teeehehehe....

I got an e-mail from Pattie yesterday saying " I couldn't resist!" Here is what she was talking about:

I am trying to refrain until we are closer to the due date, so I know what we've already been fortunate enough to receive from friends and family. Josh on the other hand, gets near a baby store and is like a kid in a candy shop. This is my favorite that he's picked out so far. If you know Josh, this is SUCH an outfit he'd pick out! He lives in polos!

I feel him! OMG. It's real.

So, it's not that I'm in denial that I'm pregnant. I live and breathe it, it's all my spare thoughts are devoted to. But in some sense, it doesn't feel real yet. Maybe it won't until he's in my arms... but I'll tell ya. A few days ago, I felt something. I'll be totally frank, at first I dismissed it as gas. But it started to happen pretty regularly. I only noticed it at night when I was laying down. I hesitated to say anything to Josh because I had no way to know for sure what I was feeling. But I did talk to him, and we read on line all the 'tell tale' signs of what it should feel like. Days later, I can easily tell you I'm feeling him move around!!! Just like everyone says, it feels like popcorn popping in my stomach, or a butterfly... but as he's getting stronger, I think an air hockey puck panging around is a better example!!

I'm more excited for Josh to be able to feel it. I feel like so many of the experiences of bringing him into this life only involve me. I'm sure Josh is more than grateful for the majority of the not pretty side effects (ligament stretching pains, acne, LABOR!) but I do love sharing whatever I can with him. Mackenzie is also extremely impatient about wanting to feel him move! So it will be very exciting to share this with the girls as well!!

SPRING!

Ok so I'm a few weeks early, but I just can't wait for Spring to get here. I am just so sick of cold murky days and long for those few weeks in spring when it feels so good to open the house up and get all that fresh air. Your toes still get freezing without socks, but sitting in the sun makes you feel like you have the best blanket in the world wrapped around you. Then it gets hot and miserable, but lets focus on those few blissful weeks instead!

Just like Fall brings out the crafter in me, Spring brings out my green (ok brown) thumb. I long to have a green thumb, I really do. Maybe practice will make perfect. Remember a few months ago when I blogged about how the fairy gardens died again, and Pattie gracefully did not blame my thumb, but rather my dirt? Well, we set out with a plan. To dig a trench, get new soil, and start over! Well! That ended up being a MUCH larger task than we had thought. After about 5 inches of so-so dirt, we hit clay. (alas, the problem!) So three weekends later, several pulled muscles and a few disobeyed child labor laws later, we had a trench! Then it rained. And rained and rained and rained some more. We missed the window of opportunity to plant anything until Spring.

So we've watched as the mounds of dirt next to the trench have gotten packed from the rain, watched the rain fill the trenches then slowly disappear underground. However! There is a light at the end of this muddy drab tunnel. Pattie announced that in a few weeks we will be ready to plant again! I just can't wait, our front yard needs some desperate TLC. This will give it some color that it's dying for. Stay tuned for pics in the upcoming weeks!!

Does anyone work on Friday's anymore?????

Ok, I use the term "work" loosely... no pot calling the kettle black here... I'm well aware I usually blog between the hours of 8-5 on weekdays. But gimme a break.. at least my butt is in a chair AT WORK. Where is everyone? How do they magically have this much vacation time to never be here on Fridays?

As annoying as it is to be sitting in an empty row of cubicles imagining all the fun things everyone else is doing, you know what is worse? Guess who is here until at least 5pm EVERY Friday? (besides me) Yep. My boss. She is in love with working. I think if she could marry it she would. I don't mean to rag on her, it's so great to have such a motivated boss to work with, keeps things positive. Usually. But man.... there are days I wish she'd just be like "you know what, why don't you leave early." Never happens! Ever! I always vow that if I ever become a supervisor I will pick Fridays at random and let my staff leave early... imagine how much they'd love me!!! I think I'd make a kick ass supervisor, don't you?

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Let me start off by saying, I normally love rain. But it just has not stopped lately. Ok, I'm exaggerating again. It has stopped a few days here and there but just keeps coming back. Even though we are saturated beyond belief, there are parts I still really enjoy about it. Namely, being home when it hits. But that's not exactly realistic! The reality of the rain these days, is that it keeps hitting on Fridays, making drives to pick up the girls pure hell. It also seems to rain between the hours of 8-5, or 2am-6am, so I'm either at work or asleep when it hits.

This time frame also isn't beneficial for Rufus. When it rains during a work day, it means Rufus is confined to the kitchen. We have slowly been letting him have access to the entire house when we aren't home, but for an hour at a time max. I'm just not ready to trust him for an entire work day! The result in that, is he is beyond stir crazy at the end of the day. When we had the last big spout of rain that lasted for a few days, by the 3rd day he would just pace the living room and kitchen after we got home. I felt so bad!!

So today, I keep hearing the rain won't come until later today. It was semi-sunny before we went to work, so I took my chances and let him stay outside. Keep your fingers crossed that it holds off until I go home for lunch and get him set up inside! I don't want a wet, muddy shivering dog that we have to bathe tonight!!

It's a Boy!!!!!

Ahhhhh finally, we know!!! Like we really waited an eternity, I know. But seriously, it was slowly killing me to have to wait any longer. :)

Our appointment was scheduled for 2:30pm today. At 10am we got a call that there was an opening at 11am, so we rushed to get everyone ready and out the door! We were so excited!! We were ushered into a pleasantly dimmed room with lots of comfy chairs and a big comfy couch. Music was playing softly in the background and there was a giant flat screen TV on the wall with a blank ultrasound image waiting patiently for us to get settled. The girls were kind of squirmy and giggly, indecisive on where to sit. They have had a wager going for weeks.. Kali wants a boy, Kenzie wants a girl. Kali ended up on Josh's lap while Kenzie hid behind my chair and held my hand. I reclined back (seriously, this was luxurious compared to the doctors office where I have to strip down and have a paper blanket over me!) and all eyes were on the screen. One cold squirt of gel and some pressure on my tummy later, and there he was! ASLEEP. WHAT! Oh come on!!! Not just asleep, but sitting 'Criss-cross-apple-sauce" as Kenzie pointed out.. hiding everything. I had downed a ton of water before the appointment so she suggested I go use the restroom and handed me a giant tootsie roll to eat on my way out.

In the bathroom I won't lie... I did some jumping jacks, shook my tummy a lil and Teddy and I had a pep talk. Wake Up! I begged!! I gulped down another glass of water and took my seat back in the comfy chair. She moved her wand thingy around for what felt like an eternity, not saying a word. We all were stealing glances at each other wondering if anyone really knew what was going on LOL.

Finally she revealed that she was pretty sure she knew the gender, but she just needed to double check. Sounded vaguely familiar of what our doctor was trying to do. Getting antsy, Josh and I got a little distracted talking with the girls, trying to keep them excited, when the screen froze, an arrow appeared, and she typed "BOY" across the screen. Josh and I sort of did an excited laugh, Kali exclaimed in the air that she knew it! But the show stealer in this moment was Kenzie. They had a table with toys set up for little kids who might not be all that interested in the brother or sister entering their lives. The second she heard the word boy, she was done. She marched right over to the table and began playing. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen. It was like she was saying "well I didn't get what I wanted so I don't care anymore!"

As soon as I was safely down the flight of stairs out of the building I was calling my parents. Pattie answered and I blurted out "it's a boy!!!" looking back I think she was trying to tell me to hold on so she could get my Dad but I didn't wait LOL. I guess I should have thought about that, but I was just way too excited!! Luckily he was in the same room as her and she was able to relay right away.

So! The great mystery is solved!! Hooray! Now the daunting task of picking a name. ugh! It is so much more overwhelming than I thought!

But now life can go on, back to normal for now! I am so excited to have found out, but the past few days have been exhausting. I look forward to a few less surprises over the next few weeks and a normal routine returning!

Shy? My Child? BAH!

So today was the big day, our appointment with the doctor where we might find out the gender of the baby. No matter how many times I mentally tried to prepare myself for that big might up there, I knew I'd be disappointed if we didn't find out what Teddy is. I'm only 15 weeks along and while you can see as early as 15 weeks (earlier if you decide to do the 1st trimester screening) generally you find out from 18-22 weeks. Josh and I eagerly strained our eyes on the sonogram machine as our doctor diligently moved the gadget around trying her best to find some proof one way or another. Finally Teddy cooperated and turned upside down (giving us a view as if you were looking up from a toilet, LOL thats the visual the doc gave so you can suffer through that one with us). Josh and I both held our breath, there was DEFINITELY something between the legs! But alas a millisecond later Teddy moved and there was just no way to confirm if it was the umbilical cord or not. BUMMER!!!!

So the doc gave us a referral slip to an u/s technician that we needed to see anyway to perform a complete u/s to scan for down syndrome, abnormalities, etc. They also confirm the gender. We hopped into the car (and after calling Pattie and Lizzie) I called to schedule the next appt possible. March 2nd. Are you kidding me?!! We have to wait a month!?!?!

Josh and I trudged into work. In my 'open book' way of life, I of course immediately posted on facebook that we didn't find out. My dear friend Jenee (who I remember telling me found out the gender of her babies at 15 weeks) suggested finding a independent ultrasound office we could go to, to do what they call a gender check. Ya and how much does that cost? Well, not anywhere as much as you, or I thought!! Within minutes Josh and I had talked ourselves into this idea and began searching. So we decided since Kali was so upset she wouldn't be able to go with us to today's appointment to try to schedule it on a weekend. So! We are going this Saturday at 2:30! I can't wait!!!!


Just to give you a neat comparison, the first u/s picture is of Teddy back on January 7th. The next one is from today. No wonder I keep feeling growing pains in my belly!!

You are all a bunch of drunks!!!

Ok maybe not. But get this. So I keep reading how pregnant chick's noses are way more sensitive. I haven't noticed that really... except a few weeks ago at work, I started kind of getting that "whoa..." feeling when someone would be near me and breathe. I would double take. Have they been drinking? I totally smell alcohol! Over the next few days I was just astounded at my revelation that like 70% of the Amgen work force were closet drunks!!

So after my dramatic conclusion settled in the dust I decided to be a bit more rational about it. I can actually thank my boss. She is a die hard very consistent hand sanitizer. Anytime she comes back from or goes to a mtg, I hear her bottle click open. She's very loyal about it. Well after she strolled by on her way to a mtg, I noticed that faint smell of alcohol, and knowing very well there is no way she is a closet alchy... it dawned on me. Amgen is HUGE about hand sanitizer right now. You can't look out from any given location and NOT see a bottle or I kid you not, an actual hand sanitizer station (at each bank of elevators, on each floor). So DUH... everyone around here uses it a lot! So rest assured, Amgen is not staying afloat due to a bunch of bloated alcoholics.

Phew, I was worried for a sec.

Btw, I would die for a margarita. Actually had a dream about it last night.

Freak Out Mode!

With "What To Expect When You Are Expecting" as my current bible always by my side, and my daily (multiple) scans on babycenter.com, I keep reading that right around now is the freak out time for new parents. When I skipped ahead in the earlier weeks and saw this, I kind of thought hmmm... kinda too late for that isn't it?

Well hi, welcome to freak out week. I'm not freaking out about omg, we are going to have a baby and our lives are changing, that reality is here, trust me! It's the worrying. All the sudden it seems like there is so much we need to accomplish and have done and out of the way before July.. so much that there can't possibly be enough time to really be successful. It's completely overwhelming!!

On top of that I'm suddenly shockingly aware that all I have been reading about is my pregnancy. Well thats just the start of it! Reading snip its like "you aren't supposed to give the baby a bath for the first week.." really? why? What if I didn't ever know that and I did, could I harm the baby because the umbilical cord is still too fragile? Then one girl posted on the message boards that with her first born, she went to give him a bath and could not figure out how to turn him over to wash his back without dropping him and she called her mom sobbing 45 minutes later. What if I can't turn the baby? All I can say is THANK GOD Josh has been thru this. I seriously think this is the best blessing I could have ever asked for. I'm the first one in my family going thru this, so there aren't a ton of moms for me to turn to to ask those 800 "obvious" questions that once you've been there you can smile in understanding and walk a person through. So it really puts my mind at ease to know I will have Josh by my side and that we are going to be an awesome team.

However, right now, I'm going to make a list. Of allllll the things that we MUST get done before July! Wish me luck!!