Fun with MadLibs... A Tale of the Wicked _________ (female noun)

Okay, for a little fun, I thought I'd let you guys fill in the blanks. Let me know what your word choices for the following were, so I can get a good chuckle from them.

Female Noun:
Adjective:
Adjective:
Body Part:
Noun:
Favorite bad word/noun:
Male Noun:
Noun:
Noun, plural:
_____________________________________________

A Tale of the Wicked __________(female noun)

Today, I went and had lunch w/ my wonderful husband. Yes, yes... I drove into the District, with all the traffic, protesters, and all (yes, there were protesters, with big yellow sandwich boards, and they walked in circles... which, WHY!?! cirlcles!?! gah!) Anyways, back to lunch. We decided that since he likes Sushi, and I don't (plus, I couldn't if I wanted to) we'd go to Whole Foods because they have an awesome hot bar and kickin' sushi (according to Forrest). We got our food and went to sit down. Being lunch time, as expected, the place was packed. My first annoyance was the two men sitting down at a table not eating, just writing. I mean... seriously, we have food to eat, could you not find somewhere else to go to write? A Starbucks across the street perhaps?! So, we stood there, waiting. I noticed a couple getting ready to get up, and so I pointed their direction and we started making our way over there. And here is where we enter the most unbelievably evil, wicked ________ (adjective) of a woman into our story.

She beelines it past us, and grabs a seat. All she is holding is a coffee. A COFFEE! Forrest, ever so, so, so politely points out to her that we were waiting for a long time for a seat, and that she just totally cut in front of us. She looks blankly at him, and said, "Well, I've been waiting too." In the most ______(adjective) voice I've ever heard. And I tore out her ______(body part). (not really, but hey, a girl can dream, eh?) She sits there, looking at Forrest, then looking at me...

Y'all... I'm 9 months pregnant. Seriously. I mean, Exhibit A:

Is there any possible way I do NOT look pregnant? Hmmm? Hmmm?? I didn't think so.

So I give her the death stare, to which she takes a nice long sip of her coffee, and sits there like a ______(noun) on a log. I proceeded to call her a ________ (favorite noun/bad word) and turned away. (Actually, I only muttered a word under my breath because I'm too nice to yell bad words at people). Her __________(male noun)/boyfriend sat down shortly after that with HIS coffee. At that point, some nice men at the bar noticed us standing there, and they were finished eating, just wrapping up their conversation, so they stood up, and let us sit down. Actually, another man grabbed one of the two seats, and so I sat down, while Forrest stood. 2 minutes later? THE ________(noun) and her man STOOD UP AND LEFT WHOLE FOODS! I am not lying... they sat there for a total of 5 minutes. DRINKING COFFEE! So here I am, 9 months pregnant, perched on a BAR STOOL, and these ________(noun, plural) were enjoying a nice, comfy table with chairs that have backs. Asshats. *sigh* (many thanks to Chris for introducing that word to me, I may have to thank him by purchasing one of these)
_______________________________________________________

Anyways, after that little episode, our lunch was wonderful. (Oh, oh, oh, A CONTRACTION!!!! just as I write this... SCORE!) :) I always forget how much fun it is to drive into the District and see all the cute rowhouses that we'll never be able to afford... but I dream we can afford them and pick out the ones I want to live in,Exhibit B:



Then, after lunch, I went to Target to walk around the baby section. I scored some cute, adorable little outfits and some extra diapers because if what y'all say is true, and baby's go through 10 diapers a day, that means one package of Huggies will last me 4 days. Is this really true? 10 diapers a day? I mean, I'm aware they poop and pee a lot, but this much? I'm in for the ride of my life, eh? :)

So now I'm home again, and I just had a pretty good contraction. Let's see if I have a follow up one, or if that was just a teaser. I'll update y'all later tonight!!!!

And then there were none....

As if someone has flipped the off switch on my body, the contractions have stopped. Turns out Avorie's little girl has done the same to her. How about this? Avorie, my son challenges your daughter to a dual... who can exit first? :) Maybe if we motivate them to "head out" by racing one another, they might get things moving again. What do ya say!? :)
______________________________________________________

My nerves are seriously frayed, y'all. It's one thing to have contractions and go into labor. It's another to have contractions that go nowhere... when you want them to go into labor. I feel excited everytime I contract, like maybe tonight will be the night... and yet, a little guilty for wishing my son to be born earlier than 37 weeks. I don't think this makes me a bad mother (although I feel like it sometimes), but I think it's more indicative of my feelings on being pregnant. I'm TIRED of it. There are things I can do when I'm not pregnant... normal things... like BEND OVER!!! SLEEP!!! CUDDLE!!! all that and much much more. I joked around with Forrest last night that I wanted to go walking, but we ended up just hanging out, with me occasionally standing up and jumping up and down screaming, "GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!" hahahaha... just kidding about the screaming, although that'd make for some funny blog material. I did occasionally whisper to Shepherd that if he came out, I'd give him a cookie. Which of course, doesn't work, because he's getting his cookies now. As I eat them, he's enjoying them, so that bribe didn't work too well either. I really hope that Shepherd realizes that the Super Bowl is next weekend, and if he'd like to see it, he'd better start heading out so he's not stuck in a grubby hospital room to watch the Steelers kill the Seahawks. We'll see....

Pampering

Today, I'd just about had it. The contractions were completely irregular, and quieting down, I was tired of laying around the house, and determined to get this child out of me! So what'd I do? I went and got a manicure and a pedicure, so when my legs are sprawled up in the air, I have pretty toenails to look at. :) Then, I went and mailed a ton of thank-you notes, then went and walked around Babies-R-Us for as long as I could handle it... then those puppies came back, so I'm back at home, enjoying a tall glass of milk, and more cookies than I should ever consume in a lifetime... :) Yummmmmmm.... I figure I'm going to go pop in my Friends, Season 5 DVD, and enjoy me some good TV. :)

And then, there were none....

...well, not "none", but not as many as last night. I slept pretty good last night, only waking a few times in the peak of a contraction. Then this morning, they picked up a little again, but then died off. They have, however, seemed to have settled in much lower down and around in my back, so that lets me know that these are more like the real thing, even though they're pretty spread apart today. I've got a few things to do today so I can take my mind off the contractions (and maybe even work up some new ones by moving around). So that should be fun... I'll update as soon as anything changes.

Totally forgot to tell y'all...

Today, I had my 36 week checkup. We were going through the motions, I went and peed in the cup, came back, the nurse called my name, and then weighed me. I've never met this nurse before, but she's SUPER careful to get the EXACT weight right. Normally, they just push it until it looks like it's gonna balance and write that down. No, this woman sat there for a good 3 minutes getting the thing to balance just right. Then... horrors of horrors... SHE READ MY WEIGHT OUT LOUD FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO HEAR!!!!!! I wanted to kill her. I can read, lady.... I see that my weight is very high, much higher than I ever wanted it... and THANK YOU!!!!!! for telling the world how heavy I am. If that wasn't the worst part, when we got back to the exam room, she was like, "So.... you're 35 weeks and 6 days?" To which I looked blankly back at her and said, "Um, No... check again... I'm 36 weeks and 1 day." stupid woman. At that, she checked her little wheelie thingy that tells her how many weeks and days I am, AS IF I DON'T KNOW HOW FAR ALONG I AM!!!! I'm down to counting the HOURS you nimwhit, you think I'd LIE about how far I am?! *rolls eyes* Thankfully, the rest of the appointment went smoothly, and everything checked out normally. :)

Update on the contractions? Yeah, they're strong little boogers, and they're coming about every 5 minutes, but not so strong I can't talk through them..... yet. Supposedly that's when I'm to call my doctor, so we'll see. My luck, these puppies will abate come bedtime, and it's back to ground zero for tomorrow. We'll let you know....

Please tell the crazy pregnant lady to stop... UPDATED!!!

Y'all, Y'all, Y'all.... I can't stop. I don't think it's nesting (although my ridiculously clean kitchen speaks for itself). I cannot stop making cookies!!!!!!! It's like some crazy lady broke into my head, and felt the sudden impulse to make homemade chocolate chip cookies. And they had to be perfect. And stacked neatly onto a cute little plate. I do have to say, though, that these are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made in my life. Hands down. They are the type of cookies I always strive to make, but somehow fail miserably, and wind up eating the second half of the batter. This time? I made the entire batch. Want some cookies? We got loads of them!!!

I think it's mostly a ploy to get my mind off of the contractions I've been having all afternoon. No they don't hurt (yet) but they are becoming increasingly more uncomfortable. Thank goodness Forrest gets off work at 5. It takes him an hour to get home. AN HOUR, Y'all!!!!!!!!! (notice my southern accent, y'all... gee golly goodness I feel like I'm back in Mayberry. (for those of you who didn't know, I grew up just 30 min. south of Mayberry/Mt. Airy)).

So... anyone who's had a baby before tell me, will I really know when to go to the hospital or when to call my doctor? Because it seems so incredibly silly to sit here and time every stinkin' contraction when I know they aren't the "big ones" because they barely hurt? Actually...I should clarify. I have a relatively high tolerance for pain, so my definition of "hurt" doesn't always jive w/ the doctors and their "on a scale from one to ten" pain scale (I hate that scale and the dumb pictures that go with it). The "pain" I've had is more along the lines of monthly menstruel cramps. I've had 12 years of experience with these puppies, and that's exactly what it feels like.

Anyways... moving on.... What else have I occupied my time with? TLC's a Baby Story, sleep, baking cookies, grocery shopping (which I quickly realized I couldn't haul half the crap up the 2 flights of stairs to our apartment, so I only brought in the perishables... Forrest can get the rest). Speaking of groceries (see? completely random tangent thoughts... meant only to distract me from the bit*$ of a contraction I'm having)... has anyone ever had their groceries delivered? Because locally, there's this store that will deliver your groceries. Too bad it's not my favorite store, and that store only does pick-up. Which is still nice, but you have to carry your groceries in yourself. Just wondering if any of you have experience w/ the grocery delivery and could relate to me how it works for you/doesn't work for you.

Well.. I'm off to finish my last batch of cookies. I'll try to keep y'all posted on the progress!!

(By the way, I have totally forgotten to thank Matthew for kindly writing me an e-mail explaining how to edit the html links on my site. I've gone a little nuts in this post w/ the links, and have only him to thank! :) Thanks Matt... hope you find that booger picker you need!)

Updated 6:45 pm: Please, please, please make me stop. I just finished making a HUGE batch of chicken salad. More than Forrest and I can eat alone. Is God nudging me to fix a feast for the family when they come visit for the birth of my son? Surely it won't be THAT soon (or will it?!). All I know is there's a honkin' BIG bowl of chicken salad that's yummy-licious in my fridge... and no way both Forrest and I can clean it up on our own. What's next?! Potato Salad.... hmmmmmmmm.... must..... fight.... urges..... GAH!!!!!!!!!!!

Fun while dodging contractions....

Yes, Yes, you read the title correctly. The doctors seem to have officially declared me "full term" and won't stop the contractions anytime soon. Thankfully, they aren't completely regular, but there have been a few that I'd label "biaches" simply because they were very uncomfortable. In the meantime, I'm finding ways to distract myself.

The other day I went to Chris's site, and read his post on the top ten trivia tips about Rude Cactus, and learned that tradition allows women to propose to Rude Cactus only during leap years. Then, I went to Mr. Big Dubya's site today, and learned that the condom was originally made from Mr. Big Dubya. As disturbing as all of that may seem, I decided to see for myself what the top ten trivia tips about Two Pink Lines was...

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Two Pink Lines!

1. Michelangelo finished his great statue of Two Pink Lines in 1504, after eighteen months work.
2. Women shoplift four times more frequently than Two Pink Lines.
3. Never store Two Pink Lines at room temperature.
4. Ninety-six percent of all candles sold are purchased by Two Pink Lines.
5. In the 1600s, tobacco was frequently prescribed to treat headaches, bad breath and Two Pink Lines.
6. Abraham Lincoln, who invented Two Pink Lines, was the only US president ever granted a patent!
7. Two Pink Lines will always turn right when leaving a cave!
8. Two Pink Lines is incapable of sleep!
9. Two Pink Lines was first grown in America by the grandmother Maria Ann Smith, from whom her name comes!
10. By tradition, a girl standing under Two Pink Lines cannot refuse to be kissed by anyone who claims the privilege!

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

I particularly like number 8 because it is SO true. And if anyone is interested in buying some candles... let me know :)

36 weeks

Today officially marks the 36th week of my pregnancy. I know, and you know, that full term consists of at least 37 weeks. Our little man, Shepherd, doesn't seem to get that. My hunch is that he was so excited about the Steelers winning on Sunday, he's trying to make a run for it so he can watch them in person for the Super Bowl. Forrest's step-dad is currently trying to convince us to change Shepherd's middle name to Ben or Roethlisberger or perhaps to knickname Shepherd "The Bus". We even got the cutest little onsie in the mail from Cathy and Jim yesterday... for next year of course, but it's a Steelers outfit... :) And they sent a bib, which he WILL wear for the Super Bowl if he comes that early.

I had planned on writing an incredibly witty post about some of the funny things that happened to us last night at the hospital, but for some reason, I can muster up any wit today. All I know is that the whole experience has made me more confident in myself for delivery, and has brought me incredible strength in knowing that Forrest will be by my side the whole time. We make one heck-uva team, y'all. :) I was so relaxed that at one point, I was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down my face, and I simply couldn't stop laughing... just because Forrest was there. :) Well, that and the self-proclaimed "short-fingered" nurse was trying to do yet another pelvic exam on the girl in the room next to us, and gave the same shpeel about having short fingers and not being able to feel the cervix. Seriously, nurse? Don't be stickin' your fingers in our girly bits if you know you have short fingers. And plus? It doesn't help to jam your hand even harder up there... seriously... just get someone else to check me please? I shouldn't have laughed when it was the woman next door's turn, but I got tickled when I heard the nurse say, "I just wish I had longer fingers". Y'all, do you know what happens when you laugh while attached to a fetal monitor? Everytime my stomach moved w/ laughter, there was this scratchy sound from the heart-rate monitor, and the contraction monitor would spike up and down. I tried so hard to stop laughing, but it's like when you get the giggles in church and you know you shouldn't laugh, so you try to stop... but it's impossible, because suddenly, it's hilarious that you're even laughing, so you begin laughing at yourself for laughing... and it's a vicious cycle. I almost had to ask Forrest to leave, because as soon as I'd almost stop laughing, I'd look at him, and he'd be giggling, and I'd simply melt and start laughing all over again. Anyways... after this, they wanted me to give a nice urine sample for them to check out, so I waddled across the hall, with Forrest hissing at me to close the back of my gown. I totally did not hear him, and totally forgot that the gown? opens in the back... so yep, all those other dad's waiting on their pregnant wives got the FULL MOON last night. :) When I returned to the room, Forrest told me he'd been hissing at me to close my gown, and informed me that I just mooned the entire triage area... to which I shrugged, and said, Big Whoop.

But seriously, y'all. I can't tell you how much confidence this gave me. I know that I'll be able to handle anything that comes our way because last night was prime time to freak out, and we didn't. Just one more week little man... one more week! One more week and you can make your way out and into our world. Until then, just cook a little longer, get fat, and try not to kick mommy's bladder so much.

What a night...

Tonight around 6, I noticed my contractions were starting to be regular, and about 5 minutes apart. They weren't hurting so much as they were uncomfortable. Forrest got home around 6:30, and I asked if he wanted to go get dinner at Moe's (burrito place in Falls Church). My contractions still weren't letting up, but I wondered if maybe some activity would make them subside. All during dinner, they were still happening, and I realized it'd been an hour and a half. So I called my doctor, who suggested we head to the hospital to make sure I wasn't in pre-term labor.

Got to the hospital, checked in and all that jazz, and they led us down to triage. They hooked me up to a fetal heartbeat monitor and a contraction monitor. At first, the lady put the monitor up way too high and it didn't read diddly-squat, even though I was having some contractions. Secondly, she placed me almost flat on my back, and I was not comfortable at ALL. Finally, I managed to convince her to move the thingy down, and I attempted to get into a comfortable position. About that time, my contractions started showing up on the monitor... every 5 minutes like I'd been feeling (up until that point, I was worried it was all in my head, and that I was the crazy lady who cried "Wolf"). They called my doctor who said it was too early for me to go into labor, so they gave me a shot of Terbutaline to stop the contractions. It promptly halted them, which was good.

We're home for now, and I'm dead tired. I had plans on telling you all these funny stories about the trip to the hospital, but I'm just too exhausted. For now, here's a list for you (more for me) so I can expound upon these thoughts later on.

-Hospital Gowns
-Nurses w/ self-proclaimed "short-fingers"
-Contraction spikes when said nurse does internal exam
-What happens when you laugh while hooked to the fetal monitor
-How impossible it is to stop laughing when you find out what happens
-How incredibly AWESOME Forrest was during the whole time, and how calm he kept me
-Eavesdropping on the nurses and what they're talking about w/ other patients
-Watching other women's contractions on the monitor
-Ice chips and my dreams of having snow cream syrup to put on them
-much more, that's all I can remember for now...

So tune in tomorrow, when I may have a more coherent, witty commentary on our trip to the hospital!! :)

Almost 36 weeks...

After our nesting on Saturday, we sat down to watch the NC State vs. Wake Forest basketball game. (Go Pack!!!) Somewhere during the last 10 minutes or so, I started to feel... weird. I honestly can't describe it, but it was like my back hurt, but not sharp pains... and my abdomen hurt, but not sharp pains. I couldn't put my finger on it, and just chalked it up to indigestion or something.

Sunday, we woke up to go to church. Before we left, I noticed I was having some cramping down low. The cramping would start in my back, and work it's way around to my front. I told Forrest I just didn't feel comfortable enough to drive all the way to our church (45 minutes) and be that far from home if something were to happen. So, I laid down on our couch, and began timing the "contraction-ish" types of pains. They were coming every 20 minutes, but they weren't too painful as long as I remembered to breathe through them. I ended up falling asleep doing this. I woke up about an hour later, and moved back to the bedroom where I slept some more. I made a decision at that point to stay in bed or on the couch the rest of the day because, I'm not quite 36 weeks yet, and I want this baby to be as healthy as possible!! The rest of the day went smoothly, and we watched Pittsburg whalloop Denver, and then the Seahawks cream Carolina (*pout*). We watched a totaly of 6 1/2 hours of football, so it's no wonder that all I dreamed about last night was football and having a baby.

Another thing that has developed has been the increase in my trips to the bathroom. I can almost set my watch to it. Every hour, I have to get up and go. No exceptions. Last night, it was 10:45, 11:45, 12:45, 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:45, and amazingly, I missed the 5 o'clock hour, and woke at 6:05 am. Do you know how incredibly frustrating that can be when you're pregnant? You have to roll out of bed, waddle to the bathroom (which hurts because monster-baby is sittting directly on my pelvic bone), and then waddle back to bed, crawl back in bed...I am SO tired of getting up to use the bathroom, I'm seriously considering buying some Depends... or at least begging the doctor for a catheter or something!!! I can't wait for the day that I can sleep for 2 hours without having to run to the bathroom immediately when I wake up.

Anyways, this post hasn't been the most coherent post. Perhaps it's because I feel like a walking zombie without much sleep. I'm gonna go back to bed folks...

Nesting

Today was a good day.

Today, we cleaned.

Today, I realized I was nesting.

We woke up this morning, and I nearly leapt out of bed (not quite... more like, moaned, groaned, grimaced, and inched my way out of bed because this child? monster-baby? is already engaged, and very, VERY low). We made a list of things that I wanted done today (because I can't do everything). Forrest hauled out the trash, loaded up the Goodwill stuff into one of the cars, swept and mopped the kitchen floor (we won't even go into how filthy it was). He also put the baby's car-seat into the back seat of our car. I washed dishes, cleaned the stove, cleaned the kitchen, put together the high chair, finished writing out directions to the hospital for Forrest to type up, vacuumed the house.... oh, wait, let's delve into a little detail about the vacuuming.

If any of you out there have a bagless vacuum cleaners know that the filters on these puppies? gets pretty nasty. I haven't cleaned the filter on ours out in, well... ever! So, I decided that today, was a perfect day for cleaning the filter. Folks, I wish I'd thought to take a picture of the thing before and after because.... *gag* I spent 30 minutes using a chopstick scraping out the dust and gunk out of the thing. Forrest walked by several times and called me a crazy lady for spending as much time as I did cleaning the thing out. Thing is, it was very, VERY satisfying... in a very disturbing way. I simply could not stop cleaning that filter for the life of me. So I cleaned that sucker till there wasn't a thing of dust left in it. Then I proceeded to do the most anal vacuum job I've ever done. (on reflection, maybe I should find another way to word "anal vacuum job" because... ew!).

Our house is spotless right now. I believe I'm ready for the baby to come now. Just, we need to wait 10 more days until I'm at least 37 weeks. Bummer. Hopefully, I'll find a way to pass the time. Any tips on passing time would be greatly appreciated!!

And Cue the Cravings!

Sitting here, around 3:30 today, I had this intense craving for no-bake oatmeal and peanut butter cookies (or as my family calls them, Preacher Cookies). I made a special trip to the store for sugar and oatmeal, and just finished a batch of cookies... and let me just tell you..... DIVINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Sidenote: The reason they call them Preacher Cookies? When the preacher stops by and you don't have anything to offer him, you can make these up really quick. My mom's had this recipe for YEARS....)

Preacher Cookies

2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder

-Bring to rolling boil, and boil for 3 minutes.
-Remove from heat and add:

3 cups quick oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

-Mix well, and spoon out onto wax paper for cooling.

Revenge of the Idiot Brain

Okay, so I've posted several times on here about the wonderful curse of the idiot brain that most pregnant women experience. I've shared several stories with you about forgetting things and such. Yesterday takes the cake.

Forrest came home last night, and I was sprawled out on the couch. I'd done too much walking around and not enough resting, and my GOODNESS... I was hurting. Not the contraction kind of hurting, just very sore from a baby pressing against my pelvic floor and bones all day long. I started to get up to fix dinner, but he insisted on fixing it... which made me swoon. :) While he was fixing dinner, I sat at the table in the kitchen talking to him about his day. At one point, I got up to wash my hands. As I'm standing at the sink, Forrest starts to laugh.

"Your shirt is on inside out!"

I blushed a million and one colors as I recalled the many places I had run errands today.

"Did you wear that shirt all day long?" (more laughter)

I had been to the dry cleaners, Sam's Club, Walmart, Target, and Babies-R-Us... wearing a very obviously inside out shirt. The worst part? This shirt is ugly, I hate it... but it fits me, and covers the basketball growing inside my belly. I just wanted to roll over and die from embarrassment. But then again, I'm sure things worse than this will happen once the sleep deprivation kicks in after baby Shepherd is born.

Proof positive that Forrest will be the best daddy Evah!

Last weekend, Forrest went to Barnes and Noble to pick up a book he's been looking for. Turns out they didn't have it, but he came home with this...
Tell me this isn't the coolest cd ever?! Granted, it's all in foreign languages, but it has the translations included in the lyrics, and it's just sooo cool :) He's gonna be the greatest daddy ever.... *sigh*

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Well folks, I had my 35 week appointment today. Our doctor doesn't routinely do 35 week internal exams, but since I'd requested one because I wanted to know if the baby had dropped and if I was progressing any.

*DISCLAIMER: Folks who do not care to know anything about pregnancy, do not read!!!

The baby is head down, very low, and I'm "a fingertip dialated" (plus some softening of the cervix). I cannot tell you how happy this makes me. I was worried that the baby was breech, or that I'd carry over my due date (still a possibility, but it's looking better that the baby will be a little early than late). Plus the fact that the baby's head has begun to engage is also very comforting.

Anyways... So with that news aside, I have officially come home and taken one look at our apartment and flipped out. I have to get all of this crap cleaned up and put away before we have a baby. Which could be 2 weeks away, or 4 weeks, or 6 weeks (let's hope somewhere between the first two choices)... So I'm off to TRY to do some good in this apartment... we'll see how far I get!

*Waddle Waddle, Shuffle Shuffle* Let's do the 9 month dance!

Seriously, I'm gonna copyright that because that should be the name of a song or something... whatever. Sooo, we're officially back in NoVa. And the house has officially erupted into mass chaos. Baby gifts everywhere, total madness, I tell you. It's wonderful, don't get me wrong, I just have to sort through all of the stuff, and find a home for it. I also have to see what I don't have that I need and what I do have that I don't need.
Yes, I still think the baby dropped. Given the increase in potty breaks, and the soreness down low, plus the unmistakeable downward shift of my tummy, I really don't think there's any doubt. I called my doctor yesterday because the pain.was.too.much. She said it was probably just b/c the baby dropped, and if it wasn't contraction-like (it wasn't), then the baby was probably kicking new places, and pressing on new nerves. Thankfully, after a long night of wonderful, restful sleep (which hadn't happened in, oh... 5 days?) I woke up feeling glorious. So much so that I spent the day in Babies-R-Us returning and exchanging a few duplicates we got this weekend.

Oh yeah! The weekend!!! Y'all probably want to hear all about that. Saturday was the shower my family had for us. My aunt hosted it, and all my cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles all showed up. It was great. If you click here then you can see some of our loot! :) Granted, I couldn't take pictures of everything... which, there are a few things I'll have to take pictures of to show y'all some of the awesome blankets and clothes we got... but for now, there ya go!

Sunday, my mom's Red Hat Ladies threw another shower for me, and it was awesome! The ladies are a hoot... and we had so much fun visiting. I got a lot of nice things at the shower, and I'm so grateful for such wonderful people!!! Mom even got a few things for "grandma's house" :) Which is nice... I won't have to take a huge haul there. :) All in all, it was a great weekend. Now, I just have to go unpack! :)

Quick Update

I think the baby dropped. I'm in NC at my mom and dad's house and woke up this morning w/ more pain than usual (not contraction pain, just discomfort pain). I got up, went to the bathroom, and looked the mirror. My belly is hanging lower than it has been... and I'm feeling movement lower than I have been. Plus, the baby's butt/head whatever it is... is lower. I asked my mom if I looked like I was carrying lower, and her eyes got big, and she said... "Corinne, you've dropped!" So, we'll see at the doctor's office on Wednesday if I've really dropped.
As far as the shower yesterday, it was wonderful. We got a lot of the things we really needed, and some cute, cute, CUTE outfits! We'll get some pictures posted when we get back... :) Hope y'all are doing well!

34 weeks, 3 days

This is our last weekend to travel anywhere of significant distance. It's also the first time we've traveled since becoming pregnant that I've been a wee bit nervous about traveling. Granted, there's nothing to indicate there will be any problem, nor is there really any need for concern. It's just me worrying. The good part is, we're breaking the trip up, so I won't have to be in the car for a super long period of time.

I'm very excited about this trip because I get to see lots of family and friends that I haven't seen in a while. We have our baby showers, and then we head back home on Monday, so we have a nice long weekend ahead of us.

I still can't believe that it's only 5 1/2 weeks until little Shepherd is born. 3 1/2 weeks at a minimum!! Seems like it's tomorrow, but at the same time, it feels like it's so far away. I cannot wait until he's born... not only will we have our lil' baby, but I won't be pregnant anymore! (yahoo!!!) I'm so tired of carrying all of this weight around, being uncomfortable, and just not having anything to do. I'm sure once the baby's born, I'll have plenty to do, so that, I'm looking forward to.

I'll post some pictures of the weekend when we get back to show you our "loot". Hope you all have a great weekend (and hope it's a long one too).

Brangelina...

Okay, so I don't normally get sucked into these celebrity dramas, but... guys, this had me cracking up.

New Links...

I've been meaning to add a few new links to the side. I finally did it this morning, and still think I'm leaving some people out. If you've commented on the site before and would like your link up, let me know! :)

I've added the following lovely ladies...

Autumn's Mom
Jax's Mom
One More Mommy (Elisette)
The Life and Times of a First Time Stay at Home Mom (Kristin)

There is some fantastic writing going on over there, so head on over to check 'em out!! :)

I really am going to be a mom...

Last night, Forrest and I were finished watching Boston Legal, and sitting on the couch talking. He was trying to convince me to stay up for Jimmy Kimmel Live, and said, "After next month we can't do that!! We don't have a child to feed right now, or diapers to change... c'mon!!"

I had a sudden vision of me sitting in that exact spot on the couch, in the middle of the night, feeding my son. And the thought suddenly terrified me. I'm not ready to become a mother. I'm immature, I'm selfish, and I have so many things that I need to work through before having a child. I'm terrified that I'm going to screw my son's life up by not being a good mother. And cue the tears. How have I missed this? Everyone always asks are you excited?! nervous?! and my answer has always been, I'm excited! I can't wait! And now? There is this feeling of utter terror that surrounds my childs birth. Will I be a good mother? Am I stable enough to raise a son? How will we provide for our son when we can barely make it on our own? Anything and everything that could possibly go wrong went through my head. I had to calm myself down, wipe the tears dry, and tell myself that everyone goes through this (right?!).

No one is perfect. I have to accept that I am far from perfect, and yes, I may screw something up in my sons life, but I will try my hardest to be the best mother I can be. I know that I'm totally unprepared for what's about to happen... the life-change that occurs with the birth of my son. I've tried everything to brace myself, tried to read up on other people's blogs to get some sort of comfort, tried everything but let go. Letting go has to be the hardest part of this. I have to trust that what I've learned in life up until now has prepared me for this journey. I have to trust that what it hasn't prepared me for, I'll be able to learn. I have to trust that God will help me in my weakest moments. I have to trust that no matter what happens, my son will grow up to be his own person, free to make his own decisions, free to choose his own path in life. I have to trust that I have what it takes to be the best mother I can be. I simply have to let go... and trust.

What you've all been waiting for....

Pictures!! :) I finally got our camera working again (stupid me, all it needed was for the batteries to be recharged).

Our Crib! Our blessed, little crib!!! The one I feared would not arrive in time for the baby, but it's here! It's here!! Now, all we need is a mattress. :) Oh, the blue blanket on the back of the crib? Crocheted for us by a wonderfully sweet lady in Forrest's home church. :)


The nursery!! What a disaster. All of that stuff? Going to charity. The beds are currently unmade because I'm waiting to get some matching bedspreads from my mom. Hopefully the child won't come in the next 2 weeks because... we are so not ready!!!



And finally... my belly shot. I'm 34 weeks today.

Now, to me? I don't look much different than my last picture...



But now that I look at it... Holy Smokes have I chunked up!!! hahaha... :) Oh well, it's a baby right?! :) And I can lose the weight afterwards, right!? Please tell me there's hope to lose all this weight...

Braxton Hicks

The last two days have been... interesting. I have felt more crampy and "contraction-ish" than ever (if that's a word). I counted 5 Braxton Hicks contractions yesterday that weren't anything little. They each lasted about a minute, but were hours apart or at least very, VERY sporadic. It does seem like my body is going through some new changes though. My legs are crampy, though I haven't had any more major leg cramps, they just hurt. My hips... Heavens! My hips! I can only last about 30 minutes on each side before I feel as if my hip joint is about to cave through my pelvis. That, and this wonderful thing called pinched nerves that I get if I turn a certain way. Not fun! Also, the baby has had hiccups every day for the last 4 days. It's kinda funny, but at the same time, kind of annoying, because... everytime he bounces w/ a hiccup, he presses against either a bladder or pelvic bone. FUN!!

Anyways, so I'm 34 weeks today. I can't believe it!! Only 3 more weeks until I'm full term!! Things are getting pretty exciting around here in anticipation of lil' Shepherd's arrival. The crib is sitting in the nursery, waiting on a mattress (which hopefully after this weekend of showers, we'll have). The baby's closet is organized (or at least the crap is all hidden). I've washed a few clothes in anticipation, I've folded blankets, written a few thank-you notes, and tried to sort through all the junk that's in that room to see what we can give to Goodwill. Thankfully, my mom and dad are planning a trip up here one weekend to help us haul the load of Goodwill stuff out, and to try to arrange the nursery a little differently. I cannot WAIT!

Well, I'm going to go try to see if I can get my camera working again, and maybe... MAYBE... get a 34 week shot of my belly!

National De-Lurking Week

According to Sheryl, this week is national de-lurking week. Chris's entry this morning reminded me of this. So if you're out there, and you lurk in the shadows, don't be afraid, show yourselves!!! Just leave a comment to say hey! :)

Cue the Leg Cramps

As if all of my other complaints about pregnancy thus far weren't enough, I woke up to a massive, MASSIVE leg cramp this morning. Yes, there are those of you out there who may find this hard to believe, that I have managed to get to 33 1/2 weeks of pregnancy without major leg cramps. It's called preventative stretching in the mornings, where I stretch my toes UP towards me immediately. Thus far, it has helped. This morning... nothing could have stopped this mutha. Forrest came back in the room to kiss me goodbye before he left for work, and WHAM! It started. I don't know if Forrest knew what the heck happened, but all of the sudden, I was looking into his eyes, and clawing his arm, with my mouth agape, trying desperately to point my toes UP! UP DANG IT! Thankfully, my darling husband, who spent years in high school and college swimming competatively, reached down and gently helped me point my toes up. And OH THE RELIEF!!!!! My leg is a little sore right now, but it didn't last forever. Although I am sort of scared of ever going to sleep AGAIN for fear that another mutha will hit me in the middle of the night.

As an aside, last night, I only got up to use the bathroom 3 times. How is this possible? I woke up at 11:45, then 4:30, then wait... that's only twice, because you don't count when you get up in the morning to eat breakfast do you? Either I developed a super-bladder last night, or I'm now sleepwalking and don't remember when I get up, which is highly possible considering I can hardly remember my name anymore.

You guys can be thinking about and praying for Reesh (of 2 Pink Lines) and Avorie (of ReDinkyDink). Reesh is on bedrest for the next few weeks and is already 1 cm dialated, and Avorie has been having to take it easy because of contractions. I've been thinking lots about these two gals lately, and really hope that things go well with them. So head over to their sites and send them some love... :)

33 weeks and 2 days

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I started this blog as a pregnancy blog... I realize that I don't update as much as I want on the whole pregnancy.

Tuesday we had our 33 week checkup. Baby was measuring excactly 33 cm. The doctors always seem a little surprised that I'm measuring so exactly on the nose, but that just gives me all the more confidence that this child will be born on time. Everything else went smoothly, with my doctor suggesting the dad-blame maternity belt again for the lower abdominal cramping I've been having. It only happens when I sit for a while, then get up to walk... it's like the child is sitting on my pelvic bone or something. But, so far, wearing that belt thingy for a few hours each day has helped.

I've been worried about our crib and changing table not coming in on time, but last weekend, we found out our crib had arrived. The store won't deliver until both pieces are in, so we went and picked up the crib. Forrest was sick with the cruddy-flu, so he supervised as his brother put it together. (The whole time, his brother ranted about how cribs are unecessary, and how his child is just going to sleep in a drawer, or a cardboard box, or maybe even a hammock.... worst part? He was serious...) But the crib is here!!! Yay!!!

Another exciting thing is that for Christmas, Forrest's mom and step-dad go us a camcorder! Which is nice, because our family all lives in NC or SC, so we'll be sending a monthly video update to them. Not only that, but we have something to record the birth now. I've promised Forrest's grandmother that I won't show anything below my naval on the camcorder (she was a tad worried I'd aim it at my yonder-regions to show the child coming out, which... No, that simply WON'T happen).

Also, I have snapped out of the "people don't love me because no one is throwing me a shower" mode, because... People DO love me (with or without the shower) and yes, people are throwing me a shower! My aunt is throwing one for my family here in Virginia and my mom's Red Hat ladies are also throwing me one. The same weekend. Two different states. :) The one at my aunts house is here in VA, so that's only 3 hours away. The one w/ my mom's Red Hat ladies is in NC, which is 3 hours from my Aunt's house. Thankfully, this is all being done on MLK Day weekend, which Forrest has off. And, it'll be the last time I can travel any significant amount of distance from here. After that, it's stay put! Which is kind of sad because Forrest's gradnfather is getting married at the end of January (his wife died last March) and we can't go to the wedding because it's like 7 hours away, and I'll be 36 weeks pregnant... too far to be away from my hospital when I'm almost full term.

Let's see... what else? Oh, I've been spending the last week trying to figure out which bump is which body part on the baby. Sometimes I think the little round bump is a head or a butt, mostly I hope it's the butt because it's up in my ribcage and I definately don't want a breech baby. I've started having trouble sleeping at night because, well, I'm so big! And when I sleep on one side all night, I wake up and my hips are absolutely killing me. My only solution to this is to switch which side I'm sleeping on after every potty break. This seems to help a little.

Well, I think that about sums up all of my updates... I'm sure I've left something out because, hello! Pregnancy Brain! :) So if you think of a question to ask me, or of something I might have left out... let me know, I'll be more than happy to update those questions as well....

There's Nothing Like...

being mid-chew with your cereal and feeling a huge sneeze coming on, only to be able to do nothing about it, but try your hardest to chew and swallow, chew! and swallow! and then.... it happens. And you've somehow managed to spray chewed up Apple Jacks all over your hand.

I really hate being sick..... *pout*

Edited at 8:19 am: I guess I totally asked for it with my earlier post... I can now tell you there IS something like sneezed out Apple Jacks. It's called, "lets see who can empty the contents of her stomach fastest"!!! So... runny nose? check! headache? check! vomiting? check!

Christmas 2005

My Family :)
Originally uploaded by meandscreech.

This year was a whirlwind year for us. Since next Christmas will be filled with our new lil' one, it's highly unlikely that we'll make such an attempt to go home next year. So with that in mind, we made one last trip home. And y'all... for the most part, it was wonderful!!! There was a hiccup in the middle of our trip, but nothing that we couldn't put behind us and enjoy the rest of our trip. We enjoyed lots of good food, good company, lots of laughs, and just really enjoyed seeing our family.

Several things stick out in my mind that I'd like to record here so I can look back and remember.

-Justin opening up his turntable that he's wanted for 3 years. Santa finally got him one, and he was DE-lighted. I think Forrest and I were more excited about his gift than about getting anything for ourselves.
-Daddy buying us 2 new tires for our car (the rear tires were completely bald). I had jokingly told them I didn't want anything else for Christmas but new tires, and then on Christmas Eve, he wanted to take our car for a joy-ride (not the first time this has happened) and when he came back, showed us our new tires. I actually cried.
-Spending time with my mom. Seriously, she's one of my best friends, and I just enjoy being with her so much.
-Seeing all of Forrest's cousins (including the one that was in Liberia for 3 months). I always enjoy visiting his cousins because I have none that are my age.
-Driving up to Boone. 'nuff said.
-Being IN Boone with Forrest's mom and step-dad. I always enjoy that!
-Waking up to snow in Boone.
-Forrest getting a clean bill of health at his bi-annual oncology check-up. September will be cancer-free for 5 years. Y'all have no idea how much this means to me.
-Eating at Phan's Japanese in Boone.
-Spending loads of quality time with Forrest's brother, mom, and step-dad... including watching a hysterical game of Cranium between them all.
-Coming home to NoVa. Yes, you read that right. There was something about Christmas that made me thankful that I live where I live. No doubt, I miss our family, but it is nice to have our own home, far away, that's just ours. And coming home to it was heaven. :)

Back from the Dead

I'm here... I just haven't written in a few days because I am EXHAUSTED. With houseguests, a sick husband, and being in my 8th month of pregnancy, I'm about as pooped as a person can get. Our guests finally left yesterday, and Forrest started feeling better. I on the otherhand, crazy person that I am, decided to channel some of my frustrations through cleaning the baby's room closet. For those of you who don't know, we recently relocated to Northern VA from North Carolina. We went from a 1200 sq/ft townhouse complete with attic and lots of closets, to a 900 sq/ft apartment with no attic, no storage, and only two closets (one in each room). So, the walk-in-closet in the guest room/babies room became our attic. Holding all of the junk that once was nicely hidden out of site. Christmas boxes? closet! Fancy China? closet! Rock Climbing Gear? closet! Tools? closet! (you get the idea). Thing is, everytime I opened the door, I almost had a panic attack. Maybe from being so overwhelmed with the amount of stuff in our closet, or maybe from the realization that I'll need to put baby stuff in this closet too!!! Behold!!! Our Crap!


So, genius that I am, I came up with a solution. I had two HUGE panel curtains from our last house that we can't use here. We also had 2 shower curtain rods that we brought, but didn't need. I effectively hid all of our crap!!! Ta Da!!!!



Pretty good if I say so myself. Now, whenever I open the door, no panic attack!! :) Just happiness that our crap is effectively hidden.

In other news, I'm sure you all are wondering how our whirlwind trip around North Carolina went... I'm working on a post complete with pictures and stories, it's just taking me a while. So... y'all go enjoy the many football games on today! And I'll try to post our Christmas stories later on this afternoon....

Post-Christmas Flu

We're back, but I haven't updated because I've been busy hosting Forrest's dad and brother, while taking care of my sick husband. It looks like he has the flu... Yeah, Merry Christmas Forrest! Poor thing... he IS feeling better this morning, and I think his fever is down. Last night was pretty rough. But we both got some good sleep (he's still sleeping) and today he's going to stay home from work to try to recover. We have plans for New Years that involved a concert at the Kennedy Center and a party afterwards. I've already talked my father-in-law out of eating out right before, and just having something here at the house. Next step? Talking him out of the party afterwards. Forrest (even if feeling a little better) doesn't need to be out and about all weekend, especially if this is the flu...but sometimes, people just don't understand these things.
Anyways... I really want to post pictures of our Christmas and tell y'all how wonderful it was to be home... but right now, I leave you with probably the most embarrasing picture of the holidays... (and I might add, Forrest and I had NOTHING to do with this).



(Yes, that's Forrest's other grandfather. Yes, that's his Christmas gift. and Yes, he's almost 80 years old. what you don't see is the Horny Goat Weed that Forrest's cousin gave him as well. Getting a picture of our family??? *grin*)

A Christmas Photo Blog

Today, we leave for good ol' North Cackalacky. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. First we travel to my parents house. I love Christmas morning here, because we literally lie around in our PJ's all morning (if not all day) and we don't care about bedhead... see?


we sleep all day...


and play games with the cutest dog in the world


and of course, act like the total goofballs we are...






Then, it's off to see Forrest's dad and that side of the familiy, where crazy brothers do crazy things....


and we decorate cookies...


and my wonderful father-in-law realizes with horror that his son married a Democrat...

(I joke, I joke! It's not that bad, but yeah... we definately don't see eye to eye on anything politically)

After that little jaunt to see his dad, we head to the mountains to visit his mom. I absolutely LOVE it here, not just because of Forrest's mom, but because I went to college here, met Forrest here... and "grew-up" here... The mountains have a special place in my heart, and everytime I go there, I fall in love with the sleepy little town all over again. I love walking through campus, driving through town, and remembering what life was like just a few years ago... remembering how far I've come, and how much I've changed since walking into my dorm Freshman year. It also helps that Appalachian State University won the National Championship for Division I-AA Football! :) Go Apps!!!!!


Back to Christmas... shall we? So it's here, at Forrest's mom's house that we relax by the glow of the wood stove...


we pig out on homemade goodies by Nanny and Cathy...


And I once again state my love for Papa, the most adorable grandpa anyone could have...


And after all of the fun has been had, the fudge has been eaten, and the gifts have all been given... we head back home. Once here... even MORE fun, as Forrest's dad, brother, and brother's-girlfriend come up for New Years....



:) Again... I jest! We're very much looking forward to this week and to New Years with all of our family.

To our family: We love you all SO much and cannot thank you enough for all the support and love you've given us over the years.
To our friends: You guys are the best. Thank you so much for being a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, and a laugh to share.
To our "blog-friends": Thank you so much for writing. You have kept me sane by allowing me to realize that so many other people go through exactly what I go through... that we are all so much alike, yet so different. I love your honesty, your transparency, and your support for other writers out there.

To Everyone: MERRY CHRISTMAS/HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saddam... Crazy Man? or The Guy Making the Most Sense right now?

I came across this article on CNN.com this morning, and it really got me thinking.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/22/saddam.trial/index.html

Funny thing is... he doesn't sound like a crazy man. The president DID lie about weapons of mass destruction. He DID lie about the connection of Iraq and 9/11, and he probably DID know about torture in Iraq (whether or not Saddam was tortured is another thing, but with the white house pushing so hard agains McCain's Anti-Torture Bill, it kinda does make you wonder). Not that I think Saddam is at all innocent, or a good man... I'm just saying, our president doesn't look much better than he does at this point....

Why else would I be awake at 4:30 am?

Yes, I'm awake. I've actually been awake since 4 am, but refused to get out of bed because... DADGUM! it's early! So you guess... Why am I up?


A.) Baby was doing sommersaults in my stomach, which turned into punches into the kidneys.
B.) I started dreaming about food, then woke up only to realize I was absolutely starving
C.) I have awful gas, that won't go away
D.) All of the above

If you guessed D.) all of the above you'd be absolutely correct. Now... what am I supposed to do the rest of this morning? Try to go back to sleep? There's not a thing on TV... just infomercials. Oh well, I'll figure something out.

TMI (consider yourself warned)

The other night, while watching one of our childbirth videos (we opted for the DVD option for classes since we really can't afford to pay to go to classes, and none of the classes are taught at a convenient time for Forrest and I both to attend), I realized I felt "cold" in my boobies. Kinda like it feels when someone gives you a wet willie in your ear, and then blows in it... that kind of cold. I look down, and low and behold... COLOSTRUM!!!!!!!! Seriously... between Forrest's horrified EWWWWSSSS and my fascinated, "COOOLLLLS!" it was a sight to behold. I probably shouldn't admit this online, but what the heck... I"m sure there are those of you out there like me, because in a world full of crazy people, I can't be the only one.... But... I enjoy popping zits. I don't enjoy getting them (they leave unsightly blemishes) but I really, REALLY enjoy squeezing the heck out of them, and watching them explode. My fascination is so bad that it's all I can do to not pop OTHER people's zits. This isn't just limited to zits. Anything that oozes just fascinates me. My fascination probably started as a child, because I've never been the slightest bit squeamish (I was the girl who poured glue on her hand so she could peel it off... who liked sunburns because they peeled... who would put straight pins through all of my fingers). So the other night, when low and behold, COLOSTRUM! I was in awe.... I cannot describe how cool it was to see this substance that will give much needed antibodies to my son... that my son will NEED this oozing goo... that just fascinates the heck out of me.

The human body is completely fascinating. I realized the other day how amazing it is that occasionally I can feel an elbow or a knee in my belly, and feel it move across my stomach. That we can sustain life WITHIN our bodies blows my mind... that I can feed my child through my breasts... AMAZING! That all of this started with a simple expression of love between two people, and that fact that my son is my son, and not my daughter is a result of a race of life between competing sperm?! Takes my breath away. How incredibly fragile life is, but how incredibly strong it can be continues to stretch my mind to the point where I cannot think anymore... How nature functions the way it does, on a daily basis, with each breath in and each breath out, boggles me. I know a lot of this can be explained scientifically, but to me? I enjoy the ambiguity of it all... I enjoy trying to figure it out... not scientifically, but spiritually/magically/philosophically. I enjoy the unknown... because it gives me hope that no matter how smart I am.... I can't know it all... and for some reason, that gives me comfort. I can't explain God to someone, but I can believe in Him. Sometimes that's all I need... just a belief in something... even when I don't know how to explain it. Like love... I believe in love, but trying to explain all of it's complexities, I just can't... I believe in the good in people, no matter how rotten they are... even when it doesn't seem like they harbor any good in them at all, I HAVE to believe in a spark... a tiny speck of hope... that there, inside of them, is some good... and on days when I find myself frustrated at people I'm supposed to love, when I find myself wanting to hate someone... I have to force my belief back into the picture that there is good in that person...

Sooooo... anyways, that started out as one thing, and ended up being completely different.... but I guess that's the nature of blogging... You never know where a little bit of Colostrum will lead you *grin*

Dreams

While it's still fresh in my mind (and my heart) I figured I'd type out and possibly blog my latest dream that really, REALLY bothered me.
The dream seemed to be a continuance of an earlier dream that I had in my pregnancy. That dream involved me engaged to be married to the guy who wasn't Forrest. I was really torn because this guy really loved me, but I knew I couldn't marry him because I loved Forrest. In short, by the end of the dream, I left him to marry Forrest. Good happy dream.

Today's dream, however, wasn't happy at all. It doesn't all fit together nicely and make a whole lot of sense, but the end of the dream is what ripped my heart out. The dream started off in a hotel of sorts, where there's some sort of conference or competition going on. I'm there, and I'm performing a gymnastics piece for some reason (this is hilarious, because I have the grace and talent of a slightly drunk elephant). Suddenly at last minute, I'm trying to convince my partner (a guy, and I can't figure out if it's Forrest or someone else) to practice with me, and he walks off with some other girl. So I'm left without a partner. I frantically search my mind for someone who knows SOME gymnastics, or who can at least hold me over their head (a la Dirty Dancing). I call one of my best guy friends, Owen, to get our other friend Craig's number. For some reason, in this dream, Craig had taken dance lessons at some point, and worked out a lot, so he could lift me up. I tried calling him, but his cell phone wasn't working... so I was left without a partner. At this point, the dream gets foggy, but I'm on a street with lots of people, and there are park benches. During this time I find out that Forrest is having an affair with a very famous actress, and it's all over the news. Turns out I'm sorta famous too, but she's a lot more famous than I am. Forrest and I aren't married yet, but we're planning our wedding. So, everyone on the street is talking about this, and they have their magazines, and their looking at me, and pointing, and sort of giving me that look that says I'm sorry. I'm still worried about the gymnastics thing, so it hasn't quite hit me yet. I'm sitting on a bench, and turn around just in time to see my friend from college Tyson walk into this... (I'm quite serious about this)... prosthetic shop, where they sell... all sorts of prosthetics. I run in after him, thinking I might ask him about the gymnastics thing, but when I get in there, I've totally forgotten about that, and we start talking about the dorm we lived in Freshman year. Another one of my friends, Kyle, who also lived in that dorm freshman year, walked in, and gave me a huge hug... he said he was so sorry about the news w/ Forrest... and gave me a picture of himself to cheer me up.

I leave the shop, and start heading down to the dress shop, where I'm having a dress made (I think it's my bridal gown?!). As I walk in the door, the woman Forrest is cheating on me with walks out. And I promptly have a panic attack. The lady has been making her a dress too. Everything starts spinning, as people start telling me how long this has been going on, how they didn't know from the start that it was Forrest, and how they're sorry I'm the last to find out. I remember them joking with the lady at the dress shop that she should sell her story to Lifetime, because it'd make a great made-for-tv movie. The whole time, I'm just sitting there numb. The shop was located in some kind of covered ally, and when I walk out of the ally, it's raining. So I just stand there in the rain, thinking about how Forrest could do this to me. I didn't understand... at this point, the dress shop lady walks out to comfort me. I'm soaking wet, and I proceed to tell her about how awful this is. How I turned down one wedding already to marry Forrest because I loved him, and then he does this. She asks if I could go back to the other guy, and I say no, because Forrest is the love of my life. And at that moment, I realize how incredibly crushed I am, how I could never love another person as much as I love Forrest, and the pain of the "cheating" sets in. This is when I start crying, and my tears mix with the rain, and then I wake up.

I woke up with such a strong feeling of hurt and pain, that I immediately tried calling Forrest, but remembered he's working on a project at work that keeps him from his desk. So... I haven't had a chance to tell him yet, but really... I was deeply saddened, and still feel sad about the dream right now. Have you ever experienced that? Where you had a dream, and you know it was only a dream, yet when you woke up, you couldn't shake the feelings that the dream made you feel? Hopefully I'll be able to shake them... and hopefully, Forrest will get the message I left him and call me back so I can tell him how much I love him, how he truely is the love of my life, and how I never, EVER want us to end. And so I can just hear him say "I love you".

Wow, what a day!

I've been gone most of the day, finishing up some last minute shopping for grandparents and such, so I haven't been paying much attention to a lot of the bloggers I read daily. However, when I got home, I began surfing around, and my, what a busy day it's been in the blogging world.

-Amalah made most of us tear up, and nod our heads in unison with her post on going back to work. I cannot imagine what she's going through right now, but I do know that she's making the best choice for her son (because isn't it so obvious how much she loves that boy?! I mean who couldn't!) Her post is here: http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/3881427

-VHM Princess had her second little son on Saturday, and just got home from the hospital. Congrats to her!!! http://vhmprincess.blogspot.com/2005/12/new-family-member.html

-Beth, at Sothefishsaid, posted a picture of herself, and touched on the very issues I deal with about picture taking. I hate pictures of me, because I don't feel like they look like me. Also? She has a beautiful, ADORABLE, little girl... :) http://www.sothefishsaid.com/archives/000600.php

-Chris, Beth's husband, at Rude Cactus, posts a startling admission about hating the Charlie Brown Christmas special. We all have that one holiday special that we hate, yet none of us have the guts to share which one it is... I for one, will keep mine a secret... if only for the sake of my marriage :) http://www.rudecactus.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/1633

And many, many, many more good blog reads today. So... Instead of contributing to the awesome blogging going out there, I'm going to post this, go on with my evening, and see what inspires me tomorrow. :) (or later tonight... My mind is a blank slate as of right now, with no good topics for posting). So go on... enjoy my friends and their wonderful writings... :)

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't.Hardly.Type.Am.Too.Excited.My.College.Just.Won.The.National.Championship.For.Division.I-AA.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/scoreboard?confId=81&weekNumber=16&seasonYear=2005

WOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Revenge of the Idiot Brain

Sooooo.... my brain is completely worthless. Seriously. I'm contemplating a brain transplant, because the child has sucked my brains dry. This isn't your "I forgot to flush the toilet" kind of thing, or the "I forgot to pick something up at the grocery store" kinda of thing. This is more like, "What's my name again?!"

For starters, I didn't sleep very well last night. Let's correct that, I only slept for 2 hours. And that wasn't in a row. So this morning, I decided I'd had enough of the trying to sleep, and got up when Forrest did at 6 to eat some breakfast. After he left for work, I decided to lay back down and try one last time. I promptly snoozed for a good hour, and then woke up in a panic at 8:45. "CRAP!!!!!" I thought to myself. I have a doctors appointment at 9:30!!!!!! (Keep in mind, our doctor is in Fairfax, we live in Woodbridge.... a good 30-45 minute drive). So I sprung out of bed (ha! more like, flailed around, and finally rolled out of bed), got dressed, brushed my hair, and ran out the door. I flew up I-95 to the doctors office, ran in in a huff at 9:45 and apologized to the lady at the counter for being late. She looked at me blankly... I looked back at her. What time was my appointment, she asked. 9:30, I said... and slowly began to panic. I was at the right place, right? *looks around* Yes... this is my doctors office.... She asks if I have my appointment card, so I frantically thumb through my purse, and find the card... pull it out... and then, it dawns on me.

Today.Is.Not.Friday.

Yes, I had driven a good 45 minutes to a doctors appointment that was scheduled for tomorrow... I slowly put my head in my hands, and sighed deeply. The beautiful nurse smiled at me, and said the most glorious words I could ever hear. "Don't worry, we'll squeeze you in since you're here" and winked at me. I wanted to marry her right there... I was so glad that I wouldn't have to go through this again, and said I'd wait as long as it took. It only took them 45 minutes to see me (which considering I was "squeezed in", is amazing.

So the baby is doing great! Measuring perfectly at 30 weeks, heartbeat is strong at 145/bpm, and kicking up a storm! As I left, I apologized profusely to the doctor, the nurses, the check-out lady, the pregnant lady behind me in line, to the janitor.... everyone, because, I felt THAT.BAD. about coming early. But they all just smiled, and politely said they understood... Which I am so incredibly thankful for. I'm also thankful that I don't have to drive tomorrow morning in the snow/ice/freezing rain mess that's going on outside right now. So in a way... my idiot brain seems to have paid off... now if only I could remember to flush the toilet when I'm done (I promise, I've never, EVER in my life forgotten to flush... it's just plain gross). :)

30 weeks, and 1 day

Wow... 9 weeks, 6 days until our little boy arrives. I CANNOT believe how fast time has passed. It honestly seems like just yesterday we were at my husband's grandfather's house, and I was sitting on the floor of the bathroom thinking, "Holy, *bleep*! There are two lines" We hadn't planned on getting pregnant so soon, but it wasn't an "accident" (as I'm sick of people refering to it as or asking if it was). Thank goodness for my sweet, wonderful, adorable, loving husband, who, the minute I told him of our news, asked if I was serious, then when he realized I was, broke into the biggest smile I have ever seen him smile, and said, "Wow!" in a way that only told me he was very, very excited about this. Then of course, he forced me to pee on another stick just to "make sure".

It also seems like yesterday that I still somehow didn't believe I was pregnant, and felt like I must be making it all up because I was a crazy lady. Never mind the lack of normal monthly "cycles", never mind the morning-sickness, never mind our first sonogram that showed that indeed there was a little life inside of me... I was convinced that I had imagined the whole thing up, until of course, I felt the baby move. And then he wouldn't stop moving. :) I am convinced that our son will inherit the hyperactivity of my youth... I had hoped that he would be like Forrest, calm, relaxed, chill... but given the amount of activity going on in there, the hours upon hours of bouncing around, I have come to the realization that I will be paid back for all of the trouble I caused my parents. Not that I wasn't a good kid, I was just extremely talkative, bossy, hyper, and always... ALWAYS on the go.

What I can't believe is that in less that 10 weeks now... there will be three of us. No longer will Forrest and I be alone, but we will have a son. A son who demands attention, care, love, nurturing, and much much more. Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly excited about this, but there is a part of me that is beginning to realize what we're giving up. No longer will I be able to cuddle with Forrest late on Saturday mornings. Late night movies will be replaced with late night feedings. Laundry (that I hate doing anyways) will double in size. Things are about to change. That said, I have noticed lately that Forrest and I have been extra-close... in that, I mean that we've snuggled more, we've held each other more, we've kissed more... and generally, we have been acting like we did when we were dating. It is WONDERFUL! :) And I'm enjoying being close to my husband, enjoying spending time with him, and enjoying giving him my undivided attention. All because I know that will change.

And when it does change? I'll be excited to welcome our baby boy into our lives... and I'm sure that my relationship with Forrest will only grow stronger. It may not be like it is now, but I have no doubt that our love will be deeper, and our commitment to one another will be stronger.

Anyways... enough of the sappy stuff. :) As to how I'm feeling at 30 weeks? I'm tired... make that exhausted... from the lack of sleep. My ribs hurt from the little feet that somehow always find little holes to tuck into. I've got new stretch marks on my belly that scare me. But there is one good thing. I am absolutely in love with my little baby... he kicks back when I poke my belly. When his daddy comes home, and starts talking, the baby really gets to moving around. He is actually responding to things, and that makes my heart melt!!! And those times make me forget all the pain, sleepiness, nausea that I may be going through... because I know in the end..... It's gonna be worth it :)

Complaints 101

*PHEW* I just got back from trying to finish up my Christmas shopping. We have one person left on our list (my father-in-law) and he is incredibly difficult to buy for. I just spent 3 hours on my feet shopping, and MAN, am I tired. Not so much the normal, "my feet hurt from walking in the mall tired" (which, I do have a little of) but more of the, "Holy Crap! This child is heavy, and my entire body is sagging forward from the weight of carrying this child!" I have also never been so overjoyed to find a bathroom in my life (it took me 30 minutes to find out where one was and to get there). I seriously almost hugged the toilet, but thought twice about that and decided it would probably be poor taste (GAH! my humor! horrible! sick!)

So, 3 hours out, and do I have a thing to show for it? Nope! I take that back, I did manage to get Forrest's stocking stuff out of the way, but that doesn't count... that only took a mere 30 minutes (if that). So now what? I have no earthly idea what to buy the man, and my husband is even more clueless than I... the only thing I can think to do is to make a basket full of chocolates and goodies. But that just doesn't seem original enough. And DANGIT! I'm a good gift-giver... I give great gifts! Original! Thoughtful! Good Gifts! and now? Since my brain has turned to mush and slowly sunk into my belly, I cannot think of ONE.ORIGINAL.IDEA! I am at a loss of words to explain to you, my friends, how much this troubles me. I have never... ever... in 24 years of life... not known what to get someone (or at least had SOME vague idea). I am officially stumped.

Thing is, this man isn't your typical type of guy, who would appreciate a football jersey, a tool, a gadget, or something like that. No... my father-in-law is very, VERY unique. He collects china, crystal, silver, antiques... he's a traveling salesman, so he doesn't have much time to read. You might suggest books on tape... we've done that before, but he's even stopped listening to that because he calls his dealers when he's on the road driving. As far as I know, he doesn't have any hobbies (aside from his collections) and doesn't have much time to do anything. Gift cards won't work, because he doesn't normally shop at your regular run-of-the-mill places or eat at the regular restaurants. Thankfully, I was able to pull of the "worlds best birthday gift" this year (according to him) when I found a Christmas cd by Chicago (his favorite band). (His birthday is during thanksgiving, so it made sense to get a Christmas cd). He hasn't stopped talking about it since... so now? I feel like I've got to do better than that... because that was just his birthday!

ANY.WAYS. Now that I'm home, I feel a good nap coming on... hopefully the baby will nap with me (because last night, he decided since mommy was sleeping, it must be party time). If you guys have any sort of solution to my delimma I will give you a BIG SPECIAL SURPRISE! (my undying devotion and loyalty... *grin*)

For all of you Pregnant Ladies out there (and those who just hate to wait)

THIS, has got to be the most wonderful website ever....

http://www.paulenglish.com/ivr/

Somehow, this doesn't seem right...

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Very Brady Christmas

For you, it's all about sharing times with family. Even if you all get a bit cheesy at times.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Artistic Liberties

Artistic Liberties
Originally uploaded by meandscreech.

Forrest had just a wee bit too much fun tonight with the pen, don't ya think? I can't believe how big my belly has gotten, it's quite funny :) Just thought I'd share what Forrest had fun doing tonight....

29 weeks, 4 days

Last night was the first night that I was able to really sleep well. The previous two nights were horrible, as Shepherd had discovered my ribcage, and was having fun burrowing his little feet up in there. Whether or not he did that last night, I have no idea, because I slept like a rock.
This week has simply flown by. I can't believe there are only 2 weeks until Christmas!!! I've gotten most of my shopping done, and I just have to figure out what to get my father-in-law. Forrest gave me one of my Christmas gifts early last night, but only because I needed it. He bought me a double boiler pan... and I know that sounds totally unromantic, but if you knew me, and how much I enjoy cooking, and if you knew Forrest and how much time he spends trying to find special gifts, you'd realize how special this is. I think I said something 2 months ago about needing a double boiler pan, and he remembered!!! The reason he gave it to me early is because I needed it to make some of the candies I'm making for folks for Christmas. I was gonna go buy one last night, and he was like, no wait!!! :) and gave me the double boiler. So hooray!!! :)
I think I'm over the whole losing the auction thing. Forrest and I talked about it, and I think we're gonna try to find another bedding set that's cheaper. Mom could get the set at retail, but $300 for a bedding set??? I just can't justify that when you can buy sets for $150... half the cost, that are just as good of quality, if not better.
More rambling... Today is Forrest's work Christmas Party. I'm really excited about it, because... 1) I don't get out much, 2) The people he works with/for are soooo nice and cool, and 3) did I mention I don't get out much? :) Only thing is that the party happens during the BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR!!!!!! (well... to me at least). Appalachian State University (my alma mater) is playing Furman University... one of the biggest rivalries in the Southern Conference. They're actually on TV now (ESPN2)... so I gotta run... GO APPS!!!!!!!

HATE.EBAY.HATE.MUST.KILL.EBAY

Seriously y'all... mom was 19 seconds away from winning the auction, and some idiot woman swooped in... who hadn't bid ONCE on the freakin' auction, and placed a higher bid... by that point, our computer wasn't fast enough to get in a higher bid, and I just sat here screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" into the computer. That, and I pondered sending death-threats to the woman/person who won. Seriously... You do.not.mess with a pregnant woman!!! Soooo.... Back to square one, and we'll see what we can find now in our price range... *pout* I'm totally gonna pout this one out.... for a loooong time *pout*

New Mommy Blog

VHM Princess has been added to my list of links to the right... She is seriously on the verge of having her second baby (man, I wish it was Feb already and I was her!!) so keep an eye on her blog to see if any good news comes out of the VHM Princess household in the near future. Her link is:

http://vhmprincess.blogspot.com/

(I apologize for the stupid html editor not working... I seriously think it's b/c I own a Mac, and the world is run by Windows... and they hate Macs, so they punish us Mac owners for having cute lil' computer that ACTUALLY WORK!!! by creating programs that don't FULLY work in Macs... *sigh*)

Crib Bedding, Part II

Mom is still the highest bidder (thank goodness), so here's to hoping that she wins.... As to who the maker of the bedding is... It's Glenna Jean. You can see her products (at the lowest prices on the internet) at:

http://www.babysupermall.com/main/browse/by-brand-glenna-jean.html

For those of you interested in contemporary patterns for the baby... and if you have family buying, there are more modern pieces over at design public.

http://www.designpublic.com/shop/bedding/dwellbaby

I've been reading my Baby Bargains book religiously (I'd link to it, but my html editor is down for some reason) and looking at who they rate. Our three top brands that we were looking at were:

Kimberly Grant (A-)
Glenna Jean (B-, for price)
Brandee Danielle (A-)

If you go to that first site, you can look at all three brands... :) I'll keep you posted on the ebay auction too... (if you're having a girl there are some INCREDIBLY cute crib sets out there... I'm so jealous!)

Things that have made me cry in the last 48 hours...

- Feeling really fat/huge because I can no longer bend all the way over without tipping over

-Realizing that I have a little bit of acne scarring from early pregnancy when my face decided it no longer wanted to be a face, but a pizza!! I had never, ever had acne, and now... I have acne scars to prove that I had it...

-Looking in the mirror, and swearing to myself that my nose is bigger. This... was the motherload. I cried buckets over this one, because I have always, ALWAYS, loved my nose... when I could find no other redeeming quality about myself, I would say... at least I have a cute nose. Well... I now have a much larger nose... that is no longer cute... and which I HATE.HATE.HATE.

-Having to eat.... again. I know, you're thinking I'm crazy on this one. But seriously... I'm tired of eating. I eat ALL.THE.DANG.TIME!!! And I've run out of ideas for what to eat... so I'm standing in the kitchen, hungry, but cannot for the life of me find a thing that I want to eat. It's like torture!! I have always loved eating (which showed on my pre-pregnancy frame), and now? I dread getting hungry, because I must decide on something to eat..... don't worry, I am eating, it's just a very emotional experience for me.

-Watching the snow melt....

-The Learning Channel's "A Baby Story".... but only because the two they showed yesterday? The women were screaming their heads off... and I cried because I was worried that'd be me, and people would look at me with the same expression I was looking at them... horror.

-Plenty of other silly things have reduced me to tears... but those are the main ones..... I must be having a surge of horomones because up until now, I've been relatively okay... but now, it seems no holds are barred, and the free-for-all has begun... commence weeping and gnashing of teeth... :)

Crib Bedding

What we thought we would never get (simply because of the cost), Shepherd's wonderful grandparents are going to purchase for him!!!! Mom called last night to ask if we'd picked out the bedding. I hesitated and said we liked a few options, but they were just too expensive, and we felt awful adding them to our registry (we tried to keep everything under $100, and lower than that if possible.. and if you know crib bedding, you know you can't keep that stuff under $100)

She said to send her the links to the ones we liked... and she'd get us what we wanted. (or try to at least) Then I came across an e-bay auction of one of the bedding sets. Brand-new, "second" meaning minor defects in stiching (I'm not nit-picky about that kind of stuff)... so mom is currently bidding on that, hoping to get it. :) Y'all wanna see the picture of the set don't ya???

Here 'tis!

Snow!!!

Snow!!!
Originally uploaded by meandscreech.

It really is snowing!!! It really is snowing!!!! I can't believe it, it's snowing!!! I'm so excited, it's been for-e-ver since I saw snow (we got none in Raleigh last year). So I'm cuddled up on the sofa, reading blogs, watching the snow fall from the sky :)

Onesie by Forrest

Onesie by Forrest
Originally uploaded by meandscreech.

Saturday, Forrest attended a screenprinting workshop in which he learned more about screenprinting. He was allowed to take several items to screenprint. He took this onsie and it turned out BEAUTIFULLY!!! Seriously, I was so excited when he got home to show me. Our little man will have a unique, one of a kind designed onsie, that his daddy made him. Isn't that special? :)

Proud, Proud Sister

(You can see my brother really blurry in the background behind the Star of David)

My brother, as I have posted before, has been working for People of Faith against the Death Penalty in Chapel Hill, NC. Through his work, I've learned a lot about the issue, and my opinions have dramatically changed. It's amazing how differently we feel about issues once they have a personal face to them. Through many of our conversations, Justin has taught me about the lives these men have lead. Real lives, real people, not just some monster rotting in prison. How easy it is for us to turn our heads, and ignore that the United States, one of the last remaining free democracies to use the death penalty, just executed the 1000th person since 1976. The 1000th execution was scheduled for Virginia, but Mark Warner granted clemency to that guy, so Justin and his group had their work cut out for him. You can read a little more about it over at my brothers blog:

http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=wolfinthebend

Several people were arrested for protesting the event (either they were lacking permits or acted in civil disobedience). I spoke with my father about the arrests yesterday, and he was questioning the impact that it had. I said that I believed it did have a purpose, and that they did have an impact... the people arrested made National News (CNN). Thankfully, my brother wasn't arrested, but had he been, I would still have been proud of him for taking a stand. I am proud of him for taking a stand where I can only voice my opinion. I'm not sitting outside a prison until 2 am, quietly protesting another execution of a person who deserves to live... even if behind bars for life. As Ghandi once said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

And THIS is why I love the National Weather Service

"A MORE SIGNIFICANT SNOW EVENT IS LIKELY SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY
AS A SECOND AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CROSSES THE CAROLINAS.
PRECIPITATION MOST LIKELY WILL BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW...ALTHOUGH
A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND
LOWER SOUTHERN MARYLAND. AT THIS TIME...THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW CAPABLE OF CAUSING TRAVEL PROBLEMS AND
SCHOOL CANCELLATIONS."


*grinning with delight!*

Cribs

We finally got our crib ordered (the one in the picture, except in black). We thought we'd already gotten one ordered, as Forrest's dad is a furniture salesman. But he called us last week to tell us that the crib we picked out was being discontinued. So, we had to start all over and pick a new crib out. Why is it that every crib out there looks exactly the same to me?! Finally we found a great store that had an AWESOME collection of cribs (seriously, I almost wet myself with excitement when I saw the selection). Not only were there lots of cribs, but they were GOOD cribs. Cribs that our Baby Bargains book rated very highly, and were very safe. We found one that we absolutely loved, but alas, they didn't have it in stock. And it takes 8-12 weeks to deliver. Great I thought... just when we find the one we want, it won't be here in time for the baby. But Forrest made a good point, that it'd be better to order the one we want, and have the baby sleep in a bassinet initially (we weren't going to invest in a bassinet) than to order something we didn't like, and end up hating it. Plus, this bed converts into a double later on. The nice thing about this bed, is it has a drop-gate. Now, I've heard bad things about drop-gates on cribs, mainly about babies getting fingers caught, but this brand has come up with a way around that. The hinge actually never closes. Hard to explain, but there's no way the baby can catch his little fingers... AND it gives you some more room to lean over (compared to the other cribs that convert that don't have drop sides).
The other thing we have yet to pick out is the crib bedding. We're going to go with something Unisex (even though we know it's a boy) because we totally plan on having more kids, and with some of those bedding sets costing upwards of $160-200, I'd rather get my money's worth this time around (even if someone else buys it). I'll look up a few I like, and post their pictures and see what y'all think.
So with the crib and changing table ordered, things are slowly beginning to take place. I actually have a shower planned!!! I seriously thought I wouldn't have one since we moved out of state away from all my friends. My aunt is throwing one with my family in January here in VA, so that should be a lot of fun. :)
Well, my time is almost up at the library (Forrest had to borrow the laptop for work today, so I'm computer-less at home), so I'd better get going... Hope y'all have a great day!!!

New Link

Hey guys,

I came across Cathy's site through Reese at 2pinklines . Cathy's site is My First Pregnancy . Y'all go check her out! :) She's due around the same time Avorie and I are due