and dry patchy skin. I hate it for him! I know it itches and he doesn’t know to scratch it yet. I contacted the wonderful people at Skin Free Skincare Products and they sent me a sample of their Eczema Relief Kit to try. I have used it a few times and LOVE.IT! I will be doing a full product review in a few days along with another giveaway!! So keep checking back to enter for a chance to win a skin care kit for you or your little one.

I also have been in contact with a few more companies and have gotten some really cool products to give to my wonderful readers. So be sure to bookmark my blog and become a follower to get in on the contests. I will have some baby stuff but also some stuff for mommy and daddy!! Because you all know that once the baby comes, mommy and daddy get put on the back burner.

2009-04-12T09:08:00.000-04:00

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." Matthew 28:1-10

Happy Easter Everyone!! He is risen!!!!

Winners!!

2009-04-12T00:27:00.002-04:00

Ok so here are the winners of the SInupret for Kids giveaway!

Here are your random numbers:

1 5 8 Timestamp: 2009-04-12 04:29:56 UTC

So the winners are:

tatertot374

Tj and Amy

Mommy Kerrie

I will contact you and you have 3 days to claim your prize! Congrats!!!!!

Stay tuned for more wonderful giveaways!! I currently have 3 lined up!! I can't wait for you to see what I have to give you!!!

Good news!!

2009-04-05T20:27:00.002-04:00

I got special permission from the makers of Sinupret for Kids to extend my giveaway for another week!! So for all of you that didn't get in to enter in time, click here to enter. The new deadline will be Friday April 10th at 7pm.

On another note, I just won my first ever prize from a blogger giveaway!! Woo Hoo!!! Kerrie over at the Kerrie Show picked me as a winner for Space Bags. I can't wait to get it and try it out!!!

GIVEAWAY!!!

2009-03-31T13:25:00.011-04:00

So I teased about a future giveaway and the time has come!! The wonderful people at Sinupret for Kids has agreed to sponsor this giveaway.

Sinupret for Kids is a safe, natural remedy that supports healthy sinus, respiratory and immune function. No other clinically tested natural remedies are available today in the US that support all three functions.

Sinupret and Sinupret for Kids are one of the world’s leading herbal remedies for upper respiratory health for children and adults ages 2 and up. Sinupret for Kids is available in a cherry-flavored syrup.

The 3 winners of this giveaway will receive the following package of great stuff!!!

*A copy of Dr. Bob Sears bestselling book The Healthiest Kids in the Neighborhood
*A sample of Sinupret
*Yellow children's binoculars
*Sinupret for Kids Activity Books
*Sinupret for Kids Stickers
*Mini Plush Bear

To enter this giveaway, go to Sinupret and take a look around. Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me something you learned that is not in my description above. You MUST have a valid email address or you will be disqualified.

For extra entries:
-Follow my blog publicly (1 extra entry)
-Fave me on Technorati (1 extra entry)
-blog about my contest and link back to this post (5 extra entries)
-tweet about this contest on twitter (3 extra entries)
Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry that you earn.

The contest will run until Saturday April 4th at 7:00 pm. Three winners will be chosen by Random.org and notified within 2 days. You will have 3 days to claim your prize or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

Lots of things

2009-03-25T20:29:00.006-04:00

So I know that it has been a while since I wrote anything. Life has happened. We have been busy. It's getting nice outside now so we try to spend as much time outside as possible. We have been taking walks in the evenings in hopes that I lose some more of this baby weight that I've been carrying around. (Actually, I weigh less now than I did when I got pregnant!! I guess being pregnancy really agrees with me.) But I guess I'm just trying to say that we have been enjoying the evenings and I haven't taken time to sit down and write anything.

Eli is getting big! He thinks he's a lot bigger than he really is sometimes. He loves to stand up and look all around. We ordered him an exersaucer this week. I can't wait to see him when we put him in it for the first time.

We got his 3 month portraits done at Olan Mills. They just came in and we are picking them up tomorrow. So I will be sure to post some of them soon.

And now for my big announcement.....

I am gearing up to host a really cool giveaway. The makers of Sinupret have generously agreed to supply prize packages for up to 5 winners. I am just trying to decide what I want to do for the giveaway. Any cool ideas??

3 months

2009-03-17T19:58:00.003-04:00

Eli is 3 months old today! My, how time flies!! Here are some recent pictures that we have taken. We got some portraits done at Olan Mills over the weekend. I will post those as soon as we get them.

How do they do that?

2009-03-11T13:45:00.002-04:00

I've come across some new blogs lately. A few of them get to review new products. The company sends them the product to review and they can do whatever they want with it. Most of them review it on their blog and then have a contest to give it away.

How do they do that? How would I go about getting some free products to review? I love free stuff and I'm not afraid to give my opinion. I would love to get some baby products, cleaning and household items, and cooking items. If anyone knows how I would do this, please let me know!

Out with the old and in with the new

2009-03-11T13:33:00.005-04:00

This week has been great week for us. We got our tax check about a month ago and decided that we really needed to get some new furniture for our living room. We have never had new furniture. The stuff we had was originally my parents and then my brothers and then ours. So we were overdue for some new stuff. About three weeks ago we went and ordered all new furniture. It FINALLY got here last night. I LOVE it!!! It makes our living room look so nice! I will take some pictures tonight and post them soon, I promise!

We also got a new dishwasher. When we bought our house, the realtor that owned it replaced the dishwasher because the old one didn't work. Well, they bought the cheapest one money could get. It didn't work hardly at all. We had to wash our dishes after they came out of the dishwasher. I guess it was better than not having one at all but I was tired of it and so was Big John. So we got a new one. It's really nice. It's a Whirlpool and it's really spacious on the inside. The best feature is that the silverware basket is on the door so it doesn't take up all the room on the bottom rack.

Our refrigerator is stainless on the front and black on the sides. Now with our new dishwasher, which is black, the white stove we had didn't match anymore. So I got a new stove also. It's a 5 burner cook top. It's so nice! It all makes our kitchen look so modern and cool!!

I also got a new Kitchenaid stand mixer. I have wanted one since they came out and I finally got one. I love to make and decorate cakes so this will come in handy!! I would really like to start baking more. Maybe I will post recipes and pictures of what I am baking. What do you think?

Awesome giveaway!

2009-03-09T13:06:00.001-04:00

Check out this blog for an awesome giveaway! It is a must have product for any mom with a little one that needs covered up! I wish I would've thought of the idea!

Eli's baptism

2009-03-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

Here are some picture of Eli's baptism:

He didn't like the goofy hat that came with the outfit so we didn't make him wear it.

Big John and I standing with the other families getting ready to baptize their kids.

Pastor Tim praying over Eli.

Pastor Tim baptizing Eli.

Big John, me, Eli, and Pastor Tim

The whole family.

Big shoes to fill

2009-03-06T13:11:00.003-05:00

I call Big John that for a reason. He's a big guy! He's about 6'6" and he wears a size 15 shoe. The other day, we had a family get together after Eli's baptism (pictures to follow shortly). This is a picture of my best friend's baby (who is 5 months older than Eli) and Eli standing in Big John's snow boots. Yes they are really his shoes! And yes they really fit his big ol' feet. I told Eli he has some big shoes to fill!!

We think Eli and Ethan will be good friends when they grow up. Just look... They are already holding hands.

Thank you Daycare!

2009-03-06T13:06:00.004-05:00

Eli is sick. AGAIN! He has a cold again. Thank you Daycare for spreading around your germs to my little guy. What are these parents thinking sending their kids to daycare when they are sick? Why can't they just keep their germy kids home like I do? Eli is clingy and pitiful when he is sick. Just like any guy, Big John included. Just how pitiful is he when he's sick?

Enough said.

Things change

2009-02-27T10:54:00.003-05:00

A lot of things change when you have a baby. Here is a list of the major things that change that you don't hear about usually!

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.

2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.

3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

4. You respect your body ... finally.

5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.

6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.

7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.

8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.

9. Your heart breaks much more easily.

10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.

11. Every day is a surprise.

12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)

13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

14. You become a morning person. (I'm not quite there yet!)

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

16. You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth.

17. You now know where the sun comes from.

18. You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night.

19. Silence? What's that?

20. You realize that the 15 pounds you can't seem to get rid of are totally worth having.

21. You discover an inner strength you never thought you had.

22. You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule.

23. You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one.

24. Your dog — who used to be your 'baby' — becomes just a dog.

25. You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late.

26. You learn that taking a shower is a luxury.

27. You realize that you can love a complete stranger.

28. You find yourself wanting to make this world a better place.

29. If you didn’t believe in love at first sight before, now you do!

It's Bumbo not Dumbo

2009-02-25T09:16:00.005-05:00

We got Eli a Bumbo seat the other day. He absolutely loves it and so do we! He can sit in it unassisted and loves to just look all around. I feed him his cereal in it sometimes. It is really nice because it helps develop the neck and back muscles so he can sit up on his own sooner.

We were really hoping that once he started eating cereal he would start sleeping better (translate: longer) at night. Before cereal, we would lay him down at 10 pm and he would sleep solid until 4 am. Now we lay him down at 10 and he is up at 12:30 but he's not hungry. He just wakes up crying. Then he's up again at 2:30 to eat and again at 5:30. So to say that we are tired is a HUGE understatement! I talked to his doctor this morning and she said that we just have to let him cry at 12:30 and he will start to realize that he doesn't need to wake up. I am able to do this ok but I don't know about Big John. We'll see...

Time flies!!

2009-02-23T10:55:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's already been a week since I posted last. I don't know how time gets away from me so much!

Eli had his 2 month check up last week. Again, where has the time gone? He weighs 12lbs 15 oz. and is 24 1/4 inches long. He is in the 75 percentile for his age. Which means he's a big boy which we already knew. We started him on cereal at night. I feed it to him with a spoon. At first he didn't know what to think about it. Now, I can't shovel it in fast enough for him!

I am really hoping that he will start sleeping better now. Maybe even sleep through the night! He got 3 shots in his little legs. He did really good with them though. He only cried for a few minutes after they were done and then he was all smiles again. Such a trooper!

Saturday night Big John and I left Eli with his Mamaw and went out on a date. It's the first time we have left him like this. We had such a good time. We went to dinner, Lowes, Walmart, and the mall. It was nice to be able to take our time and shop.

Next Sunday, Eli is getting baptized. I can't wait!! I will be sure to post pictures of it!

Sick baby and rude people

2009-02-16T16:39:00.005-05:00

Eli caught Big John's cold this week. We started noticing it on Thursday and by Sunday morning he sounded pretty bad. When he tried to cry it came out as mostly squeaks. So we decided to take him to the doctor to make sure it wasn't anything serious. When we got there I had to sign in at the front desk and fill out some paperwork. The girl working was extremely rude. She didn't say a word to me until I was finished with the paperwork. I sat the clip board down on the counter so I could get out Eli's insurance card. She looked up and said in a mean voice- "Where's his insurance card?" If you know me, you know that I don't deal with rude people very well. Add to this the anxiety I was feeling over Eli being sick and it could have been a deadly combination. But since I work within the health system in question, I just smiled and handed her the card. She said that she was busy with everyone else's registration and she would get his card back to me when she could. So we went and sat down in the waiting room. About 25 minutes later, a nurse calls our name. She said that we should've been put into a room immediately since Eli was so little and hasn't had his shots yet and they don't want him to catch anything sitting in the waiting room. Nice of them to let us know right away! So we went into the room and saw the doctor, who was very nice. We got all done and went to check out. And wouldn't you know that girl was rude also. I asked her why our copay was higher there then at a regular doctor's office and she barked at me that they were considered urgent care and we have a higher copay for urgent care. I was relieved that Eli wasn't too sick so again I didn't say anything. But thinking about it now I think I will send a letter to the manager of the office. As an employee, I understand that it can get very overwhelming in a busy doctor's office. But the general public doesn't understand that. I can't imagine how many unhappy parents there are out there if this is how they are all the time.

On a good note, Eli is doing a lot better now. We got a vaporizer for his bedroom and it worked wonders. He doesn't sound nearly as hoarse today.

Big John and I found some furniture that we LOVE!! It is very different and includes a huge chair that spins around 360 degrees!! How much fun will it be for us to put Eli in it when he is a little bigger and spin him around and around! Here is a picture of it. We are thinking about getting the couch and the chair and the ottoman which isn't pictured.

The chair is so big that when I sit with my back against the back of it,my feet barely reach the edge of the cushions. It is so comfy!! And it's unique which is a big reason that we like it. They had a sectional couch on display and I like it a lot better but we don't think that it would work in our living room. Well, it would but we would have to buy one of those very expensive TVs that you can hang on the wall. So I don't think that's going to be an option! Hopefully we will be able to get all the furniture soon so we can start on the other rooms I want to redo. I can almost hear Big John groaning at me right now...

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T11:11:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone!! My mommy decided to put me in this outfit and then embarrass me by taking a million pictures of me in it. Luckily I decided to not cooperate and either cry or move a lot so most of them didn't turn out. HAHA Mommy!!! You think she would learn that I don't like my picture taken but nooooo! Anyway, happy Valentines Day. And to all the ladies out there, yes I am single.

Survivor's back!!!

2009-02-12T10:15:00.006-05:00

Let me tell you how sad our lives have become. The highlight of my week is that fact that Survivor premiers tonight. We are Survivor junkies!! Let me explain just how addicted we are. A few years ago I was in a car wreck. My car was totalled and I needed to go to the ER to be checked out. I didn't want to go by ambulance so Big John just drove me there. It was on the night that Survivor premiered and we knew we would never make it home in time. So I suggested that on the way from the wreck to the hospital we make a little detour and stop at home to make sure the DVR was set to record it. How sad are we!!!! Everyone knows not to call us on Thursday nights between 8 and 9 unless someone is dying. And even then, it's iffy on getting us to answer the phone. I am just so psyched that it is finally back on!!! We are also American Idol junkies. Really, there are a lot of reality shows that we watch. We have our tv schedule set. Are you like that too? We have certain shows that we watch every night through the week. We now have our DVR set up to record all of them just in case something happens and we aren't able to watch them. I know... we need help. :standing up: Hello, I'm Big John's Girl and I am addicted to my TV shows!

Big John is sick today. We both started feeling like we were getting colds the other day. Mine hasn't gotten much worse but Big John is feeling pretty crummy today. He is running a fever and has a sore throat. So instead of him picking Eli up from daycare like normal he is going to go home and sleep all day. I will be picking Eli up this afternoon after I get off of work. I am really looking forward to it. I just want to see for myself what all is going on while he is there.

I am getting back in to the routine of working a lot easier than I thought I would. I can't wait until 4:30 everyday so I can rush home and see Eli. That is the highlight of my day now. Walking through the front door and seeing Eli smile at me! It melts my heart! He has his first Valentines day this week and I know for a fact that he is getting a Valentine from at least one little girl at his daycare. How cute is that!!!

Whew!!

2009-02-10T11:25:00.002-05:00

Where has the time gone? I can't believe that I am back to work already! Eli will be 2 months old next week. Hard to believe huh? I apologize for falling off the face of the earth. I have just been spending every spare minute with my little man.

Yesterday was my first day back to work. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do when I left Eli at the daycare. It was the first time I have left him with someone other than family and for more than just an hour or two. I was a crying mess all morning. But I made it and Eli make it also. Today was a little easier for me. I didn't cry! It just makes me look forward to spending the evenings at home now.

We got our tax check the other day and I have a HUGE list of projects I would like to accomplish. We redid our kitchen this past weekend. We are going to get new furniture in our living room, redo our master bathroom, paint the dining room, and rip out a wall in the laundry room. Big John is dreading all the work I'm going to make him do. But I can't wait to get it all done! It will be like a whole new house!

Eli is smiling now. It just melts my heart every time he looks at me and smiles really big! Last week we had to take him to Riley Children's Hospital for a few tests (everything is just fine) and he weighed 12 pounds 1.5 ounces. He is a BIG boy!! I can't wait until his 2 month check up next week to see how long he is.

Thanks for all the emails making sure I was ok since I haven't posted anything for a while. I hope to be able to get back to regular posts again now that I am getting into a better routine.

Here are a few pictures to tide you all over until next time!

Eli is here!!!

2008-12-30T20:32:00.006-05:00

I am sorry that it's taken me so long to post about Eli's birth. It has been a busy and exhausting 2 weeks. But without further ado...

Monday Dec. 15th Big John and I headed to the hospital to check in and start my induction. We got all the paperwork done and the nurses started my blood work and IV. They gave me my first dose of cytotec. It is a pill that is supposed to ripen your cervix and thin it out to start dilation. They told me that I would get a dose every 4 hours through the night and then the next morning they would start me on pitocin. After about 30 minutes I started having some minor contractions. They felt more like menstrual cramps than contractions. Big John and I were able to play some cards and watch some tv. After the first 4 hours the nurse came in and told me that I couldn't get my next dose of Cytotec because I was having too many contractions. So that was good news. The medicine was working really good. They came in and gave me a sleeping pill and we settled down for the night. The next morning they came in at 5am and started me on the Pitocin. It is an IV medicine that stimulates the uterus into having contractions. The doctor checked me at that time and I was dilated to 2 and 60% effaced. My cramps started getting stronger but still weren't strong enough to make me stop what I was doing. My family came down to the hospital to visit and so they could be there when Eli made his appearance. At about noon the doctor came in to check on my progress. I was dilated to 2 and 80% effaced. So I was making absolutely no progress. The doctor decided to take me off of the Pitocin for the night and give me Cervidil. It is a tablet that is attached to a string that they insert in your vagina and place it right on your cervix. This is supposed to do the same thing that the Cytotec was supposed to do. The doctor told me that they would leave it in for 12 hours and at 5 am on Wed. he would come in and break my water for me.

I started getting cramps again almost immediately after they inserted the Cervidil. Again they weren't that bad but were stronger than they had been until then. I got another sleeping pill and settled down for what I thought would be my last night of sleep for a while. I woke up at around 12:30 to a really strange feeling. Then before I knew it, my water broke. Now when I say it broke, I mean it really gushed. I am so happy that it happened at the hospital. It would've been really embarrassing if it happened anywhere else. Big John ran out and got the nurse and she came in and got everything cleaned up.

After that, my contractions started coming faster and harder. The doctor came in around 5 am and checked me. I had made some progress already. He said that he expected to be in around dinner time to deliver me since I was a first time mom. All morning my pain got worse and worse. There were so many times that I didn't think I could do it anymore and I started thinking about getting some pain medicine. Big John kept me going though. He kept telling me how strong I was and how proud he was of me. Finally I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. I called the nurse in and started asking her about the epidural. She had me get in bed so she could check me before calling the anesthesiologist. She checked and told me that I was dilated to 8 and it wouldn't be much longer. She also said that she thought Eli was face up. Which is really bad. She had me labor on my side with a birthing ball between my legs for a few contractions to see if we could coax him to turn around. If we couldn't, the doctor would have to reach in and manually turn him around. It turns out both Big John and I were face up and had to be turned by the doctor. The whole time I was on my side I had the urge to push that was so strong I couldn't resist it. I just had to push. The nurse kept telling me that it wasn't time to push yet and I had to stop. That was the hardest part of the whole process. It took everything I had to stop pushing. Finally she decided to check me again and told me that I was at a nine and there was only a lip of my cervix left. She said that the next contraction she was going to try to stretch that lip over the baby's head so I could start pushing.

Just then the doctor poked his head in the room. He was at the hospital on his lunch and wanted to check my progress. The nurse told him to call the office and tell them he wouldn't be back. He didn't believe her so he had to come and check me himself. He checked and said that the lip was still there but he was able to stretch it over the baby's head. He left the room to scrub up and get ready to deliver me. Meanwhile the nurse started preparing me for pushing. She had Big John get on one side and hold one of my legs for me while she was on the other side holding the other leg. She had me do a few practice pushes and then I was ready for the real thing.

I started pushing at 1:15. It was so exhilarating to be able to finally push. I asked them to move the mirror around so I could watch Eli come into the world. But as it turns out I couldn't push with my eyes open. I did manage one peak and got to see him crowning. Big John was so good to me. He was cheering me on and telling me everything he could see. He watched the whole thing! The nurse was cheering me on just as much as Big John was. She kept telling me what a good job I was doing and how impressed she was with how well I was pushing for a first time mom. The doctor came in and couldn't believe how much progress I had made already. He had expected it to take me a few hours to deliver. It turns out that I pushed for only 30 minutes and Eli was born at 1:46 in the afternoon. Just a little over 12 hours after my water broke. He weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. I can't describe the feeling I got when they laid him on my chest. It was the most amazing and powerful feeling I have ever felt. I instantly loved him enough that I would lay down my life for him.

It has been a wonderful, amazing, exhausting, exhilarating, empowering, and happy 2 weeks since Elijah David was born. I hope to post more often now that he is sleeping better and is on somewhat of a schedule. Meanwhile, here are some photos to tide you over until next time. Also you can check out my Flickr page for more...

We have a plan...

2008-12-10T11:26:00.002-05:00

Ok so here is our plan. Friday at 1:30 we are going to the doctor's office to have an amniocentesis done to make sure Eli's lungs are developed and ready for him to breathe. We'll get the results on Monday morning and if everything is ok we will check into the hospital Monday evening at 5pm to start my induction. I am so excited and anxious and happy and nervous at the same time. I just love the fact that we know when he's going to be here now. Unless he decides to come on his own sometime before Monday. But I doubt that.

Yesterday at my appt. I was a fingertip dilated and 30% effaced. So I have made a little progress since last week but not much. I also found out I am Group B Strep positive. Group B Strep is a bacteria that naturally occurs in 1 out of 5 women. It is harmless in adults but could be harmful in a baby. If the baby were to get the bacteria during the birth he could develop menengitis. So to avoid that, I will have antibiotics through an IV during labor and delivery.

So that is our update for now. Hopefully, the next time I write a post it will be about our birth story and pictures of Eli!!!!!

Not so patiently waiting...

2008-12-09T10:12:00.002-05:00

My doctor's appointment isn't until 4:15 today. I seriously feel like I have already been at work for 8 hours. I hate how when you are looking forward to something it makes the day go by so slowly! I have a feeling this will be one of the longest days in my life!! I just want to go to the doctor and find out what our plan is. I am hoping that they schedule the amniocentesis for tomorrow or Thursday and then schedule my induction for sometime in the next week.

I have been having some contractions off and on. Nothing regular enough to go to the hospital or anything. But enough to make me think that maybe today I will have some progress as far as dilation goes. At least I hope I have...

I hate not knowing what is going on with my body! I hate waiting for each doctor's appt. But at the same time, it's so exciting when we do go to the doctor because I know it's getting so close and Eli will be here before we know it!

There are nights that I go into his nursery and just sit and look around. I wonder what he's going to look like. I wonder if he will look more like Big John or me. I wonder if he will sleep good for us. I wonder what his personality will be like. I wonder what he will be like while he's growing up. I wonder about the man that he will grow up to be. I just sit and rub my big ol belly and talk to him and tell him how much I already love him and how ready I am to meet him! And then I tell him that if he doesn't choose to come out on his own within the next week I am going to evict him! Aren't I a nice mommy???

I will update after our doctor's appointment today. It seems like it's still hours and hours away. But really I only have 6 more hours to go... And only 5 more hours until I leave work for the day!! I hope it goes by quickly for me!!!

36 week appointment

2008-12-04T12:59:00.003-05:00

Big John and I went to our 36 week check up yesterday. We had an ultrasound to see how big Eli is since I have been measuring ahead the whole time. At 36 weeks an average baby weighs about 6 pounds. Eli tipped the scales at a whopping 7 pounds 11 ounces already. Yes that is no typo. He weighs 7 pounds 11 ounces already!! That is more than some newborns I have been around! So the plan right now is we go for our next appt. on Tuesday. Between now and then my doctor's (I see 3 different ones) are going to talk and come up with a plan of action. I will be induced either next week or the week of Dec. 15th. Since we are inducing before I will be 39 weeks I have to have an amniocentesis done to make sure his lungs are fully developed and ready for him to breathe. So here is what I am hoping will happen. We will go to our appt. on Tuesday and they will do the amnio that day. The results will come back the next day and we'll be good to go. And then we will check into the hospital on Friday Dec. 12th to be induced. Like I said, that is what I'm hoping for. That doesn't necessarily mean that's what is going to happen.

I lost 2 pounds from my last appt 2 weeks ago. So I have lost a total of 12 pounds this pregnancy. Which tells me that Eli is sucking all the food I put into my body!!

The doctor did mention that Eli's renal pelvis is dilated a little tiny bit. But there is no cause for concern about it right now. He will have to have an ultrasound done on his kidneys after he's born to see if it's still dilated. If it is, he will just have to be on antibiotics for a few days. So no worries!!

I have a list of things I want to accomplish this weekend just in case they do schedule our induction for sometime next week. I want to make sure that my house is clean and all the laundry is done. I need to finish packing our hospital bags. But I am pretty sure that everything is done that needs to be done for Eli. His room is all ready for him to come home!! I like to go back there and just imagine what he's going to look like. I can't wait to be able to hold him!!!

I am still planning on having a drug free birth. Well, except for the drugs they have to give me to induce. But I am planning on having a pain medicine free birth. The way I see it is I have nothing to compare the contractions to. So for all I know my contractions aren't going to be any worse than they would be if I went into labor on my own. And please if you are going to comment, don't tell me your horror stories. If you want to leave a comment about your induction, tell me how wonderful it was or don't tell me anything at all. I don't need any negative comments about how I shouldn't induce or how bad my labor will be. I will never understand why women do that too each other. We should be supportive of each other and cheer someone on instead of telling them how horrible something will be...

So for right now we are at a stand still unless I happen to go into labor on my own between now and Tuesday afternoon. But I don't think that's very likely since I'm not dilated at all yet! The doctor did tell us one way to bring on labor naturally is to have lots of sex. I think Big John kind of liked that idea!!!

Be thankful

2008-11-27T00:00:00.002-05:00

I have so much to be thankful for this year. God has really done some amazing things in my life this year. So here is my list of things I am thankful for...

~ I'm thankful for our new house. We bought it at just the right time for the economy. We love it and it will be the perfect place to bring Eli home to.

~ I'm thankful that I am pregnant. It took us 20 months and a lot of prayer to get here. But again, it happened for us at the perfect time. God had it in His plan the whole time.

~ I'm thankful that I have had an easy healthy pregnancy so far. I have absolutely loved being pregnant. I thank God everyday that I am healthy and that Eli is healthy.

~I'm thankful for Big John. He is such a wonderful husbband and will be such a wonderful daddy. He is so supportive of me and my hopes and dreams. I couldn't ask for a better husband or father for my children. ~~I love you, Big John!!~~

~I'm thankful for our families. They are all so wonderful and we love them all so much. They have all been so supportive and helpful to us throughout this whole pregnancy. I thank God for each and every one of them.

~I'm thankful that in these troubled and uncertain times we both have safe and secure jobs that we love. I can't imagine not knowing when my next paycheck is coming in.

~I'm thankful for all of my friends. Without all of you, I would be lost.

~I'm thankful that we found a church that we love. I look forward to getting up each Sunday morning and going to church. And for those of you that have known me for a while, you know how big of a change this is for me.

~I'm thankful for everything I have experienced this year whether it was good or bad.

I'm sure that there is so much more that I'm thankful for but those are the most important ones. As you all eat way too much today and watch tons of football, think about what you are thankful for and realize what all we have that we all take for granted everyday. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

We Graduated!

2008-11-25T11:26:00.003-05:00

Well, last night was our last childbirth prep class. We have officially graduated and now we know everything there is to know about labor and delivery. Right?? I wish... I do know that we are ready to face the challenge ahead. I asked Big John on the way home last night if he was ready to be a good coach and help me through it all. He said that he is definitely ready. We got to tour the labor and delivery unit of the hospital and the mother baby unit also. It was so cool to see where we will be in a few weeks. It really hit me hard when I saw the labor rooms. And the baby warmers and the teeny tiny hats they keep for the babies. And then I saw a brand new mommy and baby being transferred to the mother baby unit and her baby was just a few hours old. I quickly realized that I will soon be the one holding the little bundle while being pushed into our new room across the hall. WOW!!

The hospital we are delivering at just went through a huge change in the child birthing center. They are now considered a "baby friendly hospital." Which pretty much just means that they don't let mothers send their new babies off to the nursery to be cared for anymore. The babies "room in" with mommy at all times. They also promote breastfeeding. So they will not supplement with formula unless it is absolutely necessary. Also they encourage mom to nurse within 30 minutes after baby is born. Which fits perfect with my birth plan. I want as much skin-to-skin contact with Eli as soon as he as born as I can get. I also want to nurse for the first time before they do all of his shots and blood work and things like that. They will no longer give baby a pacifier. If you want your baby to have one you have to bring it with you. They recommend that you don't give your baby a pacifier until well after breastfeeding has been established. So a few weeks to a month or maybe even longer than that. All of this fits in with our wishes though. So it's the perfect place for us to give birth. However, I can imagine that they will have some unhappy mothers when they realize that they baby stays in your room all the time now. No more sending the baby to the nursery so you can have a break. You actually have to learn how to care for your baby and bond with him.

We are completely ready for Eli to get here now. We went last weekend and bought the rest of the stuff we wanted off of our registry that we didn't get at my baby showers. So I think we have everything we want now. The only thing left to do is to wash one more load of clothes and strip his bedding off and wash it. Also we need to install the car seat in the car. I have started packing Eli's hospital bag and need to work on getting mine packed and ready to go. I have my list of people to call on the way to the hospital and one of people to call after he's finally here!

I go back to the doctor on Dec. 3rd for my 36 week check up. I will have an ultrasound that day to see how big he is now and estimate how big he will be. They will also check to see if I have started to dilate yet. I am really excited about this part of the process. I am hoping that they tell me I'm already dilated a little bit. I guess we'll see in a week...

Pregnancy quetsions and answers

2008-11-21T14:54:00.003-05:00

I have come across a ton of funny questions from mom's to be and even dads to be on different websites. The following are some of the funnier questions and the answers I would give if asked...

BEFORE THE PREGNANCY:

Am I more likely to get pregnant if my husband wears boxers rather then briefs?
Yes, but you'll have an even better chance if he doesn't wear anything at all.

Are birth control pills deductible?
Only if they don't work.

What is a chastity belt?
A labor-saving device.

Should I have a baby after 35?
No, 35 children are enough.

Can a mother get pregnant while nursing?
Yes, but it's much easier if she removes the baby from her breast and puts him to sleep first.

My husband and I are very attractive. I'm sure our baby will be beautiful enough for commercials. Whom should I contact about this?
Your therapist.

DURING THE PREGNANCY:

How will I know if my vomiting is morning sickness or the flu?
If it's the flu, you'll get better.

I normally wear a size 34-C bra. Now that I'm pregnant, should I continue to wear a bra?
Not if you don't mind switching in the future to a size 34-Long.

What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
Childbirth.

I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Since I became pregnant, my breasts, rear end, and even my feet have grown. Is there anything that gets smaller during pregnancy?
Yes, your bladder.

Ever since I've been pregnant, I haven't been able to go to bed at night without onion rings. Is this a normal craving?
Depends on what you're doing with them.

Under what circumstances can sex at the end of pregnancy bring on labor?
When the sex is between your husband and another woman.

What position should the baby be in during the ninth month of pregnancy?
Head down, pressing firmly on your bladder.

My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

What does it mean when the baby's head is crowning?
It means you feel as though not only a crown but the entire throne is trying to make it's way out of you.

What are forceps?
Giant baby tweezers.

Does labor cause hemorrhoids?
Labor causes anything you want to blame it for.

AFTER THE PREGNANCY:

Will I love my dog less when the baby is born?
No, but your husband might get on your nerves.

Under what circumstances should a baby not be circumcised?
When it's a girl, for starters.

Where is the best place to store breast milk?
In your breasts.

Is there a safe alternative to breast pumps?
Yes, baby lips.

What does it mean when a baby is born with teeth?
It means that the baby's mother may want to rethink her plans to nurse.

How does one sanitize nipples?
Bathe daily and wear a clean bra. It beats boiling them in a saucepan.

What are the terrible twos?
Your breasts after baby stops nursing cold turkey.

What is the best time to wean the baby from nursing?
When you see teeth marks.

What is the grasp reflex?
The reaction of new father's when he sees new mother's breasts.

What happens to disposable diapers after they're thrown away?
They are stored in a silo in the Midwest, in the event of global chemical warfare.

Do I have to have a baby shower?
Not if your change the baby's diaper very quickly.

What causes baby blues?
Tanned, hard-bodied bimbos.

What is colic?
A reminder for new parents to use birth control.

Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
When the kids are in college.

Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
Yes, pregnancy.

If you have any pregnancy related questions, feel free to ask me. I feel like I could solve the world's problems today.

Veterans Day

2008-11-11T09:22:00.003-05:00

You gave for peace with courage
That families may be free
So children could grow strong
And safe they'd ever be.

In giving for the sake of peace
You may have suffered loss
Your body may still show its wounds
From taking up the cause.

May remembrance of your time away
Your sacrifice for peace
Spur us on to strive more strongly
For freedom, that there will be release.

From causes that sent some away
To fight that we may freely live
With gratefulness we thank you, veterans
For all you gave and give!"

I know that there is a lot of things in today's society that we complain about. And there are even more things that we don't agree with. But even if you don't agree with the decisions that have been made please thank a veteran today. Without them, we would have a lot more to complain about and probably wouldn't have the freedom to do so. So let's put aside our differences and go out of our way to thank a veteran today.

Also, I would like to extend a special thank you of my own. My dad served our country in the Vietnam war. I would like to say a special thanks to him. He is proud of his time served and I am proud of him for it. He's one of my hero's and I admire him for everything he does and everything he has done. Thanks Dad for your service for our country! I love you!

Come and join the fun

2008-11-10T11:03:00.003-05:00

I thought it would be a lot of fun to do a baby pool. So I started one. You can guess on birthday, time born, sex of the baby, length and weight. After the baby's born I will enter all the info and the website will automatically pick a winner for me! And there may be a prize involved! Nothing spectacular but something small... So head on over to this website to enter your guess!!

Childbirth Class

2008-11-07T12:58:00.003-05:00

We started our Childbirth Prep class this week. I was really looking forward to it but I don't think that Big John shared my enthusiasm. We were one of the first couples there. But after a little bit the room started to fill up. In total, there are 12 couples in class. There are 2 or 3 of us that are due in December and the rest are in Jan or Feb.

The first thing that Big John noticed about the room were the birthing balls. He asked if we could play kick ball with them and I suggested that dodge ball would work better. We started off with an ice breaker where we went around the room and said our names, when we were due and where we were from. There is a girl that is having twins. There is also a couple that doesn't know the sex of their baby yet. They want to be surprised. There is a girl that brought her mom as her coach because her husband is in Iraq and may not make it back in time for the birth of their first child. I can't imagine not having Big John right beside me throughout my pregnancy.

We watched a really cheesy video about the signs of preterm labor. We then broke into groups- one with moms and one with coaches. The nurse teaching the class asked the same questions of both groups. What physical changes have you noticed in mom's body? And What do you want to know before you go into labor. The difference in the questions between the two groups was pretty funny. I could tell that not all the coaches are as involved and informed as Big John is.

After we did all that, we all went to the back of the room and got on the mats on the floor. The nurse showed the coaches how to massage mom's lower back while she is having contractions. I volunteered for her to demonstrate on me. It was so wonderful!! Then she showed Big John how to do it and he perfected it pretty quickly. I think that is one skill I will utilize when I'm in labor. We also got to sit on the birthing ball. It was also wonderful! It took pressure off of my back and pelvis. It felt so good just sitting and rocking back and forth already I can't imagine how good it will feel when I'm in labor. I am definitely going to look into getting one of them for myself!

That was pretty much our entire class. There were a few of the guys that Big John got along with pretty well. They were all laughing and making jokes together. So I think he ended up enjoying himself. We get to do this every Monday in November.

We also had our regular 2 week check up this week. Nothing much to report from it. Everything is still the same. I am still measuring ahead. The plan is still to wait until 36 weeks and have an ultrasound. I haven't gained any weight since my last appt so I was pretty happy about that.

I've been there...

2008-10-27T13:09:00.002-04:00

For almost 2 years this song describes exactly how I felt. Now, through God's amazing grace, I don't have to feel like that anymore. I thank God everyday for the miracle that he gave us. I know that it is only because of him that we are now expecting Eli. He made us wait until the timing was perfect and I realize that now. So for those of you that are struggling with infertility, I understand. I've been there. The best advice I can give you is to give it all to God. Let go of control. I know how hard that is to do. Believe me, I know. But let my story be an example for you. When God knows it's the right time, it will happen for you. In the meantime, hang in there and keep praying and stay strong. Keep your faith strong! And grab some Kleenex's because this makes me cry every time I watch it!

3d ultrasound

2008-10-25T15:10:00.004-04:00

We had a 3d ultrasound today! It was so amazing! We could see him in so much detail! We got total confirmation that he is a boy. Here are a few of the pictures that we got and the rest can be seen on my flickr page.

Doctor's appt. Update

2008-10-24T10:56:00.004-04:00

I had another check up on Tuesday. It gets kind of tedious going to the doctor every 2 weeks now. But at least I get to listen to Eli's heartbeat at every appointment. Since October 7th I have gained 1 pound. But I have lost 14 pounds total this pregnancy. Last Friday night I found out that I can still wear my pre-pregnancy jeans buttoned and zipped at 7 1/2 months pregnant. I think that's pretty incredible!! Eli's heartbeat was 146 just like it has been. I should be measuring between 30 and 32 fundal height. I am measuring right at 34 1/2. So what that translates into is that Eli is bigger than he should be at this point. So the doctor said that at my 36 week check up we will have an ultrasound. If he is still measuring big then we will have some decisions to make. We can induce labor but if we do it before 39 weeks they will have to do an amniocentesis to make sure his lungs are functioning properly. If I am still pregnant at 39 weeks, which is Christmas Eve, then they will induce at that time. However, if I go into labor on my own anytime after 36 weeks they won't do anything to stop it. Big John and I talked about it and we have decided that we won't induce early. There are too many risks involved with the amnio. Plus, it's a HUGE needle and I don't do needles very well.

I asked the doctor about an old wives tale I've always heard about more babies being born during a full moon. He said that it is definitely true. It has something to do with the moons effect on the pull of gravity that makes women's water break. So I looked at the calendar. There is a full moon on December 12th. I will be 37 weeks 2 days at that time. So that is my goal date for delivery. I know it doesn't work like that but I can hope right???

Monday evening I had my maternity portraits taken by a good friend of mine. It was so much fun and the pictures turned out great! Here are just a few of the many that she took for us!

You can click on the link for my FLICKR page over on the right side to see the rest of the pictures.

We are having a 3d/4d ultrasound done tomorrow! I am so excited I can hardly sit still!! I will be sure to post the pictures of that asap. We will be able to see what Eli is going to look like once he is born!!!

Trace Adkins!

2008-10-20T14:17:00.004-04:00

We went to see Trace Adkins in concert on Saturday night! He was wonderful! We also lucked out and got meet and greet passes which allowed us to go backstage and meet Trace face to face. And let me just say that he is a man of very few words. Big John asked him if he was going to sing the song "The Rest of Mine." Trace said he wasn't planning on it and Big John told him that he sang that song to me during our wedding ceremony 4 years ago. I don't think Trace was really impressed.

But the show was wonderful! Jason Michael Carroll and Craig Morgan were also there and performed. We didn't get to see a whole lot of Craig Morgan because that's when we were backstage. But from what I saw he did a good job.

Here are some pictures from Trace's portion of the show...

Here's how far away from the stage we really were! Big John likes to joke that from where we were, the concert was just a rumor!!

And here is Big John and Trace. Have you ever seen two hotter men standing next to each other? OH MY!! I think I need a minute to compose myself!

And here are me and Eli with Trace... I was going to ask him if he would rub my belly but then I chickened out at the last minute.

My first baby shower!

2008-10-20T14:09:00.003-04:00

I had my first baby shower yesterday. It was so much fun! I finally got to get a lot of little baby stuff!!! My two sisters-in-law threw the shower for me. They did such a wonderful job planning it. We did a few games because what is a shower without shower games! They did one that I have never played before. Everyone got a sheet of paper with each letter of the alphabet listed on it. Everyone had to come up with a baby related word that began with each letter. It was pretty tough! The winner had a word for every letter except A and X.

After the games, it was time for the presents (which is my favorite part!!!) I'm not going to post all of the pictures because if I did we'd be here all day. But here are a few...

This is the wonderful Snoopy that my mom made for me. Isn't she talented??

Here is a cute little onesie and matching bib my sister-in-law Jenn got for Eli. Someone said that M is for Morgan. I said it was for Monster!!

This is an incredibly soft blanket! I wish they made these for mommies too!

We really got a lot of nice things for Eli. And the best part... I get to do it all over again in 2 weeks!!!!

The funniest video I've seen in a while!!!

2008-10-17T18:47:00.002-04:00

4 Years ago today

2008-10-09T17:58:00.004-04:00

Where were you four years ago today? Do you know? I was getting married!! It was a wonderful day! We have come so far in just four short years. It seems like a life time together but in a good way. Just to give you an idea of how far we've come...

That was four years ago today! Isn't Big John the most handsome groom you've ever seen!?!

And here I am now. Actually this was yesterday. The first day of my third trimester!

Big difference, huh?

Happy anniversary Big John. Thanks for making this the happiest four years of my life!

How to survive your third trimester

2008-10-08T13:23:00.001-04:00

Here's a small glimpse into what my life is like at the moment:

How to sit down in a restaurant
1) Request a table.
2) Receive a booth.
3) Try to slide your enormous bulk into booth.
4) Note with alarm it's the sort of booth where table is bolted down.
5) Lift belly as high as it will go.
6) Inch your way into booth.
7) Release belly, which lands on table with a plop.
8) Rummage beneath belly for silverware and napkin.
9) Place silverware and napkin on belly, and ask waiter to just put your food there too.

How to put on a seat belt
1) Reach blindly beneath your gut, hoping to locate both ends of seat belt.
2) Find one end.
3) Use elbow to push poor, unsuspecting fetus to one side while you find other end.
4) Exhale fully and attempt to close belt.
5) No dice.
6) Let out belt until long enough to fit an elephant seal.
7) Close and tighten belt.
8) To avoid repeating, spend day in car.

How to avoid unhealthy snacks
1) Retrieve chocolate cake from fridge.
2) Close fridge door while reaching behind you to put cake on kitchen counter.
3) Lose balance and flail about like cartoon penguin.
4) Drop cake.
5) Scrape cake from floor, intending to eat it anyway.
6) Notice frosting is now embroidered with dust bunnies.
7) Sigh and throw cake away.

How to use a public bathroom
1) Attempt to cram self into stall.
2) Repeatedly get stuck between door and toilet.
3) Exit stall.
4) See that handicapped stall is free.
5) Glance around furtively.
6) Conclude that being in third trimester counts as handicap.
7) Dash into handicapped stall.
8) Do your business.
9) Discover toilet-paper dispenser is empty.
10) Shout for help.
11) Blush as person in wheelchair hands you TP under door.

How to tie your shoes
1) Sit on a firm, comfortable surface, right shoe in hand.
2) Raise right foot and place on left thigh.
3) Realize this is impossible.
4) Attempt with left shoe and left foot (also impossible).
5) Decide to do this standing up.
6) Bend toward floor.
7) Observe you have no idea where your feet are.
8) Wonder if a hand mirror might help.
9) It doesn't.
10) Phone neighbor to come over and tie your shoes.

That's not my hip!!!

2008-10-08T13:18:00.001-04:00

I am 28 weeks today! Finally, the start of my third trimester!! WHOO HOOO!!!!! I had my regular OB check-up yesterday. It was a very quick appointment. It kind of sucks that it takes longer for us to drive to the office than I spend with the doctor. But I guess that’s the way it’s going to be for the rest of the time. My weight is still the same that it was 2 weeks ago. My blood pressure was perfect! Eli’s heartbeat was 141. The doctor measured my fundal height (the distance from my pubic bone to the top of my uterus) and said that Eli is measuring even more ahead than he was two weeks ago! I just can’t believe how fast he is growing in there! At this rate, if I go full term, I’m going to have a 12 pound baby!! I am really planning on delivering the first part of December instead of my New Years Eve due date. The doctor didn’t seem concerned at all that he is so big. But I guess, looking at Big John he figures that it just runs in the family.

Because I have negative blood and Big John has positive blood, I had to get a shot called Rhogam. If the baby ends up having positive blood then my body could attack it as a foreign object. Rhogam prevents this from happening. I knew going in yesterday that I had to get the shot. The nurse comes in and asks which hip I want the shot in. I asked if I could get it in my arm and she said no because the needle is too long for the arm. It has to go in the hip. Now if any of you know me, you know how terrified I am of needles. So hearing that it was “too big” to go in my arm, I broke out into a cold sweat and started getting very scared. So she had me get up and lean over the table as far as I could. Yeah right. I’m pregnant, remember? I can’t lean over a table with my pregnant belly in the way. So I pretty much put my arms on the table and leaned over as far as I could and dropped my pants. Now I have to explain that these exam rooms are very small. So when I dropped my pants and leaned over the table, my big ol’ pregnant butt was pointed right at Big John’s face. Not the most flattering position to be in. But he’s a good sport and didn’t make a single comment about it. I felt the nurse rubbing the little alcohol pad on me and I realized that when she said hip she meant right in the fleshiest part of my right butt cheek!! Before I knew what was happening, she pinched my skin and shoved that big ol' needle straight into my butt! I don’t know why they do this. If you’re going to give me a shot in the butt, tell me it’s going in my butt not my hip!! That way I know what to expect.

In all honesty, it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. It was tender for a few hours when I sat down but today it’s fine. I have to get another shot right after I deliver Eli. But for now, I’m good to go.

Tonight we go to the hospital to pre-register and start the paperwork for the birth certificate. We also get to take a tour of the birthing center. I am really anxious to see what the labor rooms look like.

I will have Big John take a picture of my belly tonight and depending how bad it looks, I may or may not post it on here tomorrow

Vince Gill

2008-09-29T13:44:00.002-04:00

Big John and I went to see Vince Gill Saturday night. It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. It wasn't a full band. He just had a piano player, an upright bass player, a box player, and himself playing the guitar. No harmony singers, no fancy lights, no fancy anything. But still, one of the best shows I've ever seen. He is absolutely amazing!! His voice is so pure and smooth. In between songs, he talked about his inspiration was in writing each one. Sometimes it was a realyl sweet story and sometimes it was complete line of crap. But whatever the motivation, his songs are among my favorites in country music.

This song is one that I've always loved. I think it's my favorite Vince Gill song.

And this one always makes me cry. It came out not too long after my grandpa died when I was in the seventh grade. I remember the first time I heard it. I just dropped what I was doing, went and sat next to the radio and cried.

And here is Big John's favorite song by him. Really he said it was Kindly Keep It Country but I couldn't find that video.

Of course, I walked out of the house Saturday night and forgot my camera. So I have no pictures to show you. Which is probably good since our seats were in the nose bleed section. So I could've posted a picture of the stage and tried to convince you that the speck really was Vince Gill. Our seats weren't really that bad. We could still see the stage pretty good and we weren't cramped in like a bunch of sardines. So all in all, it was a really good show. If you ever have a chance to go and see him, do it. You won't be sorry!!

How Big John and I came to be... The Final Chapter

2008-09-29T12:54:00.004-04:00

Big John's actual birthday was on Saturday and his family always went out to dinner. So he asked if I would like to go out to dinner with him and meet his family. I was so nervous. I was going to meet his entire family at once! But I went to the restaurant determined not to make a fool out of myself. We went to The Olive Garden for dinner. He had chosen this restaurant because it was his favorite and they had one in my town. So he and his family drove an hour to come and eat dinner just so I could go also. Big John was a DJ on the radio but he also had a side job of dj’ing in the bars on the weekends. He had to work that night so we only had time for a quick dinner and then he had to go. So it actually went well. I thought I had made a pretty good first impression on his parents. At least on his mom and Grandmother. I had already made an impression on his dad and brother and it wasn’t a good one. We parted after dinner with a quick kiss and a promise for him to call me the next day.

I went home floating on air and told my mom that I thought this guy was The One. She just smiled because she had heard it a few times before. But I knew this was different. I had never felt the way he made me feel. I had never looked forward to someone’s phone calls as much as I did his. I never grew tired of talking to him. We would talk on the phone for hours much to our parents chagrin due to the massive long distance bills we racked up.

We decided to have our first real date on Tuesday. It was a few weeks after we had met and we still hadn’t been out by ourselves. So he came to pick me up and met the rest of my family he didn’t meet before. Then he wisked me off to dinner. He was the perfect gentleman all night. He opened my doors for me and waited until I got in the car and closed it for me. I, being the considerate person that I am, would then lean over and unlock his door for him so he wouldn’t have to use the key. Later he told me that that was my test and I had passed with flying colors. He said any girl that wouldn’t unlock his door for him would fail his test and he was so glad that I didn’t fail.

I am a firm believer in the fact that you shouldn’t waste time on someone that you have nothing in common with. So during dinner that night I played 20 questions. If you ask Big John today it was more like 300 questions. But I was determined to get to know him well enough to decide if we had enough in common. I was amazed at just how similar we were. We both loved country music. We both were the youngest child in the family. Neither of us had been married or had any children which was amazing by itself. We were both very close to our family and our families were one of the most important things in our lives. We both wanted children some day. We both love to sing which we already knew.

We had both had our hearts shattered by previous loves. Mine was a little more recent than his. But the important thing was that we had learned our lesson and were determined not to let history repeat itself. I knew that this was a man that I could trust with my heart but even still I had a hard time letting go at first. Then I realized that I needed to let go and just learn to love. So that is what I did. I threw myself into this relationship and never looked back. And I have never looked back since then.

Our fourth wedding anniversary is next Thursday. I have never loved my husband more than I do today and I will probably love him even more tomorrow. I know you probably think I'm full of crap but we have never really fought. We've had disagreements but we have always been able to work things out right then. We have had some rough times also. But they have only brought us closer together. And now that we are expecting our first child, our love is deeper than I ever thought possible. I love him with every ounce of my being. He is the perfect man for me and I don't know what I would do without him. So, Big John, if you are reading this, I love you. Thank you for the best four years of my life. I look forward to many more years together. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Update on me and Eli

2008-09-24T08:35:00.003-04:00

I had my monthly doctor's appointment yesterday. After my excitement last week at labor and delivery, I was excited to go and ask lots of questions. I am measuring a week and a half ahead of where I actually am. The doctor said that if they went strictly by my ultrasound they would put my due date at 12/20 instead of 12/31. That means that little Eli is not so little. But he said that they aren't going to change my due date or anything. They will continue to measure me at every appt. and if I am still measuring ahead at 36-38 weeks they will do another ultrasound to see how big he is. If he is still bigger than average then I will probably be induced. But they won't induce me any earlier than a week before my due date, which is Christmas Eve. So let's hope either that Eli stops getting so big or they let me wait until the day after Christmas or even a few days before Christmas. I just don't want to be in the hospital over Christmas.

Eli's heartbeat was 160. I have actually gained 4 pounds since my August appt. So that puts my total weight loss down to 15 pounds instead of the 19 pounds it was last month. I start going to the doctor every 2 weeks now. I will continue to do that until I am 36 weeks and then I will start going every week. I can't believe that it is going by so fast. Two weeks from today is the start of my third trimester!! Can you believe it??? I am still feeling pretty good. Besides being absolutely exhausted all the time. But I figure I'm six months pregnant. It's about time I start feeling kind of bad. I just wish I could actually sleep at night. I went to bed at 9pm last night. I took Tylenol PM (my new best friend) so that I could sleep better. I slept pretty good but I am still wiped out today. I guess I'll just have to get used to it since I'm pretty sure it's only going to get worse as the last 3 months go by. And then I'll be getting up for middle of the night feedings. So I guess this is just my body's way of getting me ready for what's to come.

Cool site giveaway

2008-09-24T08:31:00.002-04:00

Check out the giveaway over at Mama's Losin It. I would kill for a new vaccuum!!! Go here to enter!

My exciting Friday night!

2008-09-22T09:03:00.001-04:00

Friday night was very eventful for us. During the day on Friday, I noticed that my legs and feet were really swollen. My socks were almost cutting off circulation. And then in the afternoon, when I would stand up, I would get really light headed and see silver spots. But it would go away after a few seconds. I called the doctor’s office just to be safe and the nurse told me to push fluids like crazy. She said I needed to be drinking a gallon of water a day. Now that’s a lot of water!! I might as well move my office into the bathroom because all I would be able to do is drink and pee.

So I started drinking as much water as I could. When I got home, I still wasn’t feeling all that great. I couldn’t tell you what was wrong. I just didn’t feel right. Big John went down to the store to get something for dinner and Alli needed to go outside and go potty. When I let her out, I thought I was going to pass out. I was seeing the silver spots the whole time I was standing up and I had to brace myself on something because I was afraid that I would pass out. When Big John got back home, I was lying on the couch. I told him what happened and he said to call the doctor. I debated that for a few minutes and finally decided that I needed to call. In the meantime, Big John had started cooking dinner for us. He’s such a good husband!! The doctor called me back and said that I should come in for observation. So after supper was done cooking, we got in the car and headed to Labor and Delivery.

We got there a little after 7:30. The hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor and a monitor for contractions. The took my blood pressure lying down, sitting up, and standing up quite a few times. They did some blood work and did an EKG on me. Finally, the doctor came in to talk to us. He said that everything came back perfectly normal. He thinks that my uterus was pushing up against my spine and cutting off blood flow. So he told me to go home, take it easy, and drink lots of water. So that is what I did all day Saturday. Big John did my housework for me and I sat on my behind and watched tv all day. It was kind of nice.

I am back to normal now. No more silver spots!! Which is good because that really messes with my head. It was really weird!!

I remember...

2008-09-11T13:44:00.001-04:00

Ask Big John's Girl

2008-09-03T11:00:00.005-04:00

It's time for the first ever Ask Big John's Girl session. I was expecting a lot of thoughtful questions but I only got a few. So I will answer the few that I got and hope that next time I will get more.

Why don't we see more pictures of you?

I am usually the one taking the pictures. I also hate to have my picture taken. I am getting better about it though. I have had my picture taken once a month since I got pregnant. So I will be posting more of these as they come.

What is your favorite color?

I like a lot of colors but if I had to choose one it would be baby blue.

Who does the cooking at your house?

We both do. Big John usually cooks the meat and I cook everything to go along with it. He always does the grilling. It is our chance to talk about our day and spend some quality time together.

How long did it take you to get pregnant?

I am thinking about posting the whole story sometime. But I will tell you that it took us 20 months to get pregnant. It was a long and emotional journey.

What are the names you have picked out for your baby?

Since we know it's a boy his name will be Elijah David. If it would've been a girl, her name would've been Emma Grace.

Does Big John read your blog?

Yes, everyday. He is very supportive. He also points out when I have gone a few days without posting. He also gives me some great ideas for a new post.

When are we going to get more of the story on how you met?
Very, Very soon. I promise.

Why do you call Big John "Big John"?

I am going to do a feature post about Big John soon and will answer this question then.

Can we have more info about Big John? I feel like I know you but I don't know anything about him. More please!!!

See above answer.

What music do you listen to the most?

Country music. I have my MP3 player loaded with a huge variety of music but I love country music. It really speaks to me. Plus Big John won't let me listen to anything else.

What Cd's do you have in your stereo the most?

Big John has anything Texas Country in there the most. His favorites are Stoney Larue, Jason Boland and The Stragglers, and Adam Hood. As for me, I have a lot of different music that I listen to. I love Sara Bareilles. I also love Colbie Caillat. I mostly listen to my MP3 player not Cd's.

Are you going to have a natural birth or are you going to have pain medicine?

I am going to have as natural of a birth as possible. I absolutely will not have an epidural. But I am somewhat open to other methods. I am going to try my best to do all natural with no medicine of any kind.

What kind of dog is Alli? She's gorgeous!

Since we got her from the humane society, we aren't really sure. Our best guess is Beagle, Shepherd, Jack Russell mix. We just love her and she is getting better everyday. She is so well behaved most of the time and she loves to cuddle with us!

That's all the questions I have this time. Start thinking of some more questions that you are dying to know about me or Big John. I am going to a post that is all about him soon and would love to know what you want to know. Just leave me a comment on any post. I check them all.

BIG news

2008-08-31T16:57:00.004-04:00

So I have been very deceiving this week. My ultrasound is not this coming Tuesday. We actually had it last Monday. We wanted to surprise everyone at our open house this weekend so we didn't tell anyone. Not even our parents. And let me tell you they were very surprised. So without further ado, I would like to introduce Elijah David Morgan.

Here is a profile view

Confirmation he's a boy!!

His foot

His head and hand

The whole time we were there he was moving like crazy. I think it's because I drank caffeine before we went to the appointment. It was so neat though. We could see his mouth moving. He was drinking the amniotic fluid. We also got to see his bladder fill up, empty, and fill up again. We also go to see his heart beating. He was kicking and playing with his feet the whole time.

On average, a baby that is 22 weeks in gestation weighs just under a pound. My big baby weighs about 1 pound 5 ounces right now. I knew I would have a big baby just due to how big Big John was at birth and how big he is now. So we are thinking that I won't go full term. Everything is healthy with Eli and me as well.

We are very anxious to start shopping now. We are going to go and register next weekend. I can't wait to go and pick out all the things we are going to want and need.

Of course, Big John is absolutely floating still. He would've been happy either way but I know that he is happy it's a boy. We both are!!!

So congrats to all those that voted for a boy in my poll. The final tally of votes was 10 boys and 15 girls.

10 quirky things

2008-08-28T12:56:00.002-04:00

I saw this post on another blog and it made me think about my quirks. At first, I didn't think I could come up with 10 but as I started the list got longer and longer. So I am narrowing it down to just 10 for you.

1. When I get a cup out of the cabinet, I have to smell it. I don't know why I do it. I always have. I think maybe sometime I've had a cup that still had some soap in it so when I filled it up my drink tasted like soap. Who knows...

2. I have a routine when I'm trying to go to sleep. I start out on my right side curled up in the fetal position. Then I move to my stomach with my left arm under my head and my right leg cocked out to the side. Then I face the other way on my stomach with my right arm under my head and my other leg cocked to the side. And then I can fall asleep.

3. I love to smell the bottom of a dogs feet.

4. I love the smell of puppy breath.

5. My sheet and blanket must match up in length hanging off of the bed. Also they have to line up perfectly at the top. I will get out of bed to fix this at night. It drives Big John insane sometimes.

6. I freak out at needles because they hurt but I am going to have a drug free birth. Figure that one out.

7. If I don't like the way something smells, I will not under any circumstances taste it. I always have to smell new foods before I taste them.

8. I am a list maker. Anything I have to do I will make a list.

9. The toilet paper roll must be hung so that the paper comes over the top. I will even change it at other peoples house.

10. I have to fluff my pillow and turn it over to the other side every night before I get in bed. If I don't, I can't sleep.

Ok so now you know some of my quirky little habits. Please try to contain your laughter long enough to leave me a comment about your quirkiest habit so I feel a little bit better about all of mine.

Doctor's appointment update

2008-08-26T11:04:00.002-04:00

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday. I have lost another 3 pounds. That puts my total weight loss at 19 pounds and my total weight gain at 0!!!!!! The baby's heartbeat was 148. Everything is great. I had my one hour glucose test and I passed with flying colors!! No gestational diabetes!!! I am totally relieved!! The nurse said my levels were perfect! We scheduled our BIG ultrasound for next Tuesday. I can't wait until then! It seems like such a long time from now. But I am sure it will be here before I know it.

You asked me some good questions for my first ever Ask BigJohnsGirl session. I promise that I will post answers to them real soon! We are crazy busy this week. We are having an open house this weekend for our family and friends to come and see our new house. So we are very busy this week getting everything ready for that. Which translates into I am very busy cleaning up a storm to make sure my house is absolutely spotless. We are also trying to get the nursery completely ready. We already have it painted. Tonight we are going to put the second and final coat of paint on the walls and will work on putting the crib together. Then we will put together the dresser and changing table. Then all we have to do is put the border up on the wall and it's done. I promise to post pictures of the whole process!!

Alli

2008-08-19T20:22:00.005-04:00

Ok so I promised you more pictures of Alli. Here is your cute fix for the week...

Tonight has been one week since we got her. Which also means it's been one week since she was spayed. We can finally give her a bath!! So I had Big John pick up some good smelling doggie shampoo today with the idea I was going to give her a bath. So after supper I went about getting everything ready to go for her. I got a nice big fluffy towel, the shampoo, a pitcher to use to pour water over her, and I changed into some grubby clothes. I got her in the bathroom and closed the door. Right away she sensed something was up. So she came over to me to see what was going on. I lifted her up and into the bathtub and she looked absolutely terrified!! I kept petting her and talking to her and telling her what a good girl she was being. I wish I could've had my camera in there to get some pictures of her but I was by myself and my camera would've been ruined. But I did manage to get some pictures of the aftermath.

Here are the clothes I was wearing...

She really didn't like the towel I used to dry her off. She tried to attack it!

Then she decided that it was my fault that she was tortured and started barking at me.

But then she settled down and started chewing on her bone.

She then decided that the nights drama was just too much and went to lie down on the couch worn out. She didn't move for about an hour. It was so cute!!

My pregnancy so far

2008-08-19T20:06:00.005-04:00

Ok so I know that I started this blog to talk about my pregnancy. And it's been a while since I posted about anything pregnancy related. So here you go.

Last week I hit my half way mark. I am now 20 weeks along. I know it doesn't seem possible. It has gone by so fast for me! It seems like yesterday we were just finding out that we were expecting. But now we are on the downward slide.

I have been taking pictures of my belly every four weeks to track my progress. I started at eight weeks. There wasn't a significant change until my 20 week picture.

Here is my picture at 16 weeks along.

And here I am last week at 20 weeks.

BIG difference!! I am feeling the baby kick and flip around all the time now. Big John has felt a kick once but not again. But they are getting stronger every day!! It is just so amazing to me that something so small can kick so much!!

We are getting anxious to get started on the nursery but we decided to wait until after we have our ultrasound. We go to the doctor again Aug 25th and hopefully we will get to schedule the ultrasound then. Hopefully they won't make us wait very long. Maybe not even a week... I am really starting to go nuts with anticipation!! As soon as we know something, I will post it.

I have a ton of pictures of Alli to post. She is getting better every day at not going potty in the house. She is so crazy and feisty sometimes. We are starting to think that she has some Jack Russell Terrier in her. More on her later...

I am thinking of doing an Ask BigJohnsGirl post. You can leave a comment asking me questions. Nothing will be held back. Ask me anything... If I get enough questions I will do the post. If not, then I will be very upset and never post again! Ok not really. That's just me being the spoiled youngest child that I was growing up. Did it work??? We shall see...

Moving and more

2008-08-14T18:15:00.001-04:00

I told you a while ago that I had a lot of pictures that I wanted to share with you. Now that I have my internet up and running at home I can finally share them.

As you know, we moved into a new house about 4 weeks ago. While we were packing everything up at the old house, things got a little messy.

After a while it really started to drive me insane.

We couldn't find anything.(notice the Baby Snoopy stuff... That's going to be in the nursery!)

But I kept saying it was worth it since we were getting a new house that was all our own!! But then after we moved, I found that it was exactly the same. We had boxes everywhere. We couldn't find anything. It has gotten a little better in the two weeks since we moved in. We have our living room, kitchen, and bedroom completely unpacked. All the other boxes are in our 2 spare bedrooms.(pictures to come I promise...) We are slowly working on those. But you know the old saying... out of sight, out of mind. We will really be working to get one of the rooms cleaned out once we have our big ultrasound because we will start to work on the nursery.

We had a bunch of help moving into our house. During one of the breaks, my mother-in-law did what she calls her witchy woman trick. I had to lay down on the bed and she held a needle and thread over my belly.

If the needle swings in a back and forth motion, then the baby is a boy. If it swings in a circular motion, the baby's a girl. Of course, everyone gathered around our bed to watch the voodoo work. Laura, my mother-in-law, made sure that the thread was perfectly still. Then she let go and waited for the thread to start swinging. It was swinging a little and then it completely stopped. Then it started swinging again.

New addition

2008-08-13T16:10:00.003-04:00

Meet Alli. (Please excuse my feet in the picture!)

We just got her last night. We went to our local animal shelter and picked her out last Thursday but since she hadn't been there a week yet we had to wait. They keep each animal for a week to give the former owners time to claim them. So when no one came to claim her we got to go and pick her up.

Now it is the policy that all animals will be spayed or neutered before going to their new home. So Alli was spayed yesterday morning. When we got to the shelter to get her, she was still pretty out of it. So all she did was lay around and sleep last night.

Big John really likes her. But we think she was abused by a man before because she just kind of cowers near him. She will come to him when he calls her but she usually has her tail tucked between her legs and she shrinks away from him sometimes.

But as the night wore on, she started to warm up to him and realized that he made a pretty good pillow!

And then she even let him pick her up and put her on the love seat next to him. It was too cute!!!

She was more like herself when I got up this morning. It just about killed me to put her back in her room when I left for work though. She just looked up at me with those sad eyes like she was saying "please don't leave me here all alone." But Big John went home and let her out and played with her after work today. I can't wait to get home to play with her tonight!! There will probably be many more pictures in the near future!!!

We have a winner

2008-08-10T21:07:00.002-04:00

Ok first of all, I'm sorry that it took me so long to post the winner. It has been a crazy weekend. We had two family reunions to go to and I was just exhausted. So without further ado...

The winner is Michelle Mettlen. Big John picked your magic number. Email me at bigjohnsgirl@sbcglobal.net to claim your prize!! Congrats!!!

Stay tuned. I have the next giveaway already planned out. It's another great prize so keep checking back!!

A day with my family

2008-08-07T15:04:00.004-04:00

Our Sunday's are spent with family. One Sunday we go to Big John's mom and dad's house and the next Sunday we go to my parents. We have done this since we started dating and it's a tradition that we love. Last Sunday we went to my parents house. My brother, sister-in-law, and 2 nephews came over also. After going swimming for a while, we all retired to the living room to play some Wii games. It was so much fun to just be a spectator! I didn't play any of the games but I got some good action shots.
Here is my sister-in-law Jennifer bowling:

Here is Big John running during the Mario vs. Sonic Olympics- note the look of total concentration on his face!!

Here is my nephew, Shai, bowling:

He really gets into his games

This is my other nephew, Dakota, bowling.

The rest of us were spectators for the time being.

My mom with Jennifer

My dad

My brother Shad

Even Daisy the basset hound likes to get in on the action. But usually she's not too sure what's going on.

Dakota loves Daisy so much that he abandons his game to love on her.

Then Daisy notices me. She wonders what that thing sticking out of my face is. And if it tastes good...

After a few games, everyone is worn out and ready to take a nap.

But then my mom announced that dinner is ready and we all headed to the table to stuff our faces and moan about how miserable we were. Ok so maybe that was just me. But I have an excuse to pig out!!

Don't forget about the first ever giveaway that I announced a few days ago. You still have one more day to enter. Just leave me a comment on this post and tomorrow night I will randomly pick a winner. Good luck and go enter now!!!!

Also I want to say Happy Birthday to my wonderful dad. He is the best dad I could ever hope for!! I hope you are having a wonderful day dad!! Here's to many more birthdays!!! I love you daddy!!!

Letter to all the non pregnant people out there...

2008-08-05T09:38:00.002-04:00

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 an &*@!!!

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 women 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 women 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.

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.

8) Like everything else is life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents 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 are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Thanks!

Much love,
Big Johns Girl

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

2008-08-04T09:19:00.005-04:00

I figured it's time for my first ever blog giveaway!! Pretty much all of the blogs that I read on a daily basis have some sort of giveaway on a semi regular basis. So I figured why not try it on my blog???

The winner of this contest will get a really good book that I read recently. It has gotten the best reviews and it is even on the New York Times best seller list.

I got this book because I have read all of the other pregnancy books. I was ready for a humorous look at the child birth process and that is exactly what I got. This book made me laugh out loud a few times. Jenny McCarthy is real and honest and freakin hilarious at times.

All you have to do to enter this contest is leave me a comment. It doesn't get much easier than that folks. The contest will be open until 6 pm Friday night. And the winner will be announced Friday night. Here's where it gets even better. You can get another entry just by posting about my contest on your blog and linking back to my blog. Just leave me a comment with the link to the post and I will enter you again. Only one entry per person please. Winner will be chosen randomly. Now go and comment!! Trust me you want to read this book. Even if you aren't trying to conceive or currently pregnant. This book is for anyone that has ever thought about having kids.

Good Luck!!!!

Just a quick update...

2008-07-31T08:36:00.002-04:00

I had my regular OB check up yesterday. The baby's heartbeat was 143. They were actually able to find the heartbeat using the Doppler on the outside of my belly this time. I have lost another 2 pounds. That puts my total weight loss at 16 pounds since we found out I was pregnant. I haven't gained a single pound. Which is ok. I had more than enough to spare at the beginning anyway. My next appointment is August 25th. At that time, I will have my one hour sugar test done. It consists of chugging down this wonderful tasting (yeah right!) sugary drink in about 10 minutes, waiting for an hour for your body to process the sugar and then getting your blood drawn to make sure that you don't have gestational diabetes. If I fail this one, then I have to do the 3 hour test. Which is just repeating everything every hour for 3 hours. Let's hope that I pass the first one because I hate needles!! This was a very quick appointment. We were in and out in less that 30 minutes.

Since we were already down in the city we decided to go to Show Carnival to see if we could find some sandals for Big John. This is usually impossible to do since he wears a size 15 shoe. He has had some good luck finding more than one pair of shoes in his size at Shoe Carnival though so he wanted to check there first. SO of course I let him go and look while I go to my section of shoes and start looking around. Usually, I can't find anything I like at that store. I have been looking for a pair of nice black shoes that I can wear to work. I find a few pair that I actually liked. So I tried them on and found one that I really liked. I ended up getting them in one size bigger than I usually wear so that when my feet start expanding and swelling (oh the joys of being pregnant) they will still fit. So then I went to the other side of the store to see if Big John found anything. Of course, he didn't. The only pair of sandals that they had in his size were old man sandals with velcro. So to recap: we went into the store to find Big John some sandals and I walked out with a pair of shoes. Does that sound fair to you? Yeah it does to me too...

Thanks to all who voted in my poll yesterday. And a BIG THANKS to those few that actually left me a comment. That tells me that at least 3 people read my blog other than my mom and Big John. I think the other votes were those two duking it out over if it's a boy or girl...

Poll

2008-07-30T08:29:00.004-04:00

In honor of my doctor's appt. today, I decided to put up a poll to see what you all think. I am dying to know if I am having a boy or a girl. But I am pretty sure that I have another 4 weeks until I will find out. So I decided to turn it over to all of you. Do you think I am having a boy or a girl?? Or twins?? I am almost positive that there is only one baby in there. I really hope so anyway. I don't know if we could handle more than one at a time. So let me know what you think. And then when I get the BIG ultrasound next month we can see who was right and who wasn't. As always, feel free to leave me a comment also explaining why you chose what you chose. That way I know who is voting. And know that it's not just Big John and my mom voting over and over again for what they want...

So look over on the right hand side of my blog toward the top of the page. There you will see the poll. Go vote now!!!

A few things...

2008-07-28T13:24:00.002-04:00

Dear readers,

I have not disappeared or fell off the face of the earth. Things have been bat crap crazy around here. We moved into our new house last week and ever since then I haven't had a single minute to write another blog post. Ok so I have had a minute but I chose to do something productive with my time. ~~Like unpack~~ ~~or get organized and situated~~ or sit around and watch T.V. and talk about how we should be unpacking. (Just trying to keep it real.) Nonetheless, I feel like I have neglected you and I am sorry for that. I actually have a few posts almost ready to publish but my computer at home still isn't hooked up to the internet. Hopefully, that will change this week. It has been a long week with no internet. I think I may be going through withdrawals!! So instead of the before and after pictures of the moving process or the cool witchy woman trick my mother-in-law did to me you get this...

DOIN THE IPOD SHUFFLE

Ok so I don't really have an IPOD. I am too cheap to spend that kind of money on something just for the brand name. So I have a very cute MP3 player that Big John got me for Christmas last year from Wal-Mart. But it does the same exact things that an IPOD does. Just for much less money.

So here is my survey that I stole from Heather over at Mindless Junque. I couldn't believe some of the answers that I got.

1. What would describe your personality? Better than me- Hinder
2. What do you like in a guy/girl? Things a Mama Don’t Know- Mica Roberts
3. How do you feel, today? My Hips Don’t Lie- Shakira
4. What’s your life’s purpose? Black Horse and a Cherry Tree- K.T. Tunstall
5. What is your motto? Just Got Started Loving You- James Otto
6. What do your friends think of you? Glamorous- Fergie
7. What do you think of your parents? Young Love- Carter’s Chord
8. What do you think about very often? No Rain- Blind Melon
9. What do you think of your best friend? Downtown- Stoney LaRue
10. What do you think of the person you like? Rockstar- Nickelback
11. What is your life story? Sunday Morning and Saturday Nights- James Otto
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Bitch- Meredith Brooks
13. What do you think when you see the person you like? Into the Night- Santana ft. Chad Kroeger
14. What do your parents think of you? Crazy- Gnarls Barkley
15. What will be played at your funeral? Song of Blue Carter’s Chord
16.What is your hobby/interest? Counting Blue Cars- Dishwalla
17. What is your biggest secret? Vegas- Sara Bareilles
18. What do you think of your friends? Love on the Rocks- Sara Bareilles
19. What should you post this as? Guilty in Here- Miranda Lambert

I think my favorite answers were #6 and #12.

I hope that you all haven't abandoned me. I really will get back to posting soon. I promise. Just as soon as I can get unpacked and situated. Ok who am I kidding... As soon as I can get the internet hooked up at my house and all of my pictures loaded onto the computer.

Love,
BigJohnsGirl

P.S. I have my next doctor's appt. on Wednesday. I will be 18 weeks already. Can you believe it??? I will update when I can.

Moving

2008-07-22T08:20:00.002-04:00

WE HAVE MOVED INTO OUR NEW HOUSE!!!! I am so excited!! We moved in over the weekend. It was a very hectic and long weekend but we got completely moved in on Saturday. And let me tell you it was the most stressful weekend I have had in a long time. We closed on the house on Thursday evening. Big John and I both took the day off on Friday so we could go to the new house and clean and get things ready for the big move. We no sooner pulled in the driveway when someone from the realtors office that had the house listed pulled up. He told us that our next door neighbor called that morning and said that he saw water pouring out of our foundation. So he told us that he had a guy coming to look at it. They turned our water off and went on their way.

When the plumber finally came late that afternoon he told us that we had a leak under the house and he couldn't fix it until the next morning. So we had no water all day. We had to run to the gas station anytime we had to use the bathroom.

Saturday morning the troops showed up bright and early. We had 4 trucks, a van, 2 SUV's and a PT Cruiser. We started working on loading everything up. And when I say we I mean everyone except for me. I didn't do any heavy lifting at all since I am pregnant. We didn't want to risk anything happening. So I basically supervised and told people what was going and what was staying. We got all the vehicles loaded down and took our first trip over. It is so much easier to unload that it is to load up. It went really quick. I was again directing traffic and telling people where things go. We took a break for lunch and then got to situating things and putting furniture where we wanted it. Some of the vehicles went back to the old house to finish up over there. I started unpacking some things. We got our bedroom situated and our living room done also.

Big John called me from the old house and asked me if it was raining where I was. I told him it wasn't and he said that everyone else was on their way back. He was just talking to our landlords and doing the final walk through. So everyone started arriving back. It was starting to thunder and looked like it could rain at any minute. So we started unloading the final load as quick as we could. Big John got back and we started unloading his vehicle. As soon as we got the last box in the door it started to pour!!! What good timing!!

Everyone went home and Big John and I were left with our new house and a lot of boxes. We decided to just take it easy for the rest of the night. When we got ready to go to bed, Big John was going to take a shower. He came back out of the bathroom and told me that we had no hot water. So he flipped the breaker to see if that would work. Of course it wouldn't. So he looked at the water heater to see if there was a reset button. He couldn't find anything. We have a home warranty that covers any working component in the house for a year. But we couldn't call them until Monday morning and we couldn't have anyone do work before we called the warranty people. So he had to go to his parents house to shower.

Finally Monday morning came around and I called the warranty people. After being on hold numerous times for 30 minutes or longer each time I finally got someone to talk to. I got the instructions of what we needed to do. I called a plumber to come and look at it and luckily he could come that day. So he came and told Big John that there was indeed a reset button and that was all that needed to be done. So he charged us $90 to come out and push that button!! It was ok though because we now have hot water!! We could now shower at our new house!!!

We also FINALLY have TV. More on that to come later....

How Big John and I Came To Be Part 4

2008-07-16T12:57:00.001-04:00

I thought it would be a really long weekend without talking to him. He had begun to occupy my every thought. Every time I thought about him I would smile. I was longing for Monday to come so I could talk to him again. Imagine my surprise when my phone rang on Sunday and I saw his number pop up. He called me just to say hi and see what I was doing. We talked forever! He told me all about the hotel he was staying in and said “I wish you were here to see it all.” And with that simple phone call, he won my heart completely.

When he got back, he told me that his birthday was coming up the following weekend. His boss was throwing him a party on Wed. and he wanted me to come. So I of course called my best friend and roped her into going with me so I didn’t have to show up alone. So we met Big John and his friend at the radio station and from there I followed them to the place where the party was. Imagine my surprise when we stopped in front of a bar. I reminded Big John that I was only 19 and he said that it was ok. So we went in and I was bombarded with people that he wanted to introduce me to. It was really hard to keep them all straight. We started singing karaoke (yes we are karaoke junkies) and I thought I would be sexy and sing Genie In A Bottle by Christina Aguilera and give the birthday boy a little sexy dance. So he pulled up a chair and I had fun dancing all around him and singing. Then much to my horror, when I was done singing he said “Come over here. I want you to meet my dad and my brother.” I was humiliated!!! I asked him later why he didn’t warn me that they were there and he said that he thought it would be funny. I was not laughing. I know my face was so red when I was talking to them. But neither one of them has ever brought it up again. Thank God!!

When the party was winding down, Big John said he would walk me to my car. So my friend and his friend disappeared for a while and let us say goodbye in private. Now Big John had had a few drinks at his party. He was a little tipsy. So he was a little braver than he normally was and he leaned in and kissed me goodbye. And in that moment, the world stood still. I had so many different feelings going through me at once it was making my head swim. After what seemed like an eternity the kiss ended and he said goodnight. Be careful going home. Then my friend reappeared and we got in the car and left. As it turned out, my friend and his friend had really hit it off and they experienced their first kiss as well that night. But she didn’t feel the fireworks that I felt. In that moment is when I knew that this was the man I would spend the rest of my life with.

My birthday

2008-07-11T15:37:00.003-04:00

Today is my birthday!!! I am 26 years old today. One more year closer to the big 3-0!! And it's my last birthday without any kids to celebrate with. That's such a cool feeling.

Big John is taking me out on the town tonight to celebrate!! We are going out to eat and then on to sing karaoke. Which was my choice of things to do this evening. I am so excited!! We haven't been out in a long time. And then tomorrow is the BIG birthday extravaganza. See today is not only my birthday, it's also Big John's mom and brother's birthday. He also has a cousin that shares our b-day too. So we always have a HUGE blow-out party to celebrate. I will hopefully have some great pictures to post next week. The weather man is calling for some possibly severe storms tomorrow during the party so we will see...

In the meantime...

Someone have a margarita for me tonight!!!!

One crazy week

2008-07-10T20:18:00.005-04:00

Well, it's been a few days since I have been able to write anything and I'm sorry for that. My week has been absolutely insane!! First of all, My last doctor's appt. was a very eventful appt. The doctor came in and asked the normal questions and then said we were going to listen to the heartbeat. So he got the very cold gel out and put it all over my belly and used the Doppler to try and hear the heartbeat. He tried for about 5 minutes or so and said "OK I'm tired. Let's just do a quick ultrasound and make sure everything is ok." Of course I was so excited about that idea. So he left the room for about 20 minutes and then came back in with the most ancient looking piece of machinery I have ever seen. He said that we may not get a printed picture to take home because this machine was so old. But he fired it up, put some more of the cold stuff on my belly and found the baby right away.

It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!! Here was my tiny little baby moving around like crazy!! It even stopped to wave at us once. I just layed there and cried!! Big John got to see a lot more of it than I did because of how the screen was facing but I still got to see our little baby. The doctor printed out a picture for each one of us to have.

Introducing.... Baby E!!!! We still don't know if it's a boy or a girl. We won't know that until the end of August. So right now it's baby E because either way the name will start with an E.

Ok that's all the really happy news...

This past Sunday my grandma passed away. She was a month shy of her 96th birthday. She has had a long and happy life. My grandpa passed away last Dec. and she has been ready to go ever since then. So it is not really that sad of a time for my family. She was miserable and incredibly lonely without her husband. They had been married for more than 60 years so I can't even imagine what it was like for her to not have him around anymore. I am going to write more about them in the coming weeks. I would love to tell their story for you all. So stay tuned!!!

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T14:33:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to say Happy 4th of July to everyone. Thank a veteran today for your freedom!!!! I hope you all have a safe and fun holiday!

Cute purse alert!!!

2008-07-02T13:00:00.002-04:00

Check out this purse!!

Is that not the cutest purse you have ever seen!?! A genuine Brighton handbag retailed at $175!! If you would like a chance to win it, head on over to this place and leave a comment. Oh, and if you decide to enter, mention my name and I get an extra entry!!!

How Big John and I Came To Be Part 3

2008-06-30T09:21:00.003-04:00

Should I call or should I wait to see if he calls me? The only problem is I was stupid and didn’t give him my number. How could I be so stupid!!! I didn’t call guys. They called me. A guy should be the one to make the first move. I agonized all morning the next day about that. I drove my coworkers insane asking them what they thought I should do. I think I picked up the phone at least a dozen times to call him only to hang up after dialing only one or two numbers. Finally, after I ate lunch, I got some courage together and picked up the phone again. This time I actually dialed all the numbers. I think I was holding my breath in anticipation of hearing that sexy voice again. And then he answered… “Hello”

And I just sat there for a minute. I suddenly couldn’t find my voice. What was going on? I never had a hard time talking to people on the phone. And then I heard “Hello” and this time I said “Hi. It’s me… From last night.” Pause… Oh no! Did he already forget me? Was he hoping that I wouldn’t call him? Was he getting ready to hang up on me? And then he said the most beautiful words… “I was hoping you would call me." And with that I was finally able to breathe. Ok things are good now. He was waiting for my call. Later he told me that he was actually jumping up and down in the car when he saw my number on his caller ID. We talked for a few minutes but he was getting ready to eat lunch. And asked if I would call him back later. I said I would and hung up with the biggest smile on my face.

I decided that I was going to hunt for his radio station so that I could listen to his show that afternoon at work. After about an hour of trying I finally found it and was able to listen. He had the sexiest radio voice I had ever heard!! While I was outside taking a break, my boss called him and said, “Would you play a song for her because she is driving us nuts talking about you. We just want her to shut up already.” I had no idea this was going on until I came back inside and she told me that she talked to him. I was mortified. I thought that if he didn’t already think I was nuts he sure would now. But then I heard him say “This song is for Sarah from Big John.” And then he played the song You’re Beginning to Get to Me by Clay Walker.(ignore the cheesy video. It's the only one I could find.) I listened to the song with butterflies fluttering in my belly the whole time.

I called him later that day to see if he wanted to come over that night and sing karaoke with my family. Yes, we sing karaoke. But he had to work early the next morning and then he was leaving for Nashville, TN for the rest of the weekend. I told him where we would be if he changed his mind. A little while later, he called me back and asked if the invitation was still good because he wanted to come over and spend the evening with me. I was so excited. Not only did I just meet him the night before, but he was knowingly coming to hang out with me, my parents, my older brother, and some friends. Which meant he wasn’t afraid of meeting my family. He came that night and we had a blast. He hit it off with my whole family and my friends that were there. He ended up staying until midnight despite the fact that he had to be at work at 5am the next day and he had an hour drive back home. He left with a promise to call me when he got back from TN on Monday.

Fireworks

2008-06-24T11:54:00.000-04:00

It’s coming to the time of year when people get together and barbecue and light fireworks. Ahh, the Fourth of July. I love to go and watch the fireworks. We usually have a cook-out for our family and friends and then walk over to the park and watch the wonderful fireworks display they have. And then we go home and go right to bed since it is usually a week night. This year we don’t have to worry about that since it’s on a Friday. Which is good since our neighbors usually keep us up until all hours of the night setting off their own arsenal of explosives. It usually doesn’t bother me that much when it’s on July 4th. However, when you start 2 weeks ahead of time it gets a little old.

Last night, we started hearing the boom of fire crackers at about 7pm. Again, perfectly fine with me as long as you stop when it’s time for bed. Well, needless to say, they didn’t stop at bedtime. It wasn’t until 10:15 that it started to bother us. Big John gets up at 4 am so he treasures his sleep at night. I told him that if they were still going at 10:30 I was going to go downstairs and call the police. So sure enough, at 10:30 I got up and went downstairs and looked out my window to see who it was. It was our next door neighbors. There were 4 kids out there with no adult supervision at all. They looked to range in age from about 6or 7 to 15 or 16. They were not being very smart about it, throwing the bottle rockets at each other and toward the houses and trying to blow up the road closed sign in front of their house. They were essentially being normal boys that needed adult supervision. So I called the police and reported the disturbance and told them the address of the house next door. Then I went and watched out the window. I wanted to see how the boys would react when the cops came pulling up. Well, about 30 minutes went by and there were still no cops. So Big John got out of bed to see what was taking so long. He ended up calling the cops again and the dispatcher told him that he was about the 5th person to call in the last 2 minutes about it. So she said that our local town police were in the next town over assisting them with an emergency but were on their way back now.

The town we live in is pretty small. We live on Main St. so everything in town is on our street. There are 2 bars about a block away from our house. Right after Big John got off of the phone we saw the kids' mom staggering down the sidewalk coming from the bar. She told them to knock it off and get in the house.

SILENCE AT LAST!! We went up to bed and didn’t wait to see if and when the cops finally showed up. But I heard a car door about 15 minutes later so I figure that was them. I hope they put the fear of God in those kids and the mother as well. She should’ve been home with her kids instead of at the bar all night. What if something would’ve happened? Those kids could’ve blown their fingers off or worse. And there she was at the bar.

Big John has decided that if they do it again he is going to get some firecrackers and set them off on their front porch when he leaves for work in the morning. I think it’s a good idea!!

Hormones

2008-06-21T10:47:00.002-04:00

You know how they say that when you're pregnant your hormones go wild? Let's just say that I am in that stage right now. I have been the moodiest person this week. I guess not so moody as I am grumpy and ready to rip someone's head off at the drop of a hat. I feel so sorry for Big John. He doesn't know when it's coming. He just knows that he better be prepared for an explosion.

To the lady that cut me off on the highway the other day... I'm sorry I honked at you and cussed at you and tailgated you. You caught me on a bad day and you are lucky I didn't speed up and rear end you. I think I need to get a big flashing neon sign that says "WARNING PREGNANT WOMAN BEHIND THE WHEEL. STAY AWAY!!!" Do they make those???

Hopefully, this moodiness will be short lived. I woke up in a really good mood today. Granted, I've only been up for about an hour and I am home alone and I haven't left the house yet. But so far, so good!!

How Big John and I Came To Be Part 2

2008-06-17T09:26:00.001-04:00

“There's someone I want you to meet.” I never knew that one sentence could change my life so much. I told her that I would meet this guy but I didn’t want to date him. I was in the getting to know myself stage and nothing was going to mess that up. So she called him to see if he was up for it. She called me back and said that she set it up for the next night. There was a bar in a little town not too far away that was filming their T.V. commercial. So we were going to go and see if we could be in it. Now, I must inform you that at the time all this took place I was only 19. I was worried about being able to get in the bar but she told me not to worry about it. I looked old enough and they would be happy to have a crowd for the commercial. So I agreed.

I was so nervous all day. I had told my coworkers all about mystery guy. I cheated a little though. My friend had told me that mystery guy was a DJ on a country radio station and told me the name of the station. So at work that day, I Googled the radio station to see if there was anything about mystery guy on there. I lucked out. There was a lot of information and there was even a picture!! When I got off of work, I drove over to my friend’s house and picked her up and went to the bar. It was a tiny hole in the wall place and we were the first ones there. I kept going to the bathroom to make sure my hair looked ok and that my make-up still looked good. Finally, I heard her say that he just pulled in the parking lot across the street. My stomach started doing flip flops. I told myself to stop getting so worked up. I was absolutely not going to be interested in this guy! And then he walked in…

I have to be completely honest here. The first thing I noticed was that he was incredibly tall. And then I saw his gorgeous blue eyes. And then I saw his… pasty white legs. But then I quickly went back to his eyes and his smile. I think I might have melted a little in that moment. He sat down next to me and we started talking. For a while, things were a little awkward but then as the evening wore on it got better. We were actually in the commercial. We got to go outside and walk in to the bar arm in arm. After the cheesy commercial was done filming, the owners gave a round of drinks to everyone that helped. I actually drank an alcoholic beverage. We decided that we didn’t want the night to end there so we went to BW3’s and got a bite to eat. I was completely mesmerized by this new guy. He was hot, fun to talk to, and he seemed like a really good guy. When we finally decided to call it a night I was really nervous. I didn’t know if he would try to kiss me and I didn’t know if I wanted him to. He walked me to my car and said what a good time he had. He gave me his business card with his cell phone number written on the back and then gave me a hug and said that he hoped to hear from me soon. I was not really thinking so I didn’t give him my phone number. He got in the car and drove away leaving me standing there with my belly doing somersaults cursing my stupidity for not giving him my number. This meant I was going to have to call him…

How Big John and I came to be

2008-06-12T10:10:00.002-04:00

This is one of my favorite stories to tell!! So sit back, grab some popcorn and a drink and get ready to be swept off your feet like I was.

I was always the type of person that had a boyfriend. I never really dated around. I had one guy at a time and it was usually long term. Well, six months in high school was considered long term. I had had my share of heartbreaks and my share of true love or so I thought. I thought I was going to marry almost every guy I dated from about 16 on. All I ever wanted to do was get married and have kids. And be a stay at home mom. I mostly dated older guys because the guys my age were stupid and immature. When I was 16, I actually dated a guy that was 23 and lived about an hour away from me. I used to drive to his apartment on the weekends and he would come and see me sometimes. I really thought he was the one for me but he never really wanted to settle down. So then I met the motorcycle man and I was in heaven. He was the perfect gentleman at first. In fact, he took almost 6 months just to kiss me for the first time. I know that it sounds lame but at the time I thought it was really sweet!!

We dated for a year and were hot and heavy. He had a motorcycle and we would go riding with a huge group of friends on the weekends. We also got to the point that we would go to his friend’s house and they would sit and play games on the PlayStation for HOURS!!! I would just sit and watch being bored out of my mind. But we only really spent Saturday nights together and sometimes on Sunday afternoon. He worked second shift through the week and I was working first shift. So we didn’t see each other through the week at all. Friday night was guy’s night out. Which usually meant they went to the strip club every Friday night. That should’ve been a warning sign right there. But I was trying to be the cool, non-controlling girlfriend so I never said anything about it.

After a while I grew tired of being second to his friends and the stupid PlayStation so I ended things. My brother then decided that I shouldn’t be single and hooked me up with one of his friends. Again, I thought I was in love. We talked about getting married all the time. But there were some major warning signs that I totally missed. He didn’t drive because he didn’t have a driver’s license. He couldn’t hold down a job and was working at Papa John’s Pizza part time. He wanted to become a stripper because he thought he could be successful at it. He decided one Sunday that things weren’t working out between us and I was pretty devastated. I decided that I really wanted to be single for a while. You know, try to find out who I am and what I am looking for in life… and all that nonsense. I was going to college at night while working full time during the day. The Wednesday after stripper man broke up with me I decided to skip class and stay home feeling sorry for myself. My friend called to talk to my mom about something and I ended up telling her my sob story. She then said the sentence that would change my life… “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

To be continued…

Dreams

2008-06-11T09:54:00.002-04:00

I had the most vivid dream last night that I have ever had. I dreamed that Big John and I were bringing our baby home from the hospital. I strapped the baby in and climbed in the backseat. Big John got in the front seat and looked back at us and smiled. I looked down at our baby and said "Look at our daughter. Isn't she precious?" And then I woke up. They say that if you dream about the sex of the baby it usually comes true. I have a friend that is pregnant with her second baby and has correctly dreamed the sex of the baby both times. I am not sure if I believe all that or not. They also say that if your baby's heartbeat is over 160 beats per minute it's a girl and under is a boy. Ours was 179 beats per minute. So if you go by that and by my dream then we are having a girl. So I can confidently say that I am 50% sure that it's a girl...

What do you all think? Do you put much stock in your dreams? How many of you have correctly dreamed the sex of your baby??

Things that BUG me!

2008-06-06T13:14:00.007-04:00

We got the pest inspection for our house back today. We have no bugs!!! That's a really good thing. The house we are in now has a huge ant problem around this time every year. It doesn't matter how clean we keep things. We don't leave food sitting around and they still infest everything!! Last year it was awful!! We had poison out everywhere and it didn't even touch the stinking things. I hate creepy crawly things in my house. If they are outside, they don't bother me as much. But I HATE them in my house. They got braver as the summer went on. They got to the point that they would crawl up the legs of our TV trays as we were eating dinner. Luckily, this year hasn't been bad. We started to see them but then they just disappeared. Even if they came back now, I think I could handle them knowing that we aren't going to be in this house very much longer.

And now allow me to vent a little bit. Why? Because I am pregnant and this is my blog!! So I am entitled to vent every now and then.

When we first started trying to get pregnant, we made the mistake of telling people that we were trying. When did it become acceptable to ask people about the most personal aspects of their lives every time you see them??? We were on a bowling league and there was a few people that knew. There were 2 in particular that were very insensitive and asked me about our "progress" quite often. It got to the point that I dreaded going to the bowling alley because I knew that the questions were waiting for me. And these people didn't take polite hints to back off. In fact, it took me getting up and walking away from one girl and Big John told her that it wasn't appropriate to ask me about it and to please not bring it up again. As soon as I came back to the table, she proceeded to give me advice on how to relax and just stop stressing about it. I could have decked her!!

Now there was this little old lady that would constantly ask "Are you pregnant yet?" I would always say no. I didn't want to be mean to her because I was taught to respect my elders. But I wanted to deck her too. Toward the end of bowling season is when we found out that we are expecting. So at our end of the year banquet we told people that I wouldn't be returning to the league next year and why. So this lady knows that I am pregnant.

Last night, we were at the first round of the Colgate Country Showdown and this little old lady was there. The first thing she said to me was "Are you still pregnant?" I was shocked speechless and for those of you that know me you know that rarely happens. I couldn't believe she would ask such a question. What would she have said if I said no we lost the baby recently. Thanks for bringing it up. She would've felt like the biggest piece of crap. Or maybe it wouldn't have fazed her. Who knows. I wish I would've spoken up and told her what an insensitive question it was. But I was just in shock that someone would be so stupid to ask something like that. Ask me how I am doing not if I am still pregnant.

Maybe I am just hormonal but I'm really irritated about all of this. So please, if you know someone that is pregnant, think before you speak to them. Make sure that you are prepared to get an answer that you weren't looking for before you ask them about things. Or you might just end up with a pregnant woman's fist smashed upside your head. I think that's what I'm going to start doing when people are insensitive. At least I can blame it on being hormonal!

Baby's Heartbeat

2008-06-05T07:44:00.006-04:00

We got to hear our baby's heartbeat yesterday!!! It was the most amazing sound I have ever heard! I just layed there and cried when we were listening to it. It was 179 beats per minute which the doctor said is very strong and healthy. The doctor also told me that it has been a perfect textbook pregnancy so far!! he had no complaints and neither did I. He said that my HcG and progesterone levels were perfect. I have actually lost about 10 pounds since I was at the doctor in May. We had a lot of questions that he answered for us and he gave us an idea of what to expect in the months to come. Our next appt. is July 1st. To hear the heartbeat click here.

Big Day!!

2008-06-04T11:52:00.000-04:00

Well, after going back and forth a few times, they have accepted our offer for the house!!! So now begins the whirlwind of activity including inspections, appraisals, packing and moving. Our tentative closing date will be July 15th. And we are going to tell our landlords that we will be out by July 20th. That way we won’t have to pay another month’s rent since our rent is due on the 15th of the month. So this way we only have to pay for 5 extra days. I am so ready to start packing and getting everything ready to go. And we have to paint and clean at the new house. So we are going to be very busy in the coming month or so.

We are going for our first OB appointment today. I am exactly 10 weeks along today. Hopefully, we will get to hear the heartbeat. They are going to try but it may be too early still. I really hope that we can hear it because I am sure that if we don’t I will panic thinking something is wrong. Big John is borrowing a mini-disc recorder from work so that we can record the heartbeat. If we do that, then I will post the sound file on here so all of you can hear it too!!

Today has just been a really good day for us!! I will post again after my doctor’s appt. today and let you all know what we find out.

Great new blog

2008-06-03T07:42:00.002-04:00

Hey go and check out this great new blog!! They are having a really great contest for fellow bloggers. Check it out!

One Amazing Woman

2008-06-02T07:59:00.001-04:00

I tell you all. My grandma is one amazing woman. She was doing really bad on Friday. We had all said our goodbye's and began to prepare ourselves for her death. We had even started to plan a little bit of her funeral. And then Saturday morning, she woke up and asked to eat breakfast. And then she ate lunch also. She is doing a little better. She is still not very lucid. She is talking to my grandpa and some of her sisters that have passed away already. But she is still here with us and hanging on!! AMAZING!!

On another note: We are going to make an offer on our house tonight after I get off of work!!!! YAY!!!!

My Grandma

2008-05-30T16:17:00.002-04:00

My grandma has been in the nursing home since Dec. She is in her 90's and hasn't been doing well lately. The nursing home called the family in today because they didn't think she would hang on much longer. So of course we all rushed in there. I work an hour away from the nursing home and I was so afraid that I wouldn't make it in time. I did make it and got to see her. She is still hanging on but we don't think it will be very much longer. My grandpa passed away in December and she is ready to be reunited with him. So please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers. I probably won't be on here much for the next few days but I will post when I know something.

On a side note- we found out that the company that owns the house we found is willing to repair everything that needs it. So we are going to go ahead and make an offer on it as soon as we can!!

We found a house!!!!

2008-05-30T08:32:00.001-04:00

Ok so we found a house! It is absolutely wonderful!! It has 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ bathrooms, a fireplace in the living room and almost 1800 square feet. The price is really in our budget. It has a Jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom. It has a wonderful kitchen with tons of cabinets and an island. We went and looked at it last week and again on Tuesday this week. Then we decided that we wanted my dad to come and look at it before we make an offer on it. My dad does construction and knows a lot about everything so we figured if there was anything wrong with it he would see it.

So he came over and looked at it last night. Everything was great until he crawled underneath it. He said that underneath the laundry room there is a layer of black plastic, then insulation, then the sub floor. As he was crawling on his belly, the black plastic was hanging low enough that it rubbed against his back and was very cold. So he turned over and lifted it up with his hand and heard water sloshing around in there. So he took his knife, cut a hole in the plastic and stuck his finger up there and water just poured out. There either is a leak there now or there was in the past and no one bothered to fix the damage.

So our realtor is going to call the realty company that owns the house today and tell them what we found and see if they are going to be willing to fix it. We decided that we aren’t going to make an offer until it is fixed to our satisfaction. We don’t know if they will be willing to sink the money into fixing it or not. But I just can’t see them refusing to do it since the house will not pass a home inspection as it is now. So anyone that is going to have a loan will not be able to buy it until it is fixed. So we are really hoping that they are smart about it and hire someone good to come in and do the repairs. We should know something this afternoon for sure.

So I am excited because we FINALLY found a house that we love. But at the same time I am disappointed at this new development. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!

Go Arts Go Karts

2008-05-27T19:37:00.007-04:00

Big John got to race go karts last Friday night for a charity event. He was like a kid on Christmas morning! He was so excited. There were 96 drivers that were split into 12 different heats with 7 or 8 drivers in each one. There were 7 drivers in Big John's heat. They drew for starting position and he got 5th. There was a driver from his rival radio station in the same heat. They were talking trash about each other all week leading up to the big race.

Once we started watching the other heats before Big John's it became apparent that there was a common theme in the winners. They were all short and scrawny. Some of them were high school kids. Now Big John is called Big John for a reason. He is about 6'6". So he was at an immediate disadvantage. He said as long as he finished in front of the other radio station it would be fine.

Now there was a masked man that started out in front of the pack. He was not a very good driver and was all over the track and trying to wreck everyone that was around him. Big John narrowly escaped that fate a few times.

When all the dust finally settled, Big John finished 4th in his heat. He was happy with that because he beat the other station. In fact, he almost lapped him! But he didn't finish first so his race was over for the night. So until next year, he will just have to drive for fun and get lots of practice.

Busy Times

2008-05-23T11:18:00.000-04:00

I have really started to dread spring time. We get so busy around this time of year that it is just really hard for me to enjoy it. Let me give you a peak at our schedule from this week:

Monday: We stayed home
Tuesday: Big John had to practice racing Go-Karts (more on this in a minute)
Wednesday: We went house hunting
Thursday: We drove for an hour to see my nephew’s preschool graduation
Friday: Big John is racing Go Karts
Saturday: Big John has a car show that he has to emcee. I have to drive for an hour to go to my nephew’s t-ball game at 11. Then that same nephew is having his birthday party at 1. Then we have to go to my brother’s house to spend time with my sister-in-law for her birthday. Then my other nephew has a baseball game at 7.

Can you see why I am so tired!!! I woke up with a horrible cold this morning and I think I got it because I am so run down. I just need to take a day and do nothing but sleep. Doesn’t that sound wonderful???

Big John is racing Go-Karts tonight for a fund raiser. It is for the Community School of the Arts. They have 96 drivers that have entered. They have different heats and then take the winner of each heat and put them in 2 qualifying races. Then they take the top 4 of each qualifying race and they race in the feature race. Then they declare the winner. He is so excited!! He’s kind of like a kid on Christmas morning.

We actually have nothing to do on Sunday after church except clean the house. We are having some friends over on Monday and our house is trashed!! But it won’t take us very long to clean and then I am going to lie around and do absolutely nothing the rest of the day.

The only good thing about being so busy is it makes time go by really quick. So it doesn’t seem like so long in between doctor’s appointments. Before I know it, the summer will be over and I will be more than halfway through my pregnancy!!!!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend.

House Hunting

2008-05-21T11:21:00.000-04:00

We are currently renting our house. Now that we have a baby on the way, we have outgrown our house. It’s really too bad though because we really like our house. But let me tell you, it’s really exciting to look for a new house. Just to know that we will finally be able to own our own house is an awesome feeling!! What I don’t really like is the process in getting there.

I really am not exaggerating here. We have looked at around 40-50 houses so far and haven’t found a single one that we would want to make an offer on. Now we have seen some nice houses but with all of them there was just something that we didn’t like. We’ve also seen some dumps!! Some of the houses we’ve looked at were not fit for a dog to live in let alone people. And most of those houses were on the market for almost $100,000. I just think it’s absolutely amazing that people think they can get that much for a house that you would have to go in and completely gut and start over again.

We don’t ask for much in a house. We want 3 bedrooms and would like to have 2 bathrooms but that’s not required. I want a kitchen that I have room to cook in. Big John wants a yard that our kids can play in and a garage. We want a living room that is big enough for our furniture and still have some floor room for kids to play. We want bedrooms that aren’t so small that once you get the bed in there nothing else will fit. We want a heating system that is not falling apart. We would like to have central air but again, that is not required. I just want to be able to walk into a house and say this is home. Do you think that is too much to ask??

I think we can afford to be picky. There are so many houses on the market right now it’s insane!! It truly is a buyers market. Sorry to all of you that have houses for sale but the market for sellers pretty much sucks right now. Interest rates are super low. Our realtor has told us over and over that we will never go in and offer asking price for a house. We are also going to ask the seller to pay our closing costs and our down payment. I didn’t even know that you could do that but our realtor insists that it’s a normal occurrence. How cool is that!?! Hey, if you want me to buy your house, you not only have to reduce what you’re asking for it, you also have to pay all closing costs and our 3% down payment!!

We are going to look at some more tonight. We have 7 on the list to see. So maybe our luck will change and we will find our house tonight!!!

Emotional Rollercoaster

2008-05-20T08:49:00.002-04:00

I went off of the evil Depo-Provera on 8/24/06. This means by all the information I had received up to that point that I should have been back to my normal pre depo self by 11/24/06. My body was so out of whack I didn't have my first cycle until 2/07. And then it was every 2 months from there. Most doctors won't do anything for you until you have been trying to conceive for at least a year on your own. So when I went for my yearly check up in 9/07 I finally was able to talk to my doctor about my issues. She gave me Provera which was to bring on a cycle. Then on day 21 I was to have a blood test to see if I was ovulating. Which I knew that I wasn't because I was taking my basal body temperature at the time. For some reason, that cycle didn't even last 21 days. So I had to wait until day 21 of the next cycle. I got the blood test and the results were just as I predicted, negative. So my doctor told me she wanted me to have a test called hysterosalpingogram (hsg). It is a test in which they shoot dye into your fallopian tubes and watch it through an x-ray to see of your tubes are blocked. I had that test done in 10/07 and everything came back normal. The doctor told me I should be a "fertile mertile" now.

So that brings us to 11/07. I still wasn't ovulating on my own so my doctor told me about a drug called Clomid. It is supposed to make you ovulate. I was all for it once I found out that it doesn't really increase your chances of having multiples. I didn't want to have 6 babies at once. So I started out on 50 mg on days 5-9 of my cycle. Then I had more blood work done on day 21 to see if the drug worked and I ovulated. That test came back negative again so I was prescribed 100 mg. Now, I should tell you that when reading the print out that comes with all prescription drugs I found a side effect that I found pretty funny. It actually said that one of the most common side effects was "an emotional roller coaster." With the 50 mg I wasn't too bad. But when they upped my dose, I turned into a monster. I would cry for no reason and then turn around and get really crappy with Big John for no reason at all. Yes, those were trying times. The first month I was on 100 mg, I actually ovulated!! So we continued with that dosage for the next few months. I would have to be seen by the doctor on day 28,29, or 30 of each cycle so that they could check and make sure my ovaries weren't hyper stimulated or that I didn't have any cysts and then they would give me my next prescription. Well, each month I was totally convinced I was pregnant! Only to have my hopes diminished in the office.

When I went for my monthly appointment at the end of March, the nurse practitioner I had been seeing said that if this round of Clomid didn't work for me then she wanted me to see one of the doctors in her office. She said that they were more experienced with infertility and there was nothing else she could do for me. She also decided to up my dose again to 150 mg. She said that it wouldn't hurt to try it. So off I went with my new prescription and I scheduled my follow up appointment with the same doctor that did my HSG.

My emotions were running rampid with this new dosage. I felt like it was the first time I had taken Clomid. I had an appointment for 4/22 with the new doctor. I was due to start my period on 4/24. So I knew that it was kind of early for my appointment and that there was a chance that I could still be pregnant and not get a positive result at the appt. So off we went to the office. I always start out with a urine test if I hadn't started my period yet. So I made sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day so I would have to pee when I got there. It was a while before the doctor came in. As soon as he did I just knew that my test came back positive. He came in and asked me how I was feeling. I told him I had been very nauseous and my poor boobs were really really sore! He said that my test came back (insert dramatic pause here)... positive!!! I was finally pregnant. He said that the line was very very faint and he had to ask someone else to make sure the line was really there. So he had them draw my blood to check my HcG levels and sent me on my way.

The next day I got a call and they told me that my levels were consistent with being about 4 weeks pregnant. But they wanted to do the test again to make sure the levels were increasing like they were supposed to. So I had another blood test done 48 hours after the first one. They called me and said that the levels were increasing like they should and everything looks good. So we could officially celebrate now!!!

Welcome

2008-05-19T10:07:00.001-04:00

Welcome to my blog!! I'm Sarah and this blog is all about me and my pregnancy. I am pregnant for the first time and my estimated due date is 12/31/08. I'm 25 years old and my wonderful husband just turned 30 in April. We found out that we were expecting 2 days after dh's birthday. He said it was the best birthday gift ever.

We had been trying to conceive for almost 2 years. I was on an evil form of birth control called Depo-Provera and it messed up my whole reproductive system. So, almost 2 years and a few rounds of fertility meds later, here we are. Now the meds I was on are not that strong and my chance of having twins is just barely elevated. Normally, your chance of having twins is 3-5% and mine is 4-6%. So not bad.

We have only met with the nurse so far. She asked me about 100 different health questions, gave us our official due date and a ton of information to read and some free samples. Our first appointment is June 4th. I will be exactly 10 weeks along and will hopefully get to hear the heartbeat at that appointment. I am anxious to be out of the first trimester. I have been pretty queasy pretty much all the time. Let's just say I don't leave home without a box of Saltine Crackers. Doesn't that make you hungry???

We already have names picked out. I think we have had them picked out since before we were married. For a boy, it is going to be Elijah David. For a girl, it will be Emma Grace. I just love both of those names!!

We found out the good news on Tuesday 4/22. As I said before, Big John's birthday was 4/20. We had planned his birthday party for Saturday 4/26. We decided that we wanted to tell everyone at the same time so we waited until the party. Let me tell you! It was so hard to keep quiet about everything! But we wanted our families to be the first to know. And we had a great idea of how to tell everyone. Big John decided that he wanted a picture of everyone that came out for his 30th birthday. So we had everyone get on our deck for a group picture. Right before he took the picture he said "Everyone say cheese!!!" Then he decided that that one didn't turn out good enough and he needed another one. So this time he said "Everyone say Sarah's pregnant!!!!!!" We had figured everyone would react and we could get a picture of the aftermath to put in the baby book. Well, everyone just stood there with the same smile as in the first picture.

Then it sank in what he said and my mom started screaming and everyone followed suit. So we were able to get some pictures.

That's me in the polka dot shirt and my mom is the one in the sunglasses.

It is pretty much the same still. Everyone is so excited for us because they all knew how much we struggled to get here.

Tune in later and I will tell you my experience with the "gentle" fertility medicine!!