Not My Baby

Kids these days! Sheesh!
Actually...PARENTS these days! Sheesh!

I've been collecting these to present to you on a blog that I'll title "Not My Baby". Let me start by saying that I can be open minded. I can appreciate funky rainbow toe socks as much as the next person. I like things a little different and cutting edge, but some of these baby - and I mean infant, sweet, innocent infant - items are just wrong! What small child wants to wake up from a nap distressed and see scary fish with razor sharp teeth eating other fish, ON THEIR CRIB BEDDING!?

Now, the hats are borderline cute...but still a little kooky. And the skull and crossbones/motorcycle gang/drinking refrences clothing and accessories are everywhere it seems. Those types of designs are what makes my eyes pop out of my head as I shop for pastels and flowers and puppy dogs and only the highest quality cotton to grace my child's skin. And ruffles in case it's a girl...lots of ruffles!

I'll just say "to each, their own". And I'll stick to the puppy dogs and flowers, thank you.

The Funnel

Last week I had an OBGYN check up. I am 28 weeks now and beginning my third trimester! My goodness, can it be true? I SWEAR that just yesterday we were staring at a pee stick wondering if we really knew what we were getting into. Time has flown right into my final 'mester and I imagine I'll be saying the same thing in two months when I am holding my new baby. Sorry, gotta grab a tissue real quick.

Ah, so the appointment last week...
I had a sono, which I've been getting often to watch a cyst or mass on my right ovary. The ovary is fine (relatively speaking) with no changes in the size of the cyst and no pain associated with it, but Doc. is keeping her eye on it. While taking measurements of that, and amniotic fluid, and baby, my sonographer came across a cervical funnel. This is not so bad but definitely not good. It is an opening in my cervix which appropriately enough looks like a funnel as it narrows down and opens into "the canal". I'll save you the pain of hearing the "V" word. It's just not one of the world most beautiful words, I know.

So the crazy part is when Mom and Josh and I are sitting in the examination room waiting to see Doc, and she walks in and shows us the picture of this fascinating (sarcasm) cervical funnel and tells me I have the possibility of going into pre-term labor in the next two weeks. Point blank. Staring straight at me. So Josh and mom and I looked at each other and started laughing! I guess shock/nervous laughter is more accurate but I really was not expecting those words to come out of her mouth, and it was a little funny in an ironic sort of way. But mostly I was floored! She said there would be more testing (called a fetal fibronectin test) and a follow up sono in one week. No bed rest was ordered, life was to go on as normal. I wasn't having anything remotely close to contractions or cramping so that was excellent. Even more excellent was that my cervix was not thinning. It was nice and thick at something like 38 cm (out of 40ish max)...how's that for too much information?!

On Monday I called to check on the test results and Nurse Tiffany broke it to me that my sample wasn't sent to the lab frozen like it should have, so there were no results. Oh man, didn't she know that we paced the house all weekend wondering if it was time to go ahead and pack a hospital bag? Didn't she know that people's lives were at stake here?! Just kidding, everyone's life was just fine...in fact the baby was at a point developmentally where everything was up and running and had something happened even the lungs were developed enough to survive in the outside world. Never mind that my dearest only weighed 2 lbs. 8 oz., AND the baby's room wasn't ready!

Today we returned for the follow up sono. And like a good friend, the smiling sonographer said "Oh hon, there's nothing there. It's strong and thick in there. Ohhh, the baby just elbowed me!" She was very jovial which I could appreciate given the news. Then, just like every other time, the magic happened...we saw the eyes, and the heart, and the feet and fingers and spine and the cheeks, and finally the tech swears our little turkey stuck it's tongue out at us. I think it was actually licking its lips because of the chocolate covered Krispy Kreme that I had just shared with it. Sorry, gotta go grab a tissue again. Gosh I love that baby.

Doc confirmed the nonexistent state of the funnel and told us that either it was nothing in the first place, or perhaps the baby was putting too much pressure there and it opened a bit. It was a 7mm opening to be exact...less than a centimeter. Funny how less than a centimeter can represent so much. At first, for a split second I dreamed of how cool it would be to have my baby two months early. But making a human is a little different than, say, taking cookies out of the oven a few minutes early. Or leaving the nail salon before you know you're nails are really good and dry. Wouldn't you agree? Luckily our baby decided to stay nice and cozy in my belly a bit longer - or my body chose not to kick out its tenant too early after all. I may have to sit down and have a talk with "someone"; don't they know that I am the one in charge here? So maybe I'm not the one in charge...these shows of perspective are quite enlightening.

Stupid Horse

I guess I have a love hate relationship with my hobby horse. And for future reference - Shannon, Michael and Peter - the horsy will be referred to as mine because in my head it always was mine. I guess that is the spoiled and loved to death and "no one in the world but me" sibling syndrome you guess instilled in me. Sometimes I think you guys loved me more than mom and dad. But I digress.

So it started as and was always a love relationship with the horse. But once I decided that I had to have it for my unborn (but conceived) child and that it would be the perfect weekend project to re-pad and re-cover the darn thing, it turned into a hate relationship in about 5 minutes. Let. Me. Tell. You. That thing is nasty! Is stinks realllly bad, like smelly feet and nasty cheese all mixed together. It is dusty and disintegrating. And I know it's not the horsy's fault, but it's really hot in the garage where I was working. Since then a fan has been taken out there to keep us cool during various jobs. These things were expected, however, since the poor dear is 40 years old (at least 37 for sure) and a little wood work was expected but lordy. See last picture - what in the heck happened to you horsy? I will trudge ahead and I will laugh and smile every time my children ride the darn thing. For years to come!

A few P.S's for the close:
Yes, I know his face looks funny painted like that. Not too realistic, eh? What's up with those BIG black eyes?
Yes, we do watch TV in the garage. It goes good with ping pong and beer (or soda).
Yes, it does hurt your crotch realllly bad to sit on him. We'll spring for extra good padding!

The Shoes and a Drill...

This morning I woke up nice and early. Who else is laughing with me? I don't wake up nice and early...I hit the alarm no fewer than 5 times (which really is a random guess, it's too early to be counting or anything else productive) between 5:40 and 6:30-ish and then started to wake up. Josh rolled over and not even half awake this is what he said.

"There was a wierdo guy across the street drilling holes in my car. He really made me mad."

I said "what are you talking about?" and Josh told me he just had a crazy dream. Haha! I figured this was gonna be good. I asked why he would do that to Josh's car (and why wasn't it in the garage, anyway?).

"He was just walking around close to my car and had a drill, and he kept pushing the button and he really messed up my car. I was mad."

This is so funny since he is more than half asleep and probably doesn't exactly know what he is talking about, so I egg him on. I say that I'd be mad too and ask if the "wierdo" culprit fixed it.

"No, he wouldn't fix it. But it's ok, I got his shoes."

I had to laugh out loud at that! He got his shoes! Well thank goodness! Some collateral for the damage to Josh's beautiful car! I come from a long line of wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-talking-about-what-just-happened-in-a-dream family members and we really get to laughing at each other. Here's another for the collection, but it may not be quite up there with Michael's middle of the dream night stories. We are still talking about some of those from years and years ago!

Before Josh rolled back over and went to sleep again, he said...referring to the shoes..."They weren't expensive but I got 'em."
Well, good job, baby...good job.

Showing Off My Babies!

Connor Got New Glasses!
Who can resist this face? Certainly not me!


















I Didn't Know That Angels Drove Monster Trucks, But Apparently They Do!
Look at those ruby red lips!























The Best Neices Ever!
Another angel among us...our Lindsey.




















Keep Those Feet Up, Jessie!
She is so beautiful inside and out.

Tootin' My Own Horn

Toot, toot! We had left over topiaries from our wedding that the florist made with fresh white roses and baby pears for some of the tables at the reception. Recently, I fixed one up with silk and faux (sounds so much nicer that FAKE) flowers, eucalyptus seed, and leaves for our entry way - or where ever I could find a spot for the darn thing. We just don't have many shelves or other surfaces to display many home accoutrements but this one settled in nicely by the front door. For the crafters out there...some details:


I haven't figured it exactly, but my estimate is that something like this would be much more reasonable to purchase complete than to make your own. One would like this project who finds it relaxing or who finds it to be an outlet for creativity. It becomes hard when you have a sphere like this that you want to look good on all sides. Or if you're like me...you place it in front of a mirror for all the world to see the reflection of the partially complete back side! Just don't look there if you come over, ok?! Also, I couldn't decide how many varieties of flowers to combine. My nature is to put more variety, or at least a bunch of variety with similarity (hows that for ambiguity..."variety with similarity", hahaha!) but here I went kinda wild and threw in a few magnolias and I am still deciding if it was a bit much.


Technical details: The container is filled with floral foam other various filler material and the stem is hand made from twigs and woody vines - and stuck in the foam. The ball is green floral foam with green moss glued on, and more green moss tucked around at the base of the stem. I tried for some pears there at the base but they wouldn't sit to my satisfaction. All of the material covering the ball of the topy (short for topiary) is secured by one way or another and layered and fussed with until perfect! I used pins, floral sticks, and a glue gun, and had a Dr. Pepper for back up. Then if you are like me...you get tired of all this fussing and decide that perfect or not, you are done!

Dr. Pepper and your favorite CD highly recommended. Viola!

It's 11 O'Clock (AM)...Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

Why, yes, indeed I do! My child is right here in my belly all snuggly warm! I thought I'd update you all on the latest and greatest achievements of Baby Blachly. Most impressively (to me) is Baby's gift of sight! Baby's eyes were fused shut around week 11 and now, around week 27-28, he can open and shut them! Perhaps I am easily impressed, or perhaps I am biased and simply think that my baby is the best ever, but that is a pretty cool development. I've been feeling very rhythmic, twitch-like movements, too fast to be arms stretching or legs kicking. I am feeling my baby hiccup! These hiccups are not quite the same as what Baby will experience after delivery. These are helping the lungs continue to develop and occur quite often in utero. They also say that our baby has developed a regular wake and sleep cycle...which very well may be the same as mine since I haven't been woken up at night yet. "Yet" being the operative word here.

Josh and I went and registered for our bambino this weekend. Registering for things for people to buy you, practically begging for gifts, just seems so fundamentally wrong for so many reasons. At the same time, I really enjoy giving gifts to people during super momentous times in their lives. It especially helps knowing that I am shopping off a registry for something special that they will like because they have picked it out. Right? So I don't know what my hang up is...but panic attack in almost full swing, we headed to Babies R Us and Target to register for some basic necessities. I have to admit it was really fun looking at all the sweet, and fun, and cute, and crazy baby things. We've been VERY lucky so far to have received the things we have and I can't imagine where we would be without the hand-me-downs and borrowed "equipment"!

Josh and I have chosen to start with g-diapers which are the latest and greatest in earth friendly diapers. They are not cloth diapers (before you fall over thinking I am crazy), but are flushable and biodegradable and have won me over with their awesome website and rave reviews. I've researched them a lot and heard both the good and the bad. After educating myself and Josh in all the horrible ecological facts of disposables, I am simply devastated at the hit our earth is taking. We recycle everything else in our house so this only makes sense for our lifestyle. I am game to consider a cloth diaper service as well once I get the hang of being a mommy. I've priced them and it fits into our budget just as well as any other method of diapering. I think we would like to have some regular disposables on hand for an "upset tummy", or the occasional diaper-challenged person who stays with the baby and doesn't want to use our g-diapers. Anyway, I am very excited to try them out and I am open for any suggestions on other eco-friendly diapering methods! Check out their website if you'd like, http://www.gdiapers.com/, it's a very cool site.

Going to close for now and get ready for lunch. I have some delicious left over’s from our steak dinner last night. I copied Edie's delish baby portabellas and zucchini with marinara side dish, and of course we had mashed potatoes (cause what's steak without potatoes?). Josh thought we needed a good steak dinner in honor of the Cowboys season opener! It's a good thing they won and all I have to say is boy, that Tony Romo is one cutie patutie!!!

***Love and Recycling To All...and Go Cowboys!***

Labor Day was A Laborious Day

We were among the lucky few that benefited from Shannon and David's neighbor's generosity with their abundance of sandstone rocks. Lucky because once everyone got wind of the free landscaping stones they went fast! Perhaps not everyone would call us lucky to have recieved rocks, and perhaps Josh and I didn't feel so lucky towards the end of our laboriousness, but it saved us a ton of money in the end and that was what counted! Besides that, Shannon and David loaded them up in their truck and Shannon and the girls drove them from Argyle to Plano for us! Talk about curbside service! And service with a smile! And being forever in debt! Actually, the debt can be paid back in a number of ways, I am sure. But for now...we have a beautiful rocky edged garden.

Josh was able to explore all sorts of ways to crack up the rocks. Many were HUGE and the task lay ahead of us to break them down to fit where we needed them. A bunch could be cracked on each other, while others took the hand held mini jack hammer Bob loaned us! That method was only fun for awhile and ended up not working so well. Josh went to Home Depot and priced sledge hammers, but then Bob remembered a crazy 30 pound long sharp stick thing that he thought would work. Josh went to pick up that sucker from Bob's house and by the time I went to see what method he liked the best, he was a smiling crazy 30 pound long sharp stick thing wielding machine! It worked like a charm!

Even the almost seven months pregnant lady got some landscaping exercise this weekend...but Josh was the real edge designer. I would really like to get some more flowers in along the length of the garden now to spice things up. I think with or without more flowers the beds look 110% better than what we started with seven months ago! Thanks BUNCHES Shannon and David (and neighbor) for all your help!

David's First CAT-Scan

Well, I wanted to get in a little interview from the patient to post here on the blog, but I never got around to it. I did talk to his momma, though...and sounds like everything is back to normal.

So, to catch you up, nephew Little David (referred to hereafter as just David: our little David isn't little AT ALL anymore) was working his "two-a-days" this summer at football practice. They practice twice a day to rev up for the start of football season, hence the name two-a-day. And may I say that although it did start to heat up in late July and August at least the guys didn't have the same record breaking heat as summers of the past.

He got hit pretty good and sounds like it really rocked his world! Amazingly the hit even moved the braces on his teeth! He had to go to the ortho to get them straightened out. The orthodontist diagnosed a concussion right away by the looks of things. He ended up with some pretty nasty bruises and scrapes around his head and neck and it was decided that his helment wasn't tight enough. They actually air them up (yes, like the old Nike sneakers)to help protect the boys heads and possibly his wasn't aired up enough. Regardless, the week went on and David was having some horribly painful headaches.

So, we got the call last Friday that they were on the way to get his head examined. By the way, that was a classic line wasn't it?! My mom used to say we needed our heads examined when she was mad at us! Anyway, he got scaned Friday, got a second opinion Saturday, and was diagnosed with a killer sinus infection and yes, a concussion. Seven days of no symptoms before he gets any play time! And right before the first scrimmage! You can imagine things were a little tense for the poor kid! And I wonder what he thought about being in that thumping, enclosed CT Scanner thing. And I wonder what his brain looked like!

Here they are ready for the first game tomorrow and David has been cleared to play! Yahoo! I don't think they had any practices with pads this week, just strength and conditiong and play book meetings which he was able to participate in. Josh and I can't wait to make it out to see him play! There is just nothing like high school football in the fall!

New Presents to Ourselves!

Well, I couldn't resist. I've been wanting a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer for years now and finally broke down. We'll call it a pregnancy present! The last few times I tried to make baked goodies with my hand mixer it just didn't cut it. I had this great recipe for apple spice cake, and once I added the big chunks of apples to the batter the consistency was almost unmanageable with my hand mixer or hands alone (yes, my hands were working overtime in the bowl). Another time I added the ingredients wrong for something or other, and while it would have been fine in a stand mixer, the hand mixer just couldn't handle it and it was such a mess! Hence, my brand new, white, 5 quart, kitchen aid stand mixer....for all our cooking and baking needs. My proudest moment in this process was finding one that was brand new for $130 off the price at the store! Now that's some good shopping! I can't wait to eat up some smooth and creamy mashed potatos!

Recently Josh, good daddy that he is, asked me about getting a nice 35mm SLR. I was overjoyed that it was his idea and not mine...since I am usually the one spending the money (see story above)! I actually bought a really old used Pentax K1000 about a year ago on Ebay and got a bum deal, and although I had every intention of taking it to a camera shop to be fixed, I never have. I agreed it was a great idea to have a nice, new one to capture all the sweet little snuggles and yawns and toesies that will be too precious to resist. So we hunted around and found a brand new, opened package Nikon N75 from an Ebay shop that seemed professional and had great reviews. When we got it and tore open the package we both stared in amazment at the new fangled toy. We were both expecting a plain ol, manual, 35mm but what we got has all the electronic bells and whistles of the 21st century! It has a little digital panel on the top to tell us all kinds of things. The aperature and shutter speed are electronic but I wish they were manual. The focus is manual, but the f-stop and shutter speed are going to take some getting used to. We've taken a test roll and are awaiting it's development...yahoo!!

I Know Some of You Can Appreciate This!

I was watching Martha Stewart on my lunch break in the break room. She was showing a clip about a huge tree farm she visited in Vermont or somewhere around there. She also had the owner, George, and his wife in the audience and spoke with him after the clip finished. So she started out "I'm curious, George..." and asked him some question that I was too distracted to pay attention to. I know this guy has probably gotten jokes like that his whole life and I started to laugh! I thought it was funny! But no one in the audience laughed and Martha and George both kept a straight face the whole time. I guess his tree farm is serious business.

24 Weeks/6 Months!

D-Day is rapidly approaching! I had an appointment with Dr. Ryder last week and got to complain about all my various aches and pains. Nothing too serious, but I like to let her know what's going on with me. We got weighed and were up either 5 or 7 pounds from last time. I can't remember exactly which we'll blame on "pregnancy brain". Or maybe that is the female in me not wanting to remember how many pounds I've gained since the last appointment. Either way, it's right on track. I got my glucose orange drink for my next appointment. I will drink it right before I go in and they'll be able to measure my glucose levels (or something) to check for gestational diabetes. It's quite common among pregnant women; however I've been feeling fine and showing no symptoms of anything like that. Finally we got to hear the precious little heartbeat and ohh'd and ahh'd over it. I like to say "It's ALIVE!" a la mad scientist or whoever said that. I think it was Frankenstein's creator. Hopefully our baby isn't as big or ugly as Frankenstein.

I had my first prenatal massage! It was planned as a fun morning out for the girls (mom, Shan, Tam, and me) but Little David had to go to the doctor so Shannon had to cancel her appointment! We assured her it wasn't all that great anyway (wink, wink)! I enjoyed mine very much but it took awhile to get the hang of it with all the pillows they surrounded me with. Mom's masseuse sounded awesome throwing in extras like aromatherapy and hot towels! I want hot towels too!! I got her name and will use her next time.

Between now and the delivery, our little one's feet will almost double in size! Just like mine! We may also soon be able to hear the heartbeat by putting an ear to my abdomen. And one last fun fact...I can expect to gain about a pound a week during this month. Oy.

***Love and Skinny Thoughts to All!***

Brianna is One Month Old!

Hey O'Briens....our cousin Brianna is one month old! I snagged these pictures from her daddy's myspace page for us to enjoy.

Now you cannot tell me that she doesn't look just like Kayla's baby pictures in this one! So sweet!

Grandma emailed out a funny story the other day. She said that there is a stray cat that many of the neighbors feed around Kayla and Bobby's apartment. Kayla had run out of food for the cat so decided to put out some of her breast milk for the kitty. She said the cat wouldn't go near it! It didn't care for that delicacy! Grandma said it best, "smart girl, dumb cat!" He can just go beg for food elsewhere, then!

***Love and Baby Snuggles to All!***

My What is Where?

I've been wondering exactly where everything is going these days and found these pictures. The thought of all my major organs shifting and squishing around makes me more apprehensive than the thought of labor. No joke. So, here is a visual as to why I can't eat more than an 1/2 oz. of steak, two bites of veggies, and three bites of salad. I feel bad though cause I know Mr./Ms. Baby REALLY likes his salad snack!

BEFORE:



CURRENTLY:
(23 weeks)



Note, though, that the stomach wraps around there (or something), it is not just that little smidge of pink next to the liver. That would be just cruel if it squished up that small! The size and new form that the small intestine takes on is quite concerning however. It's kinda like having my very own stomach stapling or lap-band procedure but less invasive! Wait, who am I kidding...having this baby squish around my insides for it's new home sounds quite invasive, don't you think?!

28 WEEKS:




So, I guess this concludes your biology lesson for the day. Unless you need any more information, in which case I have PLENTY! I've got some cool labor and delivery videos for inquiring minds! Just teasing...I'll spare you the horror.

***Love and Wishes for a BIG Bladder to All!***

We Are Making Out Like Bandits!

I am getting so excited to welcome this new baby! Is that a gross understatement? How on earth could I NOT be excited! But the source of this particular excitement today stems from nesting. We have been so, SO grateful to have received the baby things that we've gotten or have been promised so far! Listen to this: Cayden and Connor's crib (in great shape and it matches our furniture), changing table from Kelly A. (also matches!), baby bath tub and exersaucer (in really great shape) from Kelly B., baby bjorn, gym play mat, books, a musical thingy for the crib, clothes and a myriad of blankets - all from Tammy. Many of the blankets were handmade by my grandma and Tammy's mom so they are special to have. Since we are using Josh's college dresser and night stand, the only large purchases for the baby's room amount to an area rug (the softer the better, of course!) and a ceiling fan with light.

We haven't looked into strollers, car seats or high chairs yet but I suppose that will be next. I couldn't be more thrilled with all the hand me downs and loaners. It really helps out and it's a great way to recycle those items that families only use for a short time.

Bright and early tomorrow morning we have a gentleman coming to resurface our hall way bath tub. This seems like the best way to go after all we've looked into. It is dingy and chipped in many places and also rusted in spots. This treatment should be the most effective for the long run. The alternative were to replace the tub with a new one which was ruled out real quick! I am done with construction in my house and that would be such a mess. Alternatively we could have had a fiberglass mold made to fit over the existing tub and tile. We didn't like that as much either, though. This company coming tomorrow has a great guarantee so we're going for it. Now our youngens will have a nice place to take baths! I can't wait to see how it turns out.
FYI: http://www.miraclemethod.com/index.htm

***Happy Weekend to All and Take Time to Smell the Flowers!***

Coasting Through 22 Weeks!

I've received a fun update from my online baby newsletter. The first part made me laugh. Picture Josh and I standing in the grocery store baking asile...

"Your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. How heavy is that? Hold a one-pound box of sugar in your hand the next time you're in the grocery story (and expect people to ask you why you're grinning from ear to ear). "

...and we might even be cooing at it to, just to see if we can get it to smile. :)

So anyway, this week our sweetie is making more sense of the world as he or she develops the sense of touch. In fact, our little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he or she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Our fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before, even with those fused eyelids. Moving up from the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see our little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage has no pigment, so it's bright white. My money is on red, though. We have a handful of redheads on his side and my side combined so we'll see!

I've been good otherwise...just quite stiff. Somedays are better than others but most of the time it's hard to even put on my socks and shoes. It feels like a board inside me and I can't bend for the life of me! But don't pass judgement...according to other mom's it's the way of the pregnancy, and not just that I need to stretch and exercise! I think my feet are doing something funny too. I hear they start growing about now and it may be happening before my very eyes. It's due to the chemical 'relaxin' in my body loosening everything up, and unfourtunately, my pelvic/hip area isn't the only spot it affects.

Josh is doing good too! I should include him in my updates - shout out to Josh! We are getting ready to whoop out on the baby's room and get it done before it gets much later. I'll keep you posted (of course).

Have a good rest of the week! Is it Friday yet???

***Love, Heather***

Texas/OU Weekend is More Important Than MY Baby?

I don't use this outlet to vent as much as to marvel at the wonderment of my developing fetus...so bare with me! I just have to get this off my chest. Medical City Hospital, where I will be delivering our baby, sent us a letter in the mail concerning our childbirth education classes. We chose to attend the class held on October 6 which apparently is Texas/OU Weekend. They decided to cancel the class because "we want our football fans to come to class". Are you kidding me?

I have several issues with this. First of all they need to account for these types of things in advance of printing the schedule and booking classes. Period. It is bad business. What this leads me to think is that which ever teacher got "stuck" instructing the class for this day wanted to watch the game and therefore decided to cancel and inconvienence the rest of us. How very professional of them. I have faith in the Texas/OU fans/OB patients of Medical City that if the game is that important to them they will NOT have booked that Saturday to sit somewhere that is not in front of a tv. Additionally, I am highly offended that a football game is more important to them than doing their job. Their job of which is to take people like me who are so eager to soak up every drop of knowledge about labor and delivery, taking care of my newborn, CPR, and breastfeeding...and are taking this very seriously...and educate us! Does this mean that they won't take my questions and concerns seriously either?

Maybe, maybe, I am reacting a little differently than you might, but as someone who could care less about a freaking football game...this is very unsettling to me that the hospital I have invested a lot of faith in is revolving around Texas/OU weekend. Last time I checked...football game or not, a baby doesn't check the schedule and see if it's convenient for arrival. Shouldn't we be a little less lax in our preparation for this huge life changing event?!

Simply said (because you need me to spell it out a little more, right?!) I was very excited about this class and learning more good stuff. I was excited about our hospital tour and spending this day bonding with Josh over our baby. I was just plain excited and now a football game won out over me and my baby. It hurts my feelings, damnit.

By the way, for those of you thinking "doesn't at least Josh want to watch the game?", no, we don't really care. Although it is a probability that now that we will be home that day it will most likely be on the tube...and I'll be reading up on what I am missing in class.

Thank you and vote for Heather.

Celebrity Babies

I keep up with all the lastest celebrity gossip to help the day pass more quickly. I am sure it rots my brain and makes me a little more stupid each time I believe one of the rumors but it entertains me inbetween signing for FedEx packages and transfering phone calls to voice mail. Eh, what's a bored girl to do?! I've been watching the exploding baby boom, and exploding it is! I've done my research and found who is due around the same time as me and made a list for the fun of it. All due in winter, we have the following celebs...drum roll please:

Christina Aguillera
Nicole Richie
Gabrielle Reece
Courtney Thorne Smith
Isla Fisher
Julianna Marguiles

Josh and mine will be the most beautiful and talented, though....

Going into 21 Weeks

I'll be going into my 21st week in a few days. Time flies when you are having fun! My latest online newsletter tells me that my baby is having a blast these days. The baby is practicing somersaults and flips and getting to taste all kinds of new foods. Whatever I eat changes the taste of the amniotic fluid and Baby's taste buds are highly sensitive at this time. Baby can taste whatever I've been eating...so aside from ONIONS, it is safe to say he or she will have an acquired taste for all kinds of good things after birth. Especially dolmas, ranch, and french fries. But of course lots and lots of veggies, too!

Baby is also continuing to practice swallowing, digesting and "breathing". I get a little overwhelmed (in a good, sentimental way) when I think of my baby taking his first breath. And the smell of my skin will be among the first breaths our baby takes when they lay him on my chest for us to meet. How sweet it is! Our baby sleeps as much as a newborn, 12-14 hours a day. I have sleep envy! I remember times when I got a solid 10 hours and it was great. Sleep on, little one.

Josh and I got to see my belly jump the other night! It was pretty cool! I felt some kicks that were harder than usual and we started intently belly watching. Sure enough you could see little "pops" here and there. It was the coolest thing! I actually prefer to feel the baby all the time as opposed to not...it's just more reassuring.

In other news...everything has settled down after being so close to the blast zone! We are back to business as usual here at work. Mom has landed safely and began her vacation on Tortola. I am sure she is digging her toes into the baby powder white sands as we speak! The Johnson's are doing well as little David finishes up his school summer projects for the start of the new year, and big David is recovering from having his knee scoped. Ouch!

Take care for now, friends and family!!

***Love to All!***