Lord help us all

Owen's Halloween costume came in the mail today, courtesy of Meena and Papaw. It even has tiny shoulder pads for him to wear under the shirt (he's not that broad in real life). He has not taken it off yet and has been running around the house screaming something about being a Ten-see put-ball payer.

Central High Homecoming Parade

Tonight the girls rode on a float in the Central High School Homecoming parade as part of their first Supersquad duties. They had a blast and got to do chants for about 3 blocks. Only one kid threw up on the float and I'm happy to say it was neither of mine! The parade was pretty decent and some of the high school kids threw candy to the people watching, so Owen collected several suckers and pieces of gum. He liked every float except the swim team's because they had a guy dressed up like a giant shark who chased the swimmers around the float while the Jaws music played. Even I have to admit it was a bit disturbing. I think tomorrow evening we may go to the game and just stay for the first half. The girls are eager to watch the real cheerleaders and high school football is HUGE in Texas.

A Day at the Park

We spent about an hour at the park today with Amber and Arden and had lots of fun. Sadly, after I took the first picture of Owen sliding the battery in my camera died. But this is the one I did get.

The Girls' Blogs

After much consideration and talk, the girls and I have decided that we should stop updating their blogs. They don't do that much different each day so they are becoming redundant. Also, the girls don't like to have to update them everyday. I have to admit they lasted longer than I thought they would last, and maybe in the future we will make one for the two of them to share.

Good times

What is that cat eating?

Ground beef.

Ground beef?

Yes, we gave him some ground beef last night.

Last night? And he's eating it today?

Yeah, he really likes it.

(5 minutes pass)

Mom! The cat threw up! Three times!!

Well, you need to get it cleaned up.

Mom!! Ashlyn won't help because she says I saw it first so I should clean it up and because she says it's my cat, but I cleaned up the poop when Chevy pooped in the house last week.

Ashlyn, clean up the throw up.

MOM!!! Max is eating the throw up!!

Haley, put Max outside.

MOM!!!! Max just peed right on the cat throw up!! And Owen's standing right beside it eating cheese and he's going to step in it just to be mean!

Haley, put Max outside! And get something and help Ashlyn clean that up.

MOM!!!!! I was going to get some toilet paper and the toilet paper exploded.

What?

It exploded. There's toilet paper everywhere. Do I have to clean that up too?

Well, it doesn't really matter because your daddy is going to come home and kill you both.

It's not that big a deal. We don't need to tell him. Can you come back here?

No.

Why not?

Because high blood pressure is not good for the baby.

(one day hopefully I can bottle this crazy and sell it on ebay)

Confusion

OK Go - Here it goes again

I'm sure a lot of people out here have seen this already, but it's Haley's favorite!!

The ants

Every day in my bathroom I have ants. Two ants. No more than two, but always two. They are always traveling across the floor, in some type of cover formation I'm sure, coming from a secret location that I cannot find and going who knows where. Every day I squish the ants with toilet paper, throw the paper away and wash my hands. Every day. Owen watches me do this. And the next day two more are there, diligently trying to cross the floor, as if the queen ant has sent them in to find the ones from the day before and the day before that.

For about the past week or so I have noticed that the two ants are gone. I don't see them, and being pregnant I spend an awful lot of time in the bathroom, so I have lots of chances to look. Out of the blue, after months of seeing them each day, they are gone. I wondered about this briefly, but then decided there are more important things to contemplate, like where the light in the room goes when you turn off the light switch.

This weekend I was going to go to the bathroom and Owen saw me on my way. He yelled "NO MOMMY! ANTS!" I told him that no, the ants were gone now. He shook his head and rushed in ahead of me and started looking around on the floor. Suddenly he clapped, pointed and screamed "TWO ANTS!" I looked and sure enough, there they were again. I went to get some toilet paper and Owen said "No, O do it!!" He then proceeded to bend down, squish both ants WITH HIT BARE FINGERS, lift up the toilet lid and RINSE HIS HANDS OFF IN THE POTTY and then he dried them off ON MY TOWEL.

It took about one tenth of a second for me to realize that he has been doing this every day FOR A WEEK. Killing ants with his bare hands, washing his hands in the toilet and drying them on my towel...the towel that even Scott is not allowed to touch. Honestly I don't know which part of all this bothers me the worst.

Lucinda's Blog

Actually, it's Will's blog, but he's only 2, so I'm giving credit to his mom!!

Joel, Lucinda and Will live in Rome, GA. Will is ADORABLE so check him out!!

http://jlandwh.blogspot.com/

The horse and the midget

I said earlier that we are dog sitting for Amber while she goes to Columbus to visit Joe. We are keeping Husker, which we have done before, but now they have Chevy too, so he is here also. Husker is a beast of a dog, but he is a very very good dog. Chevy is very energetic and spends a vast amount of time barking at himself in the mirror of the curio cabinet. Husker weighs about 110 and Chevy weighs about 6. Oh, and in case anybody's keeping up, the score is Frosty-2, Chevy-0.















The girls put Haley's quilt in the cradle that Papa made for me many years ago and that is where Chevy sleeps.

And the sex of the baby is...

not known.

The ultrasound lady was obviously having a bad day as she flew through the exam hardly saying anything and at the end looked and said "The legs are crossed and I can't tell." She ran the wand back over it's head and down it's body once more and said "Nope" and shut off the machine. She didn't make an effort and she had already rushed through and not told us anything else so we left. I asked about the brain and heart and she just brushed off my questions and she didn't mention spinal bifida or cleft lip or anything. We were in there for less than 15 minutes total. I was in tears by the time we got to the regular doctor's office because I had no idea if the baby was even okay but the doctor came in and said everything looked fine so I guess it's okay.

So that's all we know...that everything looks fine. Scott and I were both a little disappointed that she didn't spend more time showing us the parts of the baby and with the gender part but what can you do? I guess we'll hope for a better one in 10 weeks.

Wednesday

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is our appointment for our ultrasound. It's at 1. Scott is going to meet me there, and I am taking Owen too, because Amber has gone out of town to visit Joe at Ft. Benning in Columbus, GA. We are dog sitting their dogs, so I will put some pictures of them on here soon because they are really cute!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Joe and Amber and Arden, who have successfully changed Joe's military orders. They were supposed to go to Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri, a miserable sort of place where Scott went to basic training also known as Ft. Lost in the Woods. Instead, they are going to beautiful Vicenza, Italy and will get to live there for three years on the government's dime and get to travel around Europe thanks to the hefty amount of cola (cost of living allowance) the government will throw at them to offset the hassle of living in a foreign country. If only I had their hassles!!

Have fun and find Scott a job over there too!!!

And congratulations to Karin, my surrogate friend, who found out today that she is still carrying all three babies and the one teeny one that was lagging behind has taken a turn for the better and is going to make it. And no, no one will fault you for using all that money for a tummy tuck!

I think I am going to throw up

This is the worse thing that happened around here today.

Elmo goes on the potty

They now have a movie out called Elmo's Potty Time. Today after having lunch with Amber and Arden we went to WalMart and bought it. It is 45 minutes long.

I am embarrassed for every person who had anything to do with making this DVD as it contains a number of unfortunate songs and conversations. Owen absolutely loves it. We watched it and he talked non-stop about Elmo going potty and Grover going potty and Baby Bear going potty, etc. One of the songs is The Dirty Diaper Dance and it actually includes the line "if your diaper's dry, you'll look fly."

It has also (after one time) taught Owen an extensive vocabulary. They use words ranging from wee wee to dookie and everything in between. That is the part where they have real children dancing and screaming out words that describe what you may or may not be doing in the bathroom. I would best describe it as frightening.

After one time through Owen was ready to move on to other things, none of which included taking off his diaper and sitting on the potty, because when I asked him he told me "O already done." He has not gone "numero dos" (fyi-another perfectly good phrase we learned) today so I am going to try again in a few minutes, but from the odor I think he must have done it in the last 5 minutes while I was typing this.

Proving my point

Yesterday I picked Ashlyn and Haley up from their first day at school. They were both very excited and talked about what they did and what they learned.

"Haley, are you glad that Haley C is not going to be in your class anymore?"

"Mama, I AM Haley C!"

"Haley, you are Haley S! S! S like Starr! Haley Starr! Haley S!"

"Oh, yeah. Man, why can't I remember that?"

Some new blogs

Ashlyn and Haley have started school and they have created their very own blogs so everyone can see what they are doing in their classes.

You can read about Ashlyn here.

You can read about Haley here.

Their names and pictures in their "about me" section are the same as mine right now, but I am going to change that soon. Blogger has gone to a new format and right now I'm not able to modify some of the tags in the template just yet.

It's a good thing you're pretty

Yesterday at Meet the Teachers we found out that there are two Haleys in Haley's kindergarten class, Haley Clark and Haley Starr. So we were told by her teacher, Mrs. Smith, that our Haley would from now on be known as Haley S.

When we were in the car on the way home I asked Haley if it bothered her that she was going to have to be called Haley S all the time.

"No, not at all. Haley S is a cool name!"

"Oh. Okay, yeah, I think so too."

"Hey mama, how do you think they came up with the S?"

**note: today was the first day and we found out that haley clark isn't going to be going to glenmore so haley is now the only one.

Bump pictures

Here are some pictures of the bump, taken by Ashlyn. In the second picture I look a little mad, but it is because there was a huge fight going on while it was being taken. And the shelf and picture in the background are crooked because our stupid cat Frosty won't quit trying to knock it off the wall.

The Runners

This weekend my father and brother ran in a mini-marathon in Rome, GA. They ran for 3.1 miles for no reason other than they wanted to do it. I have a weird family.

My latest

One of my recent purchases on ebay was the Precious Moments Noah's Ark set. It came in the mail today and has taken up residence on the bottom shelf of my curio cabinet right beside my Precious Moments Sammy's Circus set. You can see the ark, Noah and his wife, giraffes, sheep, bunnies, pigs and elephants. They also have llamas, which I have purchased but which have not arrived yet, and lions, goats and zebras (that I don't have).














So if you think this curio is practically busting at it's seams, I'm not even going to show you a picture of my salt & pepper shaker curio!

Tennessee cousins

Here are Ashlyn, Haley and Owen's Tennessee cousins.
(L-R) Macie Aleece (born 7 August), Sidney and Leeanne

On the pooter

Owen loves to sit with Ashlyn and play games on the "pooter".

And shame on all of you who saw the title of this post and thought you were going to see some really cool pictures of people sitting on the toilet!

Afternoon fun

This may look very dangerous, but, as evidenced here, here, and here, we are trained professionals.

So this is interesting

It turns out that my friend, the nameless surrogate, is not having twins after all.

She's having triplets.

Oh, and hey Ka-uh, nameless surrogate, sorry I laughed.

We're so excited!

Today, on the 433rd day of his life, Owen PEE-PEED ON THE POTTY!!

It turns out pouring warm water on his thingy really does work...

Ready for school

Haley, are you ready to start school?

Yes!

Okay, let's practice. What's 6 - 3?

4.

Nope.

5?

Nope.

OOH OOH I KNOW I KNOW--17!!

My cousin Adam

Everyone has a crazy person in their family that they sometimes pretend they don't know. Adam is that person in my family. Ha Ha! So here's a couple of pictures of Adam doing what he does best. You may ask "What does he do?" Well, no one really knows for sure, but it has something to do with Home Depot I think.

#3 ob trip

Today I went again to see Dr. Dickens and find out how the bump is coming along. I have nothing to say about the weight gain issue because I weighed myself with my back to the scale and I have no idea what it was. It can't be too bad because Dr. Dickens commented that is was "about perfect" and I quickly told him I didn't want to know the number, but thanks anyway.

We heard the heartbeat and discussed any worries/concerns we may have. Scott didn't have any, but I had one about the fact that the baby was going to come at the height of flu season and I'd have two kids in school bringing home all sorts of germs and immediately Scott cut me off laughing. He then reminded me about having two kids, one in December and one if February, in Fairbanks, Alaska and not asking this question. And I'm glad he spoke up because I'd completely forgotten about giving birth in the past...

So Dr. Dickens and Scott had a good chuckle while I protested that it was a legitimate concern because in Alaska we didn't go anywhere (too too much snow) and Dr. Dickens said as long as the baby wasn't premature we didn't really have cause to worry. Oh, and if the kids have coughs or colds we shouldn't let them breathe all over the baby. Well, it's a good thing he told me THAT because I had NO idea I needed to keep snot-nosed kids away from a newborn baby.

I have felt the bump move twice, both at the same time, about 10 seconds apart. I was laying on the bed and felt a lump rise up and I poked it and it went away, then came right back. Again, after a solid poke from me it disappeared and I haven't heard from it since. But it's still in there somewhere, doing it's best to give me the worst freaking heartburn known to mankind. Oh, and I also found out today it's about to have a growth spurt. How lovely.

We go back on the 30th for the ultrasound. Actually, I made the appointment for 3:30 that day but I'm going to have to change it because I completely forgot the girls would be in school then so I think it will be on the 30th, but I'm not 100% sure.

And speaking of pregnancy I'd like to take this opportunity to say congratulations to my friend, who wants to remain nameless but is doing the unmatchable by being a surrogate to a less fortunate couple. On the second time around she has successfully been impregnated with two counts of someone else's sperm and egg combo and is having twins...so YAY! for you (and them).
And I'm sorry I laughed about the twin part...

If the shoe fits...

then you should definitely wear it. Nothing says DUDE! more than some sparkly red Dorothy shoes. And speaking of DUDE!...Dude, get a bowl or something.

Pile on

Last week while Rebeckah was visiting all the kids decided to climb on Scott to see if he could hold them all. It turns out that he can not only hold them all, but he can also jump up and down at the same time. I figure Ashlyn weighs about 50 and Rebeckah weighs about 40-45 and Haley weighs about 40 and Owen weighs 30, so that's 160 pounds.

Amber and Arden were visiting while this was happening but Amber would not allow Arden to participate--what a pooper!

Just so you know

I am no longer doing the Friday's Feast thing. It was getting old. So don't think I don't know what day it is when you don't see it.

Also, Nana, Pops and Rebeckah have been visiting this week and Pops has been taking pictures. I'm planning on loading them all onto my computer tonight before they leave so I will have pictures of everyone to put up this weekend.

Owen got his new potty chair in the mail yesterday from ebay. After his bath last night he sat down on it around 8:30. He had a stack of books beside him and he was right in front of the television with baseball on. At 9:00 he fell asleep sitting on it. He did not pee in it. We tried the spray, and it didn't work. But he likes the chair, so maybe one day he will slip up and pee in it and it will all come together for him.

13 weeks pregnant

Your fully formed fetus, now in about its 11th week of development, measures 2.6 to 3.1 inches from crown to rump and weighs between half an ounce and seven-tenths of an ounce -- about the size of a peach. The head is still disproportionately bigger than the body, but the rest of the body is starting to catch up. In fact, your baby is growing rapidly these days. The face is starting to look more human, with eyes moving closer together. Toes and fingers are clearly separate, and ankles and wrists have formed. External genitalia are becoming visible. Intestines are shifting into their proper place, too.
Thanks, webmd.

Dream a little dream

I know it is waaaay too early for Owen to be potty trained, but a while back we were at Big Lots and he found a kid-sized potty seat with Elmo on it and would not put it down so I bought it. I figured he would use it eventually.

He is getting really good at knowing when he is going. He will often stand up (usually in restaurants), grab his crotch and scream "Owen pee-pee!" or twist a little and point to his butt and yell "Owen poop ball!" At home he will immediately stop whatever he is doing and run and get the wipes and a new diaper as soon as he goes.

Now we are actually encouraging him to use the potty seat, bribing him with gum, which he desperately wants to try, or m&ms, another of his favorites. He has spent a lot of time sitting there, usually when he first wakes up from sleep or a nap and his diaper is still dry, but he has never peed. He tries really hard, straining and pushing his stomach and whatnot, but to no avail.

I know that at young ages a child doesn't really think twice about going to the potty...when their body gets the urge to go, it's pretty much automatic, whether the kid is ready or not. I also know there is a time when that changes, and a child has to physically do the work himself and push it all out. I thought (mistakenly) Owen was at that point and the potty seat was a good idea, but the other night when Scott was putting them all in the bathtub something frightening happened. Owen turned to run out of the bathroom while butt-naked and small poop balls were falling unaided out of his butt, leaving a trail behind him. I guess that is a sign that he does not have full control, but if he does, then you have to admit it is very impressive that he can run away, laughing and yelling and push out poop all at the same time. I mean, what a multi-tasker!

Anyway, I feel potty training will have to wait, but in the meantime we went to Target today and of course they had Elmo underwear in a size 2T-3T and of course I bought him some to wear over his diaper while we are at home. I told him he had to pee and poop in the potty or we would have to throw the underwear away. He has been diligently trying this afternoon and evening, but nothing yet.

For Becky

My parents have come to visit us and this time they brought Rebeckah with them. What a surprise for Ashlyn and Haley, who were purposely left out of the loop on this one!

Rebeckah was looking forward to seeing the girls and Owen again. The last time we'd seen her was last June when we left for Arizona. Owen was barely over 1 and he wasn't walking or talking yet and I guess in Rebeckah's mind he was still exactly like that. I think she expected him to be more like Ben than Patrick.

After we had been visiting about an hour Rebeckah mentioned to Ashlyn how big Owen was and how he wasn't anything like Ben. Ashlyn said "Well, Owen's 2 years old." to which Rebeckah said "Oh! Well that's why! Ben is only, like, 1 and a half!"

12 weeks pregnant

Once again, according to Webmd:
By the end of the third month, your baby is fully formed. Your baby has arms, hands, fingers, feet and toes and can open and close its fists and mouth. Fingernails and toenails are beginning to develop and the external ears are formed. The beginnings of teeth are forming. Your baby's reproductive organs also develop, but the baby's gender is difficult to distinguish on ultrasound. The circulatory and urinary systems are working and the liver produces bile.

At the end of the third month, your baby is about 4 inches long and weighs about 1 ounce.

Since your baby's most critical development has taken place, your chance of miscarriage drops considerably after three months.

Friday's Feast, 21 July 2006

Appetizer: Fill in the blanks: I ____________ when I _____________.
I hate when I am laying in the bed and the kids bump into it and it shakes and makes me even more nauseaus.

Soup: Name something you use to make your home smell good.
Carpet fresh

Salad: If you could receive a coupon in the mail for 50% off any product, what would you want it to be for?
A house

Main Course: Besides sleeping, what do you spend the majority of the hours of your typical day doing?
eating

Dessert: What can you hear right now while answering these questions?
My mother talking on the phone to me

When I grow up

Hey Ashlyn, what are you going to be when you grow up?

I'm going to be a photographer!

Haley, what are you going to be?

A vegetarian.

A vegetarian?

Yeah, you know, one of those people who work with animals...

Power

Haley informed me yesterday that she has magic power. So of course I was excited because who couldn't use a little magic power?

This power enables her to close her eyes and reach into the toybox and know what toy she has picked out before opening her eyes. It also allows her to know where certain toys are and when Ashlyn needs them she can tell her exactly where to look.

Dang it, this is no magic power! This is common sense! Don't come wake me up and tell me crap like that! But hey, when you can clean a house like Mary Poppins can, by all means, come and get me.

The whole dairy issue

The baby is now almost 100% against all things dairy. This is a problem because I drink a lot of milk. A lot of milk. Now milk seems to curdle the minute it hits my stomach and leaves that familiar tin-like taste in my mouth that no amount of tooth brushing can scrub away. Instead of wanting milk, the baby is sending up incredible cravings for water. How bad is that? I can't get enough water. And it must be cold water with ice...not just any ice, mind you, but ice that was purchased at the Town & Country gas station. All other ice is unacceptable.

Unfortunately for the baby, I am not giving up cheesecake. I am very close to ordering one of those Junior's ones from QVC. The baby will most likely not appreciate that, but my reasoning behind it is that I pretty much feel like butt everyday anyway, so at least I will eat something good and then feel like butt instead of drinking a bunch of water or eating what the baby wants and then feeling like butt.

My stomach has poked out overnight. I guess when it's the 4th one you really can't help that. Amazingly enough, I still weigh the same as I did before it poked out so this must be a sign from God that it's okay to continue eating Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls every night at 11. So at least I have that.

Another Haley gem

Last Friday I had to meet Scott up at the Company for a meeting and afterward the kids and I sat in his office while he tied up some loose ends so we could go eat. Scott has one of those Army posters in his office...I know you've seen them:



















Anyway, Haley was staring at the poster and then she started jumping around and I said "Haley! Be still!" and she said "Golly Mom, no matter where I stand, that guy is still pointing at me!"

I hope this next baby is half as funny as she is.

11 weeks pregnant

According to Webmd, at 11 weeks:
Your fetus, about the size of a large lime, measures about 1.75 to 2.4 inches from crown to rump and weighs about three-tenths of an ounce. About now the rapid "swooshing" noises of the heartbeat can be heard through a Doppler sound-wave stethoscope. Fingernails and external genitalia are showing distinguishing characteristics, and the baby is swallowing and kicking, although you still won't feel it.

Friday's Feast, 15 July 2006

Appetizer: Name one thing nice that you could do for someone else today.
Well, I could do a lot of things, but I probably won't, because it would involve getting out of the bed.

Soup: When was the last time you were frightened by the weather?
One time we were in Florida and there was a storm blowing in off the water and a palm tree got struck by lightning right beside us and the top of it exploded. It was pretty funny afterward, but at the time it scared the shit out of me.

Salad: What would you say is the most useful website or blog that you visit?
My bank's website

Main Course: Who was your favorite singer/group when you were a child?
Alabama

Dessert: Do you have any rituals? If so, what are they?
I am a creature of habit. Every single thing I do is ritualistic.

There's something in the water

Last week two of Scott's soldiers' wives had babies. Those two soldiers are part of the permanent party here. This week 4 of his female soldiers (the ones in class here, not the permanent party) have turned up pregnant. Some are getting out of the army and some are getting married-a novel idea!

Every Friday the company does some sort of training. This Friday they are having training on safe sex.

I told Scott to take notes.

Yes, I still feel like crap

I wrote back on July 6th that my sickness was easing up.

People, don't be fooled as I was.

I have heard by way of the grapevine that people are talking about the fact that I have not updated my blog in several days. Interestingly enough, this came from my grandmother, who does not own a computer and could not see it if she did own one, so obviously people (Joan) have been talking about me. I am happy to provide fodder for you all.

I still feel like crap and I am still taking my medicine. I have, however, discovered that the baby does not care for chocolate milk one little bit, so that's helping a little. I would also like for it to be known that I am single handedly keeping the Sonic on Knickerbocker in business with all the Ched R Peppers and lime slushes I've been buying from them; the baby seems to like those.

Also, the baby (all two inches of it) has apparently now taken up residence somewhere near my spine because I now have a funny tingling/numbing sensation going on there.

So all in all (in case you can't figure it out for yourself) this pregnancy is going awesomely. I can't wait to have this kid and maybe do it all over again.

Skinny dipping

When Nana came back in June she bought the kids a little pool with a built on slide for the backyard. It is a huge hit, especially with Owen, who likes the pool all to himself. Let me tell you, when he rips off his pants, everyone else disappears!

10 weeks pregnant

According to Webmd, at week 10:
Congratulations! Your baby is now officially called a "fetus." It looks a little like a medium shrimp, measuring 1.25 to 1.68 inches from crown to rump, and weighing a little less than two-tenths of an ounce. You might be reassured to know that most physical malformations, when they occur, have occurred by the end of this week, so the most critical part of your baby's development is safely behind you. But other developmental processes, such as those affecting behavior and intelligence, will continue throughout pregnancy. Eyes are covered by skin that will eventually split to form eyelids.

Friday's Feast, 7 July 2006

Appetizer: When was the last time you visited a hospital?
Yesterday

Soup: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how ambitious are you?
3

Salad: Make a sentence using the letters of a body part. (Example: (mouth) My other ukelele tings healthily.)
(shin) Scott has interesting news.

Main Course: If you were to start a club, what would the subject matter be, and what would you name it?
I wouldn't start a club, as I mentioned above, I am not very ambitious.

Dessert: What color is the carpet/flooring in your home?
god-awful

All my sickness

I would like to report that while it is not gone completely, my sickness has eased up considerably. I am now able to get up and shower on a daily basis, and I will actually consider leaving the house if the mood is right.

This lessoning of the sickness must be because now that the baby has developed fingers, it can float around in it's wonderworld flipping me off, thereby causing emotional duress instead of physical duress, and hey, I'll take the emotional anyday over the physical, as there are much better drugs out there for that.

Tonight at Walmart we bought a book with approximately 54,182 baby names in it. We bought the book in hopes of finding a good name for the baby, since all Scott can come up with at the moment is "Moose", and if it's a boy then we really have no idea...

#2 OB trip

Today we went to see Dr. Dickens again and had our first ultrasound. My due date has changed and is now officially 02 Feb. The baby was kicking around and also doing some type of shadow boxing, complete with bobbing head. Right now it looks like Owen, what with the smallish body and huge head. I go back to the doctor on 03 August.

9 weeks pregnant

According to Webmd, at week 9:
The embryo measures about 0.9 inches to 1.2 inches from crown to rump, or the size of a strawberry. The arms and legs are longer, and the fingers might be a little swollen where the touch pads are forming. The head is more erect and neck is more developed. Your baby now moves its body and limbs, and this movement can be visible during an ultrasound, but you won't be able to feel it yet.

Happy 4th of July

Friday's Feast, 30 June 2006

Appetizer: On average, approximately how many times per day do you yawn?
Lately about 50

Soup: What was your most memorable school field trip?
The only one I really remember was the Cherokee Indian Mounds, because we went there just about every year. At least, it seemed like we went there over and over.

Salad: Fill in the blank: I was extremely __________________ this week.
sick

Main Course: Which color do you think of when you hear the word "soothing"?
baby blue

Dessert: What is something that, if you had to, you could save up the money to buy within one month?
airline tickets

8 weeks pregnant

According to Webmd at week 8:
Your embryo, now about in its sixth week of development, is about the size of a grape -- 0.56 to 0.8 inches from crown to rump. Eyelid folds and ears are forming and even the tip of the nose is visible. The arms have grown longer and bend at the elbows. Places where fingers and toes eventually will grow are becoming notched. (at this point, the baby most definitely resembles Scott)

Chocolate Pudding

Um, hey Owen, how's about a little face to go with your chocolate pudding?

Goodbye Tigger

Sadly, Tigger Ific Starr passed away sometime between 11:30 Monday night and 5:15 Tuesday morning. Monday night he acted like he wasn't feeling well, and then Tuesday morning when Scott got up for PT I checked on him and he was gone. It was just the saddest thing, and then I had to tell the girls, who were crushed. We kept his green collar to remember him by.

In unrelated news, the phenergan medicine did not help me at all. Yesterday I called the doctor's office and they prescribed me some Zofran. I took one last night about 9:45 and this morning I feel like a new person. Let's hope this isn't a fluke and the medicine continues to work!

#1 OB trip

Today Scott and I made our first trip to the OB doctor to see about getting a prescription for some phenergan, because I have decided that I can't live without it. Fortunately, Dr. Dickens agreed to prescribe me some, though he was extremely stingy with it and I only have 45 pills total, which I am confident I can blow through in under a month (I've had the pills for 8 hours and have taken two already).

note: Everyone needs to go out and get the movie Slingblade and watch it, as Dr. Dickens sound exactly like Billy Bob Thornton in that movie when he talks. This is the second OB doctor I have had that had a connection with a movie star...Dr. Waters, who delivered Owen, looked exactly like Kenny Rogers (pre-facelift of course).

Dr. Dickens was very nice and comfortable to be around, so Scott and I both like him a lot. I would like him regardless of him temperment so long as I got the phenergan, but that's neither here nor there.

I asked him about doing a tubal ligation at the time of this baby's birth and he said that it could usually be done right away if I got an epidural. I interrupted him right there with "No No, it's not IF I get an epidural, it's WHEN I get an epidural. We can set that up with the anesthesiologist today if you want to." I mean, I'm not going in there trying to be a freakin hero people. Dr. Dickens laughed and made a note on his chart and asked "So, you guys think this is probably going to be your last child?"

To which Scott responded "Hell, I thought the LAST kid was going to be our LAST child."

For sale

For sale:
One AKC registered miniature weenie dog who spent an unfortunate bit of time this morning with a skunk.

Blanket!!

It was time for Owen's blanket to be washed, and Owen was none too happy about it. First he spread it out on the floor and flung his body on top of it, but I eventually coaxed him into putting it into the washing machine. He stood in front of the machine the entire time, watching for his blanket to go by.














Each time his blanket passed by, he would yell and point and clap.

Things I've decided:

Over the past few days I've had a lot of time to lay in the bed and reflect on my current situation. In that time I've decided several things:

I've decided that at 7 years old, Ashlyn is fully capable to completely run this house.

I've decided that it's okay not to wash your hair everyday, and if the best you can do is crouch in the back of the shower in the fetal position until you feel you are sufficiently wet enough to get out and get back in bed, well, you tried, and that's what counts.

I've decided that it's okay to cry yourself to sleep at night because you feel horrible as long as you are very quiet, because Scott has to get up very early.

I've decided that Haley could not be quiet if her life depended on it.

I've decided that when you hear "Take those away from Owen...wait, first check to see if he's on fire!" you pretty much have to get up.

I've decided I would rather take a bath in front of an audience of three and spend the hour talking about bellybuttons and boobies than take a shower like I talked about earlier.

I've decided that if one more cat tries to lay on my pillow at the same time I am using it then we will have one less cat.

I've decided that if suppertime was left up to Scott indefinitely he could and would alternate between spaghetti and meatballs and pizza for the rest of his life.

I've decided that when you are sick That 70's Show is the best thing you can watch on tv. Tivo-ing Terms of Endearment is not a good idea.

I've decided that although pregnant people are supposed to eat a lot of fresh vegetables, for me, personally, cauliflower is not a good idea.

I've decided that it will be a cold day in hell before I eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup again.

I've decided that if this baby thinks I'm going to get up at all hours of the night to feed it and change it and rock it when it doesn't feel good after it's treated me this way then it has another think coming.

I've decided that the one before this one was mean spirited and unfair and I don't mean it.

I've decided that if we get one more call in the middle of the night because some stupid soldier is acting like an idiot I am personally going to get up and go down to that company and kick their ass, and that's saying alot because I haven't showered in two days.

I've decided if my mother shows up someone's had a bad day.

I've decided that Scott is the best husband in the whole world.

Friday's Feast, 23 June 2006

Appetizer: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you like your job?
9

Soup: When was the last time you think you were lied to?
Yesterday

Salad: Share some lyrics from one of your favorite songs.
I'm alone
Yeah, I don't know if I can face the night
I'm in tears and the cryin' that I do is for you
I want your love - Let's break the walls between us
Don't make it tough - I'll put away my pride
Enough's enough I've suffered and I've seen the light

Main Course: What do you do/take when you are in pain?
Advil liquid gels

Dessert: Fill in the blanks: My __________ is very __________.
My stomach is very queasy.

Thursday excitement

On Thursday I got to spend the late afternoon/early evening at the ER...and NO, it wasn't because of one of my kids....well, I guess it was, it depends on how you look at it.

It seems this newest baby doesn't much care for me and has been doing his/her dangdest to suck the life out of my body. So yesterday I got to go to the hospital and get an IV of fluid and a shot of phenergan. This has been hailed as a wonder drug for pregnant people and I myself have taken it on several occasions and it has always helped me. Too bad this was not one of those times.

Shortly after the IV was finished and I stood up to leave the nausea came rushing back to the point where I had to lay down again. The nurse offered another shot of the medicine, but I declined (since it apparently wasn't working I didn't see the point in having more). Amber got me home and I promptly went to bed. It was about 6:45 I think...and I am truly stressing the "I think" part.

I slept all night and got up at 10 this morning to see if my children were in the house or playing in the street. They were in the den happily mashing Cocoa Puffs into the carpet. Figuring that was fine I went back to sleep. At some poing Owen got a lot of water and somehow transported it into Ashlyn and Haley's closet and poured it out, but I missed that altogether. Two days ago he locked himself in the bathroom, put the stopper in the sink and turned on the water and made a pretty waterfall off the counter and managed to get the depth of water on the floor to a good 3 inches before Ashlyn and Haley realized he wasn't in the room with them watching tv. I feel he is just going through a mild obsession with water that will pass and Scott can deal with it until it does. So I got up for good about 4:20 this afternoon and sitting here typing is bringing on another wave of nausea, though it has subsided a bit.

I go to the O.B. doctor on Monday so we will see if he prescribes me anything to help with this. And my mother is this close to getting in her car and driving out here and that is just something that doctor does not want, whether he knows it or not.

So I will keep you updated on how this progresses in the coming weeks. My ticker at the top says 228 days to go. Yippee.

Typical Becca

Check out Becca's website for her Quote of the Day, which, wonderfully enough, changes every day!

http://bobandbecca.blogspot.com/

Sharing the News

Me: Hey Ashlyn and Haley, come here. What do you guys think about us getting another baby?

Girls: (blank stares)

Me: You know, how about if Mommy has another baby? Wouldn't that be nice?

Haley: Well, okay, but only if it's a girl, because Owen is a pain.

Ashlyn: Um, nah, I don't think we should...there's too many people living here already.

Listening

Okay, I had to change the caption on this picture because Amber is so freakin hilarious...

"Hear that? There's a train coming!!"

The blue moon

The definition of a Blue Moon can be found here. From reading this article you learn that blue moons actually occur once every 2.5 years. Because they don't happen that often, the phrase "once in a blue moon" was coined to describe something that happens very rarely. I think (and I feel everyone would agree with me) that the following pictures depict a very rare occurance. I don't know if there was a blue moon to go along with them, but it would be interesting to find out.

As these pictures were taken, Amber and I were sitting at the kitchen table. You heard me right people, we were sitting right there, 10 feet away! We were not absent, otherwise engaged, or incapacitated in any way, yet this continued to happen. My mother took the pictures so we would have hard evidence.

Friday's Feast, 16 June 2006

Appetizer: What is a word that you use that would not be considered common?
Vasectomy...though not an uncommon word, you don't usually hear it every day, but I've been throwing it around a lot lately.

Soup: What theme of calendar do you have on your wall this year?
I have my grandmother's calendar on my wall. She made it by hand and it's velcro so you use it over and over. It has the different flowers for each month on it.

Salad: Name 3 people you speak with by telephone a regular basis.
Amber
My dad
Karin

Main Course: If you could buy a new outfit for someone you know - who would it be and what would you purchase for them?
I would buy Scott some new khaki shorts because the other day he was complaining about his being worn out.

Dessert: What is the last beverage you drank?
chocolate milk

Bad puppy

Frosty teaches Max a lesson

Happy 300th post!!!

For my 300th post I figured I needed something big, something huge, something that would really knock your socks off. This is the best I could do:

The Army Ball

Last night Scott and I attended the Army Ball at the San Angelo Convention Center. I had the chipotle chicken plate, Scott had roast beef. They had cheesecake with strawberries for dessert...yum!

Friday's Feast, 09 June 2006

Appetizer: About how much money did you spend on gas this week?
It averages out to about $30 per week. Now that school is out it will go way down.

Soup: What is your favortite brand of toilet paper?
Cottonelle

Salad: When was the last time you discovered something that you thought was pure genius?
The first thing that comes to my mind that I feel qualifies as pure genius is ebay.

Main Course: What is the least amount of sleep you can get by on per night?
I can get by on any amount. Whether or not I'm happy about it is another question.

Dessert: June is a popular month for weddings. Do you know anyone who is getting married this month?
Adam. Just kidding!! I don't know of any weddings this month.

The Evolution of Dance

This is HILARIOUS!! Thanks to April for sending it to me!

A Lazy Afternoon

After lunch today we all went outside to sweat in the hot Texas weather. We had initially planned to hook up the slip-n-slide, but Mr. Screws The Hose On The Sprinkler So Tight It May Never Come Off messed that up for us so we ended up putting the sprinkler beside the slip-n-slide and that worked just fine. Between jumping on the trampoline, running through the sprinkler and slipping and sliding around in the heat (have I mentioned it's HOT here?) we were all worn out. We came back inside and everyone sort of crashed. I like it though, because it's been sooo nice and quiet!!

A Few Extra Pictures

I have already posted some pictures about Scott's Change of Command, but today Becca emailed me the ones she took (in her defense she just got her computer in the mail from Hawaii) and a couple of them were really good.

Friday's Feast, 02 June 2006

Appetizer: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how funny do you think you are?
8, but it's not always because I'm trying

Soup: Name a local restaurant would you recommend to a visitor to your town or city.
Mejor's

Salad: What's a lesson you were lucky enough to learn the easy way?
I want a big dog, but by watching Amber's dog Husker, I've learned that if you have a big dog you will have no place to sit or take a bath. It's also quite funny to see her try to walk him on a leash.

Main Course: Where would you like to be 5 years from now?
Leaving for Germany

Dessert: If you could see the front page of a newspaper from June 2, 2106, what would you imagine the headline might be?
Barry Bonds IV, great-grandson of Home Run King Barry Bonds, has been charged with steroid use.

Karin CAN YOU HEAR ME?

Karin, UPDATE YOUR BLOG!!
(april, you are next!!)

and if you think this is a little mean, look at what
Amber thinks about it...