4 pounds 8 ounces

That’s how big Lil Major is so far. Or that’s what the tech told me at our sonogram yesterday. He’s measuring about 10 days ahead of his age. The Colonel asked if that meant he would come a week early, and the tech said that he could, or he could just be born big. Ugh!

BUT, my kid is healthy, and active, and oh so cute! And even though I fear giving birth to a giant, I’m glad he’s a healthy weight so that if he has to be born early (due to my BP), he should be ok – at least in weight.

My Sis was told at about 34 weeks that her baby was over 6 pounds already…she was afraid she’d have a 10 pound baby…but he was born just over 7 pounds. Whew!

My belly is so big now that there was no need for me to down the water before I went. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t beeline it for the bathroom as soon as we finished, though.

The tech took pictures of all his organs, we listened to his heart and his blood flow, watched him move around, and then we tried to zero in and get some good shots for us. He wasn’t exactly cooperating. He’s head down already, and he’s got his hands and feet up by his forehead, making it hard to see his cute little face.

Here's our attempt at seeing his face...it helps if you tilt your head to the right and look for his little eyes and nose (you can see his hand and foot creeping up in the shot):


This kid is already doing one thing different from his daddy -- he's growing hair! Check out the back of his head:


Here's a profile shot:


And his cute little foot...


Today I went for my regular appointment with my doctor. Since stress can increase blood pressure, I decided to leave work a little early, do a little shopping and get to the office early so I could sit and rest a bit before they took my blood pressure. And guess what?? My BP was back to its normal level!! The doctor also told me that all my tests came back excellent from last week. In fact, they check the uric acid level, because a high level could indicate preeclampsia is on the way. Well, mine was SUPER low, so all good there, and the doc said it should be fine for me to travel to CA in 10 days. Woo hoo!

So, after my good news, I left the office and headed home. It was a gorgeous day today – sunny and 60. I hope that means that spring is on the way! And, to reward myself for being in such a good mood and for having such a good appointment, I came home and made myself an ice cream sundae.

Thank you all for your prayers!

Mixed Emotions

That’s how I’m feeling today after the news I received yesterday. It doesn’t have anything to do with my pregnancy – well, actually it does, but not with my health or the health of Little Major.

I’m sure all of you know that I’m LESS than happy with my current employer and job. And before I ever found out I was pregnant, I started looking for other opportunities in my town. Well, I sent my resume to a certain company sometime last summer, but I never really heard anything back from them. I got an email saying, thanks – we’ll contact you if we’re interested, and then I forgot about it.

Well, about 6 weeks ago, I got a call from them. They asked me to come in for a quick interview. That went well, and the next morning, they called and asked me to come back for a 2nd interview. Woo hoo, I thought! Of course, in the back of mind I’m thinking that my pregnancy could complicate things, but I wanted to pursue it anyway.

I ended up having to reschedule the 2nd interview b/c of my quick trip to CA for my grandfather’s funeral. They were very understanding, and I became more and more impressed with the company.

My 2nd interview took up an entire afternoon and included interviewing with about 6 people and taking a tour of the facility. I wore a baggy shirt so it wasn’t so obvious I was pregnant. I felt like all my interviews went really well. I was myself, I was honest about what I like and don’t like in a job, and about what I was looking for in a company. We had a terrible snow that day, so I drove home slowly thinking about what it would be like to work for them.

About 10 days later, I got a call from their HR department. They offered me a job!! Their first offer was decent, but I knew I deserved more. I talked to the lady about all the details that she knew, and then I told her I was pregnant and would need to know what they would offer for maternity benefits. She had to do some checking and get back to me.

When she called me back with what they offered, it was better than what I’m getting here after working here for a year and a half! She even said I’d be eligible for FMLA (which I was insisting on). So, next I counter-offered on a couple things, and she came back the next day with a final offer that I was ok with.

By this time, I’d talked to The Colonel and decided that I would take this opportunity if their written offer letter confirmed everything we’d talked about. It is a much more secure company (for now, anyway), and there are a lot more opportunities for advancement and work diversity there.

All of this takes us up to a week ago. I told the HR gal that if the written offer confirmed everything, then I would accept and start ASAP since I don’t have much time before my due date. I didn’t get the written offer until a couple days ago, because my contact left on a business trip.

Imagine my surprise and disappointment when the letter said I couldn’t use FMLA until I’d been with the company for 12 months. The law says that they can’t prevent me from using is after 12 months, but I was hoping that this company was willing to let me use it earlier. After several phone calls and emails, I was told that NO, I would not be able to use the extra time off. I would only be allowed 6 or 8 weeks off (depending on how I deliver).

So I had to turn the offer down. I’m disappointed because I was SO looking forward to getting out of here. Four people have put in their notice and will be leaving in the next week or so, and I’m intensely jealous that they get to clean out their desks and start over. On the other hand, with my blood pressure scare, and the possibility of still having to deliver this kid early, it’s probably not a bad idea to stay here.

I told the HR gal that I was still VERY interested in their company, and we agreed that I will call her this summer to see if there are still openings for after my leave is over. Let’s hope I didn’t shoot myself in the foot by saying no!

Blogging Buddies

My jaunt on Friday has delayed me posting about my Blogging Buddies night on Thursday...so here ya go.

My friend Shannon picked me up and we headed over to Pei Wei to meet Chelf and her friend Maria. Maria brought her family, so we got to meet everyone. We had a great dinner - eating, talking, laughing at the kids (I mean, with them), and getting to know each other.

So, here's how the connections go...I met Shannon when I first moved to KS. AFTER we'd known each other for a bit, we realized that her dad (a minister) knows my FIL (also a minister) pretty well.

Fast forward a year, and I meet Chelf through our blogs. We start to comment and then email each other and get to know each other. We realize that she and her hubby went to the same college as The Colonel (and his 2 brothers). Recently we realized that she's even met my BIL, SIL, and FIL, and she's good friends with some of their good friends.

Chelf's friend Maria lives here, and goes to church with Shannon, and knows Shannon...so, the circle is complete.

After dinner, we sent Maria's family home, so we could head to Starbucks and just chat about girl stuff (and believe me, those girls only topics did come up!). We looked at pictures and continued to chat non-stop...until the pregnant one (that would be me) was so exhausted she couldn't stop yawning, and Shannon needed to go pick up her son.

It was a quick visit, but we had a blast, and we'll plan on doing it again the next time we're all in the same town.

Here's Chelf, me, Shannon, and Maria:

Fun Surprise

After my crazy Friday afternoon, I came home to pick up the mail, and I found a box from on of my best friends, Ginny. It came at the perfect time!

She stuffed it full of fun stuff for Little Major, and there was even something from Ginny's parents. It was so sweet, and I loved opening everything up after such a scary afternoon.



Ginny is my BFF from college, and it's her wedding that we traveled to Ireland for almost 2 years ago. So, in the box, she included the cutest bound picture book from their wedding. I'm ready to go back to Ireland now! We'll wait a bit, and then maybe we can go with Ginny and her hubby and their little one who was born last September.

Unexpected

Understatement of the year...my afternoon was "unexpected"...

I spent it in the hospital getting poked, prodded, and in a very unflattering backless faded hospital gown.

I met my SIL for lunch before my normally scheduled doctor's appointment. At lunch, I gobbled up Ellie's fries that she didn't want, and then headed over to the doctor's to be weighed after my salt fest for lunch.

The scale was not nice to me (but the one there never is) and then the nurse took me back to take my blood pressure and to wait for the doctor. My BP was up...again...like it was 2 weeks ago. The doc took it again after she came in and it was still elevated. Now, I don't know much about BP, and I didn't know at the time what number should alarm me, but I knew that what we were seeing was higher than it normally is for me. Add that to the swelling I've started to have in my feet and ankles, and the doctor sent me right over to the hospital to get some tests run to rule out preeclampsia.

I didn't exactly realize what a big deal preeclampsia was when my doctor first mentioned it b/c my mom had it when she was pregnant with me, and she just had to go off of sodium and stay on bed rest for a bit. But, when I asked my doctor what we would do if I DID have it, she said it was a little premature to talk about it, but that if it was serious enough, they would deliver me, now! Whoa! That freaked me out a bit. Then she said that if I had it, but to a lesser extent, they would monitor it and deliver me before 37 weeks. Still whoa!

I had to ask directions for where to go, since the only time I'd been to the hospital was last week for our birth center orientation, and we were actually across the street. On my drive over, I called The Colonel to tell him what was going on, and I tried to stay calm, for myself and for him. I also called my SIL again, and she said she'd call the 'Rents, and then I called my parents...so I was covered in prayer the whole time I was there.

I found my way through the maze of the parking garage and the hallways of the hospital to the maternity floor and got myself checked in. My doctor had called ahead to tell them what I needed. A male nurse named Roy came to take care of me. He was SO nice! He took me to an outpatient room (smaller than a normal labor room) and had me sit and relax for a bit before he took my blood pressure. There was also a new nurse with him who he was training, so the three of us just chatted for a bit until my anxiety passed, and I felt more comfortable.

They took my blood pressure about 4 times, and it was lower than it had been at the doctor's office. Then they drew about 3 vials of blood. I had to give a urine sample and change into that dreaded gown, and then they hooked me up to the heart rate monitor for the baby. The resident doctor came in to talk to me, and she made me feel a lot better because she said that everything so far looked great.

I sat on the monitor for about 45 minutes until they came and told me that all my blood work and urine looked great, and so did the baby's heartbeat. Whew...that felt better. My BP was also staying at it's lower level, and I learned that until it gets over 160, they don't consider it "high" (mine never got over 151).

They had to call my doctor to give her the results before they could let me go, so I thought I was almost out of there. But, then I sat and waited - still in the gown w/ the monitor on - for another 45 minutes. Finally, a new nurse came in (they had changed shifts) to tell me that the resident doc had been called in to a delivery, so we'd have to keep waiting. FINALLY, everyone came back and told me that I could go...BUT, I have to save all of my urine for the next 24 hours! And then take it back to the hospital tomorrow! And it has to stay cold, so it's in the fridge! Are you grossed out yet? The Colonel sure is!!

Right as we were wrapping things up, I got 2 visitors. The 'Rents had come to see me! They had come to town to visit someone in another hospital, so they stopped to see how I was doing. It was very sweet.

So, to end my long story - things look good so far, they'll check my urine again, I'll have another sonogram next week (yay! I've been wanting one), and see my doctor again in one week instead of 2, and we'll keep monitoring my blood pressure.

I'd appreciate your prayers that Lil Major and I stay healthy and that he stays in there until he's full term.

And a few good things did come out of my experience today. I am not so paranoid about the hospital anymore. Everyone was so nice to me (even though they did ask me the same questions 4 times), and I didn't pass out just walking in there. I have a choice of delivering at the birth care center or the hospital (unless the baby comes early), so now I've seen both and will be able to make a better decision.

Well, I better go...I have to go pee in my bucket again. Eww, gross!

Random thoughts...

from my drive to work:

“Dude,” I actually said out loud looking at the guy in the truck next to me, “your belly is bigger than mine!”

Then, thinking about how a new friend that I met last night (more about that later) told me that her daughter started dancing in her belly when she played Metallica, I changed my Bullfrogs & Butterflies CD to Joel Weldon (another blast to the past from junior high camp) and started rocking out.

All that rocking out woke up Lil Major, and put me in a better mood, so I actually let someone in when they signaled that they wanted over (I’m normally a pretty aggressive – BUT SAFE – driver, so this was indeed an act of kindness on my part). Of course, the normal me came out when this driver’s car kicked up a BIG rock and put a dent in my windshield. See what I get for being nice??

My First Time

Tonight will be my first time to meet a fellow blogger in person...who I met through blogging.

Chelf is making the trek up here from OKC, and we’ll be meeting for dinner and coffee. But, that’s not even the most amazing part…

Chelf and I, through a series of emails, have found out that we’re connected by MUCH LESS than 6 degrees of separation. She went to the same university that my hubby, his 2 brothers, and my SIL all went to. Chelf’s hubby remembers one of my BILs from singing school, they’ve met my FIL at a wedding, AND one of Chelf’s good friends, who lives in my town, is a friend of one of my good friends, Shannon. Oh, and how do I know Shannon? Well, we met at the Tag Office when I first moved to Wichita, AND come to find out, her dad is a minister and is friends with my FIL.

Wow! Did you follow all that?? It’s a small small world, huh??

So, Chelf, Shannon, their friend in common, and me are all getting together for dinner tonight...assuming Chelf can make it through the snow and sleet that decided to show up today.

I’ll post all about our fun time later on!

A Great Week

Last week The Colonel and I had a great week! After our silly arguments about parenting classes, Valentine's Day came and swept us away.

Last year I cooked a fancy dinner and dessert, set the table with red and white and candles, and our super cool red champagne flutes. I got all dressed up, and we ate a candlelit dinner together. It was a lot of fun, and very special.

Well, this year we did it a little different. I wanted to hit my normal Thursday afternoon class at the Y, and I didn't want to have to rush home, clean up and cook. So, we ordered heart shaped pizza, gobbled it down in no time, and then we ate heart shaped cake that I'd baked the day before.

Before work, I had given The Colonel a card and a box of his favorite candy - Reeses PB Cups, and he gave me a card and book about the 50 best kisses from the big screen. But, I had another card for The Colonel...one that I made (inspired by my super creative SILs and friends). While The Colonel got up to get more pizza, I put the card on the table where he had been sitting. Not only did I make the card, but I filled the inside of it with a ton of reasons why I love him. I think he really liked it...it's sitting by our bed right now!

After dinner, we just hung out on the couch and talked. Now, for any of you who know us, you will know that this is not an every day occurrence. The Colonel and I don't just sit and talk. We never have. Even in our early dating days. We are perfectly comfortable around each other, just sitting and reading or watching TV and having having small conversations, but we talked for hours on V-Day. Actually, HE talked for hours. We talked about what he went through growing up, how his relationship w/ his parents has ended up the way it is, how he came to join the USMC, how we want to do things different w/ our kids than our parents did, in some cases.

I have NO idea what brought this on, but I LOVED it. I even turned off LOST and just sat there in awe, listening to his stories. At one point, I had to pee so bad, but I was afraid to get up and end our time together. I finally got up, and he just picked up where he left off when I got back. Wow! Later, when we got in bed, I got my back rub I'd asked for for V-Day, and HE TOLD ME MORE!!! I'm SO thankful for that time we had together, and I hope we have many more times like that in our future.

If I wasn't floored enough by Thursday night, on Friday night The Colonel busts out and tells me that he's tired of waiting for Little Major to get here, and he's ready for him to come now! How sweet is that?? Again, it may not sound like a big deal, but coming from my usually non-emotional, get excited about nothing husband, this is a BIG deal!

Oh, but it doesn't end there.

I play Bunko once a month with some women in my neighborhood. We usually play the 2nd Thursday of each month, but that was V-Day this month...so our hostess for the month decided to host a couple's Bunko game on Saturday night. When she first mentioned it, I decided not to even bring it up to The Colonel because I knew he would say no. A couple weeks later, I decided to just mention it...and he didn't immediately balk at it. So, I waited a few more days and brought it up again.

Well, he ended up saying that he would go! I was shocked!! He does not like going to parties, he HATES playing games, and he doesn't really enjoy meeting new people (yes, he's quite the introvert), but he went! Granted, he did start to get cold feet when we pulled up to the clubhouse, but he went inside with me, and he had a great time!

There were 5 couples there, and he knew none of them. I knew 2 of the ladies, and none of the husbands, but by the end of the night we were all friends. We ate chocolate and cheese fondue, rolled dice, laughed and yelled, and had a great time. I'm hoping that this GOOD experience will convince my hubby to try more things like this in the future.

Come to think of it, I could have been in the twilight zone last week!

Oh, to be 10 again...

Last Sunday was a total blast from my past (this was the Sunday that The Colonel and I argued about parenting classes, but the day started out good, and the arguing wasn't the blast from the past part).

I was wanting meatloaf for lunch after church - my Mom's recipe is the BEST in the world (even though my little sister doesn't like it...there's something wrong with her!), and I could probably eat a whole meatloaf by myself. Anyway, I decided that I would do Sunday lunch like my Mom did all my growing up years. I mixed the meatloaf the night before (I actually made 2 so I'd have leftovers for sandwiches) and stuck it in the fridge. Then I scrubbed my potatoes and wrapped them in foil. So, on Sunday morning, I stuck everything in the oven and used my delayed start timer (first time EVER) to have everything start cooking about the time we got out of church...so that the house would smell heavenly when we got back home.

Then we left for church...where we sang my all-time favorite hymn, This is My Father's World (this is a contemporary version by Amy Grant, but it's pretty close). Growing up we sang a lot of hymns, in church, at family gatherings, and I really didn't care for them -- except for this one. It was always one of the first 10 hymns in the hymnal, and I just love it. As I got older (high school), I thought hymns were silly and old-fashioned, but as I continue to get older, I find myself wishing we sang more in church now. In fact, we go to the "traditional" service so we can sing at least one hymn a week. None of that contemporary service for us!

And wouldn't you know it? Next we sang an old camp song, King Jesus is All. Wow! Did that bring back memories from Hume Lake. Mostly from elementary school (Wagon Train) camp and junior high camp (Meadow Ranch). We'd sing it in chapel, and around the campfire. And at Wagon Train (where we actually slept in wagons that didn't have real doors, and little animals would come in and steal our Fun Dip and Jolly Ranchers), we'd sing it at the top of lungs from wagon to wagon while we lay in our beds (it's one of those echo back songs).



So, here I was, feeling all nostalgic about camp and church growing up, and then we walk into our house to the greatest smell -- meatloaf and baked potatoes! Yum yum!

And if all that wasn't enough to take me back to my early days, I received a CD I'd ordered the next day. It's called Bullfrogs & Butterflies, and it's from a musical that I participated in when I was a kid (and my mom STILL has the record that we listened time and time again). The songs are AWESOME, and someone reminded me of this CD in a blog posting recently (in my pregnant state, I can't remember who...I'm sorry!). One of the songs is a wake-up song, and my Mom used to wake us up by singing it. I HAD to buy the CD (actually, 2 copies - one for Little Major and one for Captain), so that my Sis and I can introduce our kids to the cool music we used to listen to. =) Oh, who am I kidding, I made The Colonel listen to the whole thing as soon as I got it!

Here's a snippet of Bullfrogs & Butterflies (from a random YouTube video):



And the Good Morning song (click on #2 for a snippet of the song)

Makes me want to go back to 5th grade again...

Hair Through the Ages

I've been wanting to do this post for a while now...but I had to get my lazy butt in gear and scan some old photos. So, I finally did.

Let's start with this fun picture from about 1983...my mom had always kept my hair long and straight, but I wanted it short, and in a bowl cut...and I should have listened to Mom. She FINALLY gave in to me, and let me cut it...and after you see this picture, you'll know why I immediately started growing it out again!



My hair has changed quite a bit over the years. I used to think that I was pretty blah when it came to my hair. For years and years (ok, all of high school and most of college), I just had long, straight hair.

That's me on the bottom left. This is a group of friends from high school, and most of us are my "Buddies." Aren't we HOT??


My last year of so of college, I got really brave and cut layers in my hair. Woo hoo!




Right after I graduated from college, I started growing out my bangs. I was workingin a food manufacturing plant where I had to wear a hairnet and hard hat, and the bangs thing just wasn't working anymore. This was also when I started playing with color, and well, I got a little addicted.

A couple years after college, I chopped the hair off all together, and went super short. You know how when you have something (long hair) and you see people everywhere with something else (short hair), you want it? Yeah, well, that was me. And once I cut it to my shoulders, then it seemed like no big deal to keep going...

and then...my sister and my mom started following suit. Without even knowing it, we'd all end up with similar haircuts. Here is my and sis in 1999...



As time went by, I continued to get brave. I'd grow it out past my shoulders, get tired of it, live with it in a pony tail for months, and then chop it all off.

In 2003, I went drastic. I found a picture of Lisa Rinna with short crazy hair, and I had to have it. My good buddy Kerri was cutting my hair at the time, and she said, "let's go for it." So, we dyed my hair an awesome red and chopped it off...right before Shell's wedding. Here's The Colonel and I on our way to see Shell tie the knot.



I loved the cut, but it was way too much work for me. So, about 6 weeks after I got it, I started letting it grow out. It looked like this for a while (notice the trend, and the cut that I keep going back to??)...



Here's Sis and I at her wedding in 2004...looking a little better than before, doncha think??



From this point on, I just kept getting blonder and blonder and blonder...and man, was it fun!

Here's The Colonel and I at our birthdays in 2005...



And us at Christmas later that year...


And in 2007...


I loved the blonde, but I HATED the roots growing out, and 2 weeks after it had been done, I was wanting to go back for more...so, I started going darker and redder again...and you've all seen the latest short cut I have (fat face and all)...



Oh, and notice how The Colonel's hair never changes?? It just gets a little thinner on top. =)

Bad Parents Already?

I could think of many reasons and excuses why it happened. I mean, there’s a baby on the way, we’re busy almost every evening, it’s winter and my brain doesn’t work as well…but they are all just excuses for what we did…

We forgot our babies’ birthday. No, not Little Major, our babies that we had long before Little Major was even a thought in our minds. Rerun and Lucy turned 6 on February 1, and we completely forgot.

I know not everyone loves dogs, or pets for that matter, but our dogs (or puppies as we still call them) are pretty important to us. When The Colonel and I started dating, I had a mini schnauzer named Linus. My roomie Agnes and I got litter mates shortly after we moved in together. And we loved our puppies, a lot! Agnes was the BEST roomie ever because while I was all ga-ga over The Colonel, she picked up the slack and took care of Linus for me. Eventually, The Colonel came out of his shell and started hanging out at our house some, and he fell in love with Linus and Nala (Agnes’ puppy). And that made me fall in love with him a little more.

He would wrestle and play and love on the dogs, and they loved him for it! Unfortunately, we lost Linus a year after we got married, when he got out and was hit by a car. We were devastated, and we remained dog free for a few months until we moved back to California.

Here's Linus...


And then…we got Rerun and Lucy. Since Agnes had been with me when I picked out Linus, she went with me to look at the new puppies, too. They were about 3 or 4 weeks old the first time we saw them. And they were SO cute. The Colonel and I went to pick them up and bring them home when they were 6 weeks old.



We decided on 2 dogs so that they would have playmates when we weren’t around. They love each other like siblings, they play like siblings, and they even snip at each other like siblings. And we’ve celebrated their birthdays with them EVERY year, except this one.



I think it was about February 6 when I realized that we’d forgotten. I never understood how in Sixteen Candles, the parents could have forgotten their kid’s birthday, but I get it now. It IS possible.

And please, no comments about how this is just the tip of the ice berg, and the dogs will become less and less important as Little Major worms his way into our lives. Yes, a child is more important than a dog, but we love our dogs very much, and we are going to try to make these life changes be as seamless as possible for everyone. The dogs were here first, and our home is their home, so we will figure out how to make it work for everyone.



But, I pray that we get our heads screwed on right pretty soon, and that we stop forgetting important things…I don’t want to start out labeled as a bad parent! =)

Valentine’s Day Fiasco

I work with a guy who grew up in Nigeria. He came to the states for college, met the love of his life, and has decided to stay. He has married his girl according to Nigerian custom (she’s half Nigerian), and they are having their American wedding in May. He’s the nicest guy, always thoughtful and considerate, and very generous.

BUT, he has planned nothing for his sweetheart today! And this is their first Valentine’s Day together. I stumbled upon his faux pas just a few minutes ago while I was chatting to me. He said, “Today is the 14th, right? Valentine’s Day?”

I jumped right on him and demanded to know if he’d planned anything for his love. He said he hadn’t really thought about it. I made such a ruckus that 3 other people in the office came over to see what was going on. We all dropped our jaws when he told us he hadn’t done anything yet, and then we all started talking at once giving him ideas.

It’s too late for him to have flowers delivered to her at work, all the florists are swamped, so we told him to go buy his own card and flowers and take them to her at work himself before lunch. Then he needs to tell her that he’d like to take her out to a nice lunch. She works at our local University, and my friend’s favorite place to eat is Chik-Fil-A in the student union, but I told him that he can NOT take her there for lunch.

So, I think we successfully freaked him out, and he should be leaving within the hour to hunt down a card and flowers and take his sweetie to lunch. I gave him a hard time…I asked him if they didn’t celebrate V-Day in Nigeria…and he said they did, he’d just gotten busy and hadn’t thought about it.

I told him that maybe after they’ve been married a couple years, they’ll talk about how they want to celebrate together, but until then, he needs to at least acknowledge the day with her. Hee hee.

The Colonel gave me a cute card and a book of the 50 greatest on-screen kisses this morning. It was very sweet. I gave him a sappy card and some of his favorite candy, and tonight we’ll eat heart shaped pizza and heart shaped cake, and I’ll give him another card – one I made myself.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Don’t forget your loved one today!

Getting Ready

The Colonel and I have officially started trying to prepare ourselves for the birth of our child...and in the process, we have turned BACK into children ourselves.

I was the good girl growing up who loved school and tried to always do my best. I graduated in the top 10 of my high school class and was considered one of 11 valedictorians. Although my grades dipped slightly in college, I still graduated with a great GPA. My study skills were excellent, as there was no other option in our household. Mom even went on to become a teacher herself, and she did her best to teach her 7th graders the study skills she taught us.

The Colonel...well, how much more OPPOSITE of me can you imagine? That's him! He went to class so he was eligible for sports. Grades? not important to him, and that's very evident by his report cards. BUT, he's smart! He's very smart...he just didn't get into school.

So, over the last 7 years, whenever the word school or class or math or anything similar comes up, he reverts back to the 16 year old jock and goes into hiding. For a time, he talked about becoming a teacher...but that would require two more years of schooling for him. Weird that teaching others didn't bother him, it was just formal learning for himself that is apparently the devil.

Same thing goes for Sunday School classes at church. It's taken me 7 1/2 years to get him to try out any classes with me.

You can imagine my apprehension at suggesting some parenting/child birth classes. Not only would he have to sit in a classroom, but he's have to talk about embarrassing things like birth and boobs and blood. But, his fatherly instinct must have kicked in because I convinced him to do 3 classes with me -- Infant CPR, Breastfeeding, and an orientation to our hospital (w/ a little childbirthing thrown in).

We took Infant CPR last week, and I really wanted to take a photo of The Colonel giving compressions to a plastic doll, but I didn't want to embarrass him any more. But, he did look very cute doing it! Both of us have taken CPR before, but it's been a while, and we'd never been formally trained on infants. I pray that we NEVER have to use those skills we acquired last week.

Next on our list is the hospital orientation class next week. And a few weeks later, he'll get to learn all about breastfeeding. It took some convincing to get him to agree to that class, but the lady on the phone insists it's a COUPLES class.

We managed to agree to those 3 classes with relatively little pain and arguing. But, there was one more class I wanted him to take with me. A couple at church, who just so happens to be the same family w/ an in-home day care center I really want to use, is teaching a 3 week class on parenting...for parents at all stages of life. It would be a great chance to get to know them better, meet other parents, and, oh yeah, learn something about parenting.

But, The Colonel firmly said no, and then threw a tantrum like a 3 year old would. "What do you think we are, some kind of jackasses?? We're better parents already than most of the idiots out there." "If we have questions, we'll just call your mom. I don't need that."

This went on for quite a while, and the longer it did, the angrier I got that we couldn't discuss this rationally, calmly, and as adults. It almost ruined our entire weekend, but we finally calmed down and were able to talk it out. I told him that we could skip the class, but that I didn't want to rule out all parenting classes going forward. He told me to go read a book. Looks like we have a lot to learn...about acting like adults AND learning about parenting. At least I have experience dealing with tantrums already!

We did more than just argue all weekend. We went to a huge train show (the story of how we got there is another post that I'm working on), The Colonel spent all my money, and then I dragged him grocery shopping to Wal Mart with me. As always, when we're in Wal Mart together, he insists on browsing the toy section. This time he was looking for G.I. Joe stuff for the nursery. We didn't find any, but we did find this...Little Major's first Devil Dog. Ooh Rah!



And, we got the cutest little outfit from my friend Amy...and it's SO soft!

USMC 1, Berkeley zilch!

An update on the Berkeley vs. Marines story (thanks Shell!)...I'm glad that others were outraged like I was, and it seems like Berkeley might try to make it a little right, but it kinda seems like they're back pedaling now...see what you think...



In Berkeley, push to rescind letter to Marines
Carolyn Jones, SF Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

(02-04) 18:52 PST Berkeley -- A week after blasting the Marines as "unwelcome intruders" in Berkeley, two City Council members want the city to back off the declaration that ignited the wrath of the nation's right wing and inspired a Republican senator to try to sever Berkeley's federal funding.

Council members Betty Olds and Laurie Capitelli on Monday proposed that Berkeley rescind its letter to the U.S. Marine Corps that stated that the downtown Berkeley recruiting center "is not welcome in our city," and publicly declare that Berkeley is against the war but supports the troops.

The City Council will vote on Olds' and Capitelli's two proposals at its meeting next Tuesday.

"I think we shouldn't be seen across the country as hating the Marines," said Olds, who voted against last week's proposals. "If you make a mistake, like we did, you should admit it and correct it and move on."

The brouhaha started last week when the council passed two items condemning the Marine recruiting center on Shattuck Square, which opened about a year ago. The first called on the city clerk to send a letter to the Marines telling them they're unwelcome, and the second item granted Code Pink a parking space in front of the recruiting office every Wednesday afternoon and allowed the group to operate a loudspeaker.

After the items passed, the council was besieged with criticism from right-wing groups and military supporters. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., proposed that the federal government cut off funds for Berkeley, including lunch programs, ferry service and UC Berkeley.

Olds said she heard from hundreds of people angered by the city's action, including many in her Berkeley hills district.

"People are so mad about this. They have relatives in the service, and now they think they're not welcome in Berkeley," she said. "My twin brother was a Marine in World War II. He'd be turning in his grave if he saw this."

The council appears split on the idea of backing down. Some council members said the original proposals inadvertently insulted veterans and those currently serving in the military. Others said Berkeley should stand by its convictions.

"People are used to Berkeley taking a stand for peace, but you have to do it intelligently," said Councilman Kriss Worthington, who voted against sending the letter calling the Marine Corps unwelcome. "You don't want to slap one group in the face and then, the next minute, slap the other group. I think we have an obligation to be thoughtful and sensitive and not be counterproductive to the cause of peace."

Councilwoman Dona Spring said the council should not be cowed by the volume of hate mail and threats.

"I still oppose the Marines recruiting in Berkeley because it's one way of protesting this wasteful war," she said. "Our military policy is a shambles. But we're not in opposition to the Marines; we oppose the policy that directs the Marines."

Meanwhile, the Code Pink protesters said they were disappointed that Berkeley might rescind its letter to the Marines.

"I hope they're not acting out of intimidation," said Code Pink spokeswoman Medea Benjamin. "Berkeley is a city of peace, and a recruiting station does not fit Berkeley's values."

Mayor Tom Bates, a former Army captain, said it probably wouldn't hurt if the council clarified its position.

"It's a symbol, but there are consequences to symbols," he said. "A lot of people think we're anti-Marine, but there's a difference between the warriors and the war. This is an attempt to clarify that."

28 Weeks!

I am dreading taking these pictures...I prayed and prayed that I would NOT get pregnancy arms and butt and face...but, lo and behold, it's happened to me.

It was 60 degrees here yesterday, so I met a friend for a walk. I tried to put on some cropped pants I bought at the beginning of my pregnancy...and they used to be HUGE. Well, now they're pretty stinkin' tight. Ugh.

One of my cousins said to me last week, "You're the first person I've seen whose boobs are still bigger than her belly." Oh joy. But it looks like my belly is growing.

Well, here's the latest picture...28 weeks and 1 day...




To follow up this photo, I give you my take on pregnancy...I have had so many friends who are pregnant or have been pregnant lately, and we've had quite the different experiences. I've been VERY fortunate to have had an easy pregnancy so far...very little morning sickness, no puking, no spotting or other scary things, no huge cravings...just the normal annoyances, I think. So, here's a rundown of my love/hate relationship with being pregnant.


I LOVE watching my husband get excited about the birth of our child.

I HATE watching my butt grow daily.

I LOVE thinking about the human life that God has placed inside my belly.

I HATE thinking about going into labor.

I LOVE when The Colonel says hello to the baby through my tummy.

I HATE waking up in the middle of the night 4 times to pee and to get comfortable.

I LOVE looking at tiny outfits and imagining my son wearing them.

I HATE thinking about leaving my baby in a day care when I have to go back to work. (Yes, this is bothering me already!!)

I LOVE thinking about holding my baby once he's born, and seeing what he really looks like. Did he get The Colonel's curly hair and dark skin? Did he get my tiny mouth?

I LOVE feeling my baby move inside of me -- it's the most amazing thing, and something that NO ONE could have described to me. I could sit for hours and feel him move and watch my belly jump around. Of course, I know that Little Major is going to pay me back after he's born for all the times I poke my belly to wake him up so I can feel him move. He's already thinking, just wait, Mom, just wait...I'll get you back!

I LOVE thinking about my son playing with his cousin who will be only a few months older than him.

I LOVE reading about how my baby is growing and developing and changing EVERY SINGLE DAY.


My list has a lot more LOVE than HATE on it, which is good. There are definitely some uncomfortable aspects of pregnancy, and I'm scared to death of labor and delivery, but my experience with pregnancy has been very good so far. Time has gone by quickly, I've had few problems, and I have tons of people who give me advice when I ask for it.

So, I'll put up with the big butt, fat arms, and round face so that I can experience that new little baby that God has given us...but, you better believe that I'll be hitting the gym hard as soon as the doctor clears me!

Lots of Little Things

I have lots of little things to tell you today...things that happened over the last 3 days that, I think, are worth mentioning.

First off, and this is actually an important one, I passed my 3-hour glucose test! The nurse FINALLY, 5 days after she promised, called me back with the results. I had already figured that no news was good news, so I continued eating my oreos and ice cream. Good thing I was right!

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I've been craving Teppanyaki (Janapese Steakhouse) for weeks now. A few weeks ago, The Colonel agreed to take me for lunch, but I got busy cleaning bathrooms and didn't feel like getting cleaned up to go out. So, this last Saturday, we planned on going. I got all cleaned up after the gym and was looking pretty cute...and then the restaurant was closed. They don't serve lunch! I know there are other places in town that do, but we weren't positive who did, so we ended up at another restaurant where we spent $30 on burgers and salads. We should have gone to Taco Bell, so I could convince The Colonel to try again at another place later on. Stink!

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There's a new class starting up at our Y. And I was pretty afraid of it at first, but I'm always up for making a food of myself if someone will join me. So, my friend M (she's also an aerobics instructor) and I ventured out to try the class yesterday. It's called Hip Hop Hustle. Yes, this white girl with a 7 months pregnant belly did some hip hop yesterday. The gal who taught it is amazing. I've taken several classes from her, and she's fun and energetic, and she has WAY more groove than I do. But, I gave it my best shot. There were 80 people in the class! This was an intro/demo class for all the members. It was so fun! And I left there sweaty and exhausted after an hour. We stood right in the front row, but refused to watch ourselves in the mirror. And I do have to say that a lot of the moves were pretty hard to do when you can't move at the waist anymore. I may have to save this class for AFTER the baby.

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Football is over for the season, and FINALLY the team I rooted for won last night. I DID NOT want those stinky Patriots to go undefeated, and I didn't want loser Tom Brady to have a reason to be more of a jerk than he already it. It paid off! It was a GREAT game, right down to the last seconds. Whew!

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Today I'm off work for my first of 2 FORCED vacation days. And today I had my second prenatal massage...for 60 minutes this time. It was amazing! The time went by SO fast. Before you know it, I'm going to be looking for 4 hour massages. I enjoyed it so much that I was so out of it when I went up to pay that I tried to use my Motherhood gift card instead of my salon gift card. The girl was really nice about it, and just kept trying to use the wrong card. It wasn't until she read the back of it to me did I realize that I'd given her the wrong one. Oops!

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From the salon, I headed over to Target to return something. Then just to kill time, I wandered over to the baby section where I proceeded to spend WAY more money than I had just returned and put back on my credit card.

They were having a big clearance, and I found the cutest stuff, that I couldn't pass up. Check it out...



All of these super cute outfits were on sale for $4 - $6 from $20 - $25 originally. How could I pass that up?? I got several things for Captain and Lil Major. I can't wait to take their pictures in matching outfits, and for us to take some family shots in all our Chiefs glory. Maybe the baby boys will bring the Chiefs some luck this season.

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After my Target shopping spree, I headed over to Pei Wei, the casual version of PF Changs, that just opened here. I've been dying to try it. I got my yummy lunch to go, then came home to enjoy it. It did not disappoint me! It's 1pm, and I have some more things to do today...like schedule some classes at the hospital and check out a couple day cares. Today is the start of Week 28...Lil Major should make his appearance in about 3 months. Crazy!

Oh, new belly shots coming soon...The Colonel said he'd take some tonight for me.

Outrage

This could only happen in NorCal...I don't even know what to say about this. I'm not surprised because this is how those liberal wackos think, but to actually take it to this level?? I'm glad I'm a midwesterner now...that's all I can say.



Berkeley to Marine Corps: You're Not Welcome
Thursday, January 31, 2008

BERKELEY, Calif. — Local officials in this liberal city say it's time for the U.S. Marines to move out.

The City Council has voted to tell the Marines their downtown recruiting station is not welcome and "if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome guests."

The measure passed this week by a vote of 8-1.

The council also voted to explore enforcing a city anti-discrimination law, focusing on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

In a separate item, the council voted, also 8-1, to give protest group Code Pink a parking space in front of the recruiting office once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week.

Marine Capt. Richard Lund of the recruiting office declined comment on the council action.

The recruiting office opened in Berkeley about a year ago, operating quietly until about four months ago when Code Pink began regular sidewalk protests.

"I believe in the Code Pink cause. The Marines don't belong here, they shouldn't have come here, and they should leave," said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.

Code Pink is circulating petitions to get a measure on the ballot in November making it more difficult to open military recruiting offices in Berkeley if they are near homes, parks, schools, churches, libraries or health clinics.

Some employees and business owners aren't happy with the weekly protests.

"My husband's business is right upstairs, and this (protesting) is bordering on harassment," Dori Schmidt told the council. "I hope this stops."