Doctor Appointment Update

I had a doctor appointment this morning that included my glucose tolerance test. I have heard that the drink you have to drink for the test is awful and how it makes a lot of women gag or throw up. The stuff they gave me to drink was pretty good. It just tasted like sprite and I had no problem drinking it. I thought I might have an issue since I don't drink soda's, but it was a non-issue. I went straight to the lab when I got to my doctor's building to get my blood drawn. I have never had someone draw blood from the left arm, but the girl doing it today decided that was what she wanted to do. Stupidly I said okay. She poked....then she moved it....then she poked further....then she rolled it....finally, she did get the vial needed. By that time, my hands were both clenched (which I'm sure is just so great when you are trying to have blood drawn) and I was a little red in the face. I'm actually glad that I had to drink the sugary substance after that because I needed it.

Everything went very well during the appointment. There wasn't any protein in my urine. My blood pressure was good (or at least they didn't say anything about it). I did have to weigh 3 times because according to the scale today, I have lost 7 pounds. Do you remember that the last time I was in, the scale said I had gained 14 pounds in 4 weeks? Well, I told my nurse that I thought the last weigh-in was very wrong and that I haven't lost 7 pounds. She had me weigh twice and then my OB had me weigh while he was in there. Fun, fun! He just said okay and moved on. He did have a little bit of trouble finding her little heart beat. She was quite active after the sugar drink making it difficult for him to get a consistent beating. He did finally find it and everything was great. I got my rhogam shot at the end of the appointment. Youch! That one hurt a bit.

After that, I had to go back to the lab to get my blood drawn a second time for the end of the glucose test. It went much more smooth that time because I asked the girl to take it out of my right arm. Low and behold, no problems with that arm.

All in all, it was a good appointment. I came out of there with a hole in each arm from the blood draw and a hole in my left buttcheek from the rhogam shot. I have finally come to the point where I have to go every two weeks instead of four. That is really exciting. This pregnancy has just flown by and I can't wait to meet our little girl.

Eureka!

I'm super excited! I met with a woman tonight about keeping Chloe Jo during work times. I've called numerous people and day cares and haven't found one to my liking yet. I interviewed two home day cares and both of them left me with a yucky feeling. I hate the fact that I am going to have to go back to work for insurance purposes and I have been finding it difficult to even picture Chloe in someone else's home during the day. When I left the home and interview tonight, I had a great feeling. I really liked this woman. She came highly recommended by a friend and I think she is just the person I've been looking for. This situation has been weighing on me heavily for a few months now. I started the process of finding a day care before I ever got into 2nd tri and have been highly disappointed. But, now, I do believe I've found the right person and I feel great about it. Hopefully, I won't have to work for long, but you never know what is going to happen. I didn't sign a contract. I still need to talk to Russ about it, but knowing him, he'll just tell me to do what I think is best. I told her that I would make a decision and get back to her about it within the month. I want to call her right now, but I need to sleep on such a big decision. I need to think about what all was said and how everything went at the interview. I'm fairly confident that I'm going to go with her. One major step down...a few hundred more steps and labor to go!

A Response to a Comment about my Response

Was that confusing enough for you all? I am going to respond to another comment that I recieved in response to the earlier post about what a horrible, evil person I am. This will most likely be the last post about this because I don't want my blog to become a petty argument over the internet. I just want people to know where I'm coming from and who I am as a person.

"okay, so i'm going to anonymously comment on this post. ha. i just don't want a whole lot of new folks reading my semi-private blog. I will sign my name, though.she was pretty harsh, yes. I can see why you didn't appreciate her response. but, as a fellow christian who has followed your blog somewhat off and on (but missed that smoking post until you linked it today) I will add that your smoking post had some comments that showed a real lack of compassion that made me sad. that's all I'll say."

This Anonymous is correct. I didn't have a lot of compassion for the girl I posted about. She complained day in and day out about the precious life growing inside of her and refused to change her lifestyle for the good of her baby. I had to listen to this during a very difficult time in my own life. I was slowly coming to terms with my own infertility. It doesn't make it right that I had no compassion, but maybe it does shed some light on why I felt the way I did. I'm still mostly unsympathetic to her. I have a lot more sympathy for the baby who didn't have any kind of a chance or any kind of love shown to her until her death. I do feel bad for the mother who was so involved in herself and her own feelings that she couldn't come to love her baby. I know you could probably turn that around and say that I was too involved in myself and my problems at the time to have sympathy for her and you would be right. I think the whole situation was sad and I wish it would have been different.

One more thing before I close on this topic. I'm human. One thing I love about blogging is that I am completely real. If you know me in real life, I try to be completely real there, too. I show the good, the bad, and the ugly. I know there are areas in my life that I need to work on, compassion and sympathy for others being one of them. I relate exactly how I feel and if that offends someone, then so be it. I am prone to the same emotions and temptations as everyone else. I don't try to cover up anything because that would be a lie. If you don't like what I say or who I am as a person, you need to realize that I know I have a lot of growing to do. I am well aware of my personal flaws and I do strive to correct them. I am getting better about the compassion areas, but I am not going to cover up how I feel or felt at a particular time. It would be a lie and that isn't something I want to do in my blog or in my life. Life is way too short to not be real and to not share your true, deep down feelings. As I look back at these times in my life (while working with that girl, etc.), I do try to learn what I can from the situation. One thing I learned from her is that we all need to be very careful about what we complain about. One day it is there and the next it could be gone and we might not ever see it coming.

And that, my friends, is the end of my part of this discussion. Thanks for commenting on what I have said and thanks for reading about my life. Also, a big thanks to those who disagree with me in a respectful way and don't find it necessary to completely bash my head in about it.

Registry

My Mom and I went to Wal-Mart this weekend to register. We had a blast! I didn't have a super long list, but I definitely had enough. I wonder where I'm going to put everything after the baby showers! It feels like it is so close now. We are on the downhill slide to meeting our little baby girl and we are getting extremely excited...and a little nervous about being providers for a little person. Mainly excited.

The weather is getting bad out. It started sleeting around 3:00 p.m. and is supposed to ice tonight. Russ may have to take me to work in the morning. We'll see when we get up. I suspect that is exactly what is going to happen, though. This is the thing I was/am most afraid about. Being 6 1/2 months pregnant and walking or falling on the ice. I don't have quite as good stories about falling as my sister, but I do have a few doozies under my belt!

In Response to a New Comment

"I just want to say that i am glad I am strong in my faith before reading this post. You really may want to step back and take a look at yourself. You are one of the most rude people I have ever heard about. Let me say this your child is not born and is not proven to be healthy yet. As far as that goes she could be born healthy and develop cancer or many other things later in life. How could you say you don't feel sorry for someone that lost a child. Are you a christian? In response to another post about 16 year old girls that can't love there baby? Age doesn't make you love your child. I am positive a 16 year old has a much better heart than you do. Really take a step back because what goes around comes around. God can take your child away as fast as she is growing inside of you. I can't imagine saying the things you say and claim to be a christian. Your right you don't have to like what people do, but that doesn't give you the right to be a cold hearted person. I would rather see a baby be born to a smoker than someone that is as judgemental and completely a horrible rude person!"

This is a comment I recieved today in response to a post I made a while back. You can read it here. I actually deleted the comment as soon as I got to the part about being one of the most rude people Anonymous has ever heard about then went back in and decided I would like to comment about the comment.

First of all, if you are going to say all these nasty things, don't put yourself under anonymous. Have the courage to actually stand up with your "strong faith" that you claim to have and speak out against my rude, horrible self. If you really believe all that, you shouldn't be ashamed of who you are.

Second, this blog is my blog. These are my opinions. You don't have to read it. As far as I know, everyone has an "x" in the upper, righthand corner of their computer screens. Just click on it and forget about what I said. If my opinions offend you, I'm sorry that you feel that way. But, I stand by what I said and I do believe that the choices one makes affects others and I believe that sometimes people deserve what they get from the choices they make.

Third, I'm not even sure what post about 16 year old girls is even being referred to here. I looked back through my archives to find it, but I blog a lot and gave up. If I said those exact words, then I'm sorry. I don't believe that a 16 year old girl can't love their baby. That would be a stupid belief. I knew a lot of girls in high school that had baby's and loved them very much. I don't believe that a teenager is incapable of love. I do believe that some girls and people in general are incapable of loving their baby's or anyone else besides their own selves. I'm sorry I don't have more of a comment for that...maybe if Anonymous would comment with what post it was in.

Fourth (and this is the last thing), I am well aware that my baby isn't born yet and that she may have health problems. I am well aware that God can take my baby away from me at any time. I'm not sure how being against smoking makes me unaware of what a marvelous blessing my husband and I have been given. I'm equally unaware how blogging about my beliefs and life make me a horrible, cold hearted, un-christian person.

I am a Christian and I stand up for what I believe in. My blog is not anonymous and there is a reason for that. I want people to be able to read what I have to say whether they agree with it or not. I want to try to reach out to those that have suffered from the same things I have and share my experience. I want to stand up for what I believe in because if I don't, I'll fall for anything. I love God and I love His commandments and I try to live my life by them. My name is Lisa (not Anonymous) and I am a Christian!

Bump Watch - 28 Weeks

12 weeks to go! Wooo hooo! It's starting to get really exciting. I am looking forward to two baby showers...which means I need to get on the ball and go register! Chloe is definitely living up to her nickname of Squirmy Wormy. She is really active, though when she's not moving, I get worried and have mini-freak-outs. I know that's silly. I just can't help it. Russ and I are ready to meet our little girl. We are so blessed to have been given this opportunity and we are completely thankful to God for giving us our little girl.

Bump Watch - 28 Weeks

I can't believe how much my tummy has grown in two weeks. Compared to the last picture, I look huge. I knew it was growing because it has started getting tight. I use pregnancy lotion every morning and evening. I just hope it's enough to cut down on the stretch marks that I am inevitabley going to have. It doesn't help that I have stretch marks from my fat-Lisa days. Of course, I think pregnancy stretch marks are beautiful. I'm still working out every day...most days for an hour. Monday and Wednesday I get home late so I usually only get thirty minutes in. At least it's something. Hopefully all the yoga will help me during labor and if all goes the way I want, I won't need an epidural.......HA HA HA HA HA! I say that now......

Weight gain: 16 1/2 pounds. My original goal was 20 to 25 pounds which I realize now is a bad goal. The book I recieved from my OB said that a woman with my height and (original) BMI needs to gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. So my goal changed to 25 to 30. At the rate I am going at this point, I will probably be closer to 40. Yuck. I don't know what else I can do. I work out every day and I watch what I eat so I've just accepted the fact that I might gain more than I want to.
One more thing. I don't get belly pats from anyone except for my Dad and this makes me sad. I hate that it's become "bad" to give them. So if you know me in real life, please come pat the belly because I love it!!!

TP Thursday

I really hate that I can't blog at work right now. I can get on my trainer's computer, but for some reason, blogger is not coming up. It's not blocked, it just doesn't load correctly on her computer.

Anyway, back to TP Thursday. I am 27 weeks 1 day and am 10 squares big.

Story Time

I recently was having a conversation over dinner with a group of friends. We were talking about dating and when we would let our children date (one couple was also expecting). I started thinking back to high school and was reminiscing about a guy that I dated. The story is so funny that I thought I would share it.

I didn't date much in high school. I had my first boyfriend and first kiss during the latter part of my senior year. I just didn't care about dating someone that I wouldn't consider marrying. During my senior year I did date a guy whose name was Stuart. Our first date consisted of going out to eat on a double date with his parents and then going back to his house and playing a Star Trek game with his parents. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm a huge nerd...which is probably obvious by the amount of blogging and internet surfing that I do.

We went on a few dates over the course of a month or so. When I finally decided that I didn't really like the guy all that much (not because he wasn't a nice guy, more because we weren't right for each other...ok, and I had a major crush on his best friend...Oops!) I decided to call it off. Now if you know me in real life and especially if you knew me during high school and college then you know that I am vocal and being tactful is not my strong suit. I've worked on that a lot over the last couple years and have grown, but still definitely need some improvement. Back to the story, I guess I wasn't nice to this poor guy when I called it off. He was never officially my boyfriend so I can't really say "broke up." I can't remember the exact scenario of how this played out so I can't tell you what I said but it was apparently mean. I do remember that he called me a few choice words and was pretty upset with me.

Well, it just so happened that we did stay friends through that ordeal and a few months later I was talking with him on a bus going to a Talented and Gifted Club meet. I was asking him about a fish tank that he owned and he told me that one of the fish ate all the other fish and so in honor of yours truly, he named that fish "Lisa".

Second Big Baby Purchase

Do you remember how I was trying to decide whether to get the nuetral travel system or the pink one? Well, Wal-Mart made the decision for me! They have five travel systems in stores. One of them was Winnie the Pooh which I don't care for at all so it was automatically out. One was just ugly and one didn't have all the gadgets that I wanted (and I didn't want many so it was just sad). That left two...the two most expensive. Why do I have to go with the most expensive ones? This is why I am registering at Wal-Mart! Anyway, there was a pink and grey one that was $180.00 and there was a nuetral tan and teal that was $220.00. I was trying to decide if I wanted to get the nuetral in case we have a boy later or get the grey and pink because we are having a girl now. I went to do grocery shopping this morning and the grey and pink one was on clearance for $130.00 and there was only one left. $50.00 off the one I really wanted sealed the deal for me. I snatched it up and it is now assembled and George was kind enough to try it out for us.

George loved the carseat. He thought it was soooo comfortable!
It came with one base. I think I'll go ahead and buy a second for Russ' car or for my Mom's car when she watches Chloe.
I love that the tray lifts up for easy loading and access.
It will recline or....
sit up for whatever baby's pleasure is.

And the carseat attaches to the stroller! This is probably one of the coolest features. I know, I know, that's what a travel system does, but it's still cool!

Plus, it's grey and the interior of my car is grey so it will match! This is important to me for some reason. I'm so excited about getting this large item. Next on the agenda: a Pack and Play.

In other exciting news, the church I am a member of has scheduled a baby shower for me for March 19th and the church my sis and bro-in-law wants to schedule one for us also. I just have to get back to them with a date. I asked Russ if he wanted to register with me and he said he didn't care so I asked my Mom if she wanted to go. Well, then I told Russ that it hurt my feelings that he doesn't care about buying anything for Chloe and he decided that maybe he should go with me to register. I know, I'm awful. I should have just told him up front that I wanted him to go. Either way, it looks like we are all going to go together sometime in the next couple of weeks. I have an interview with a woman that runs a home day care next Thursday. She was recommended by the preacher's wife so I'm excited about it. Everything seems to be falling into place. I start lamaze classes at the end of March and after those get over with, I'll just be biding my time. Ack! She's almost here! YAY!

Long Time No Post

I feel like I haven't posted in forever....ok, it's only been since Tuesday, but when you post almost everyday that is forever. I've had a very busy week and haven't had internet access or anything at work so haven't been able to get on.

My new job is going wonderfully. I originally didn't ever want a position in customer service because I would have to *gasp* talk to customers. I apparently had said this to a few people because they told me that they were very surprised when they found out that I was coming upstairs. It's actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I am going to have to change my way of thinking and just realize that people can't budget and they have a hard time with money. It's ok. It's what makes the world go around. I will have a lot of leeway to use my own discresion about whether to make payment arrangements or not. I think that is going to be the biggest problem for me. There really is no black and white in customer service and I like black and white rules. I keep getting told that I'll do a good job and I don't want to disappoint anyone so I am going to do my best.

I had a meeting with my big bosses yesterday. They wanted to do a quick orientation. I actually had the same meeting when I was hired as a data coordinator, but I was happy to have a refresher in everything. Though, now that I've been an employee for a while I felt a lot more relaxed and was able to let my true personality shine through which they seemed to like. I love not being nervous about meetings. I find that if I just act the way I'm supposed to and do what they tell me to do, I have no problems with the higher ups. One thing they did mention was getting a mentor. I racked my brain trying to figure out who I could choose to be my mentor. I don't know many of the people on first floor that well so I couldn't think of anyone. Then when I was home last night I was thinking about it again (I know I take things way seriously and have to mull them over in my brain for hours) and a light bulb went off in my head. Duh! I already have a mentor. It's Penny, my old boss. I just love her and if I need to ask a question about work or about whether I should do something or not work related, I usually go to her first. Penny, if you read this, thanks for being an excellent mentor! It's funny how you have these people in your life and you never give them a specific title until something like this happens. I didn't even realize that was what was happening until Steve (big boss) told me to get a mentor. I don't know if he meant me to take that as seriously as I did, but I do have one.

I actually moved up on Tuesday....sort of. I had given a girl a crash course in how to do remmittance processing and I was down there several times on Tuesday to help, but I did get to sit with my trainer for most of the day. I love my trainer. She seems extremely nice. I wish I had gotten to know her better sooner. We have much of the same personality and I love talking with her. Training is supposed to last for four to six weeks. Since I've been with the company, I've done some odds and ends in the program they use so I'm not going into this completely blind which is nice for me, nice for the company and nice for the people who are training me. I don't feel completely overwhelmed and knowing that I have four to six weeks to learn everything gives me a feeling of control.

That girl I used to work with (she no longer deserves a name or even Coworker title) has decided to come back to work. I know that I'm being petty and immature, but I just couldn't bring myself to go down there and talk to her. I was also protecting her because I'm a camel and my back has been broken by her. I can get firey and I knew that if I went down there I wouldn't be able to hold my tongue. I thought it best to avoid the situation completely. She did walk through the call center. I think it was just to be nosey and see where I was sitting because I never had a reason to walk through there. She said hi and asked how I was and I gave her a very short answer. I didn't even want to talk to her. I hate it that I feel so much contempt towards her. I need to get over it, but for what ever reason that is easier said than done. I am very bad about holding grudges. It's something that I have been working on and I still struggle with it. I then ran into her on the fourth floor going to the main break room. I hate it when you are in a long hall and someone is walking towards you. I never know where to look. And it's even worse when it is someone you feel some contempt for. Anyway, I didn't say anything and she proclaimed how big my tummy is getting and that I look really good. I just said thanks and walked on. What I wanted to (and family will be proud of me that I held my tongue) was "well if you would bother to show up to work half the time, you would have been able to see it grow". My thoughts are so rude!

In other news, I've lost a pound this week. I went this whole week working out every day. I was able to jog last night for 25 minutes (not straight, I had two breaks). I just can't believe my stamina is still that good after going 4 months without working out. I'm so glad I started it again. I feel so much better and I'm not having as much lower back pain now. I do get it some when I sit in an uncomfortable chair for too long, but that's about it. I think the worse thing is when I sleep at night. My hips always ache in the morning for a little while. It may be a blessing because it causes me to get up earlier when I really want to sleep in or get up and not be rushed for work.

The school where Russ graduated from started their Monday evening classes this past Monday. I've been the IT support for a few semesters and love taking the classes. I had taken them for credit at the beginning, but didn't last semester and won't this semester. With Chloe coming in April, we won't be finished so I will be missing a few classes. They are broadcasted and stored on the internet so I could go back and watch the classes I missed, but I seem to do a lot better in the live environment. Less distractions. Plus, I'll have a baby and won't pay attention that much more. I know these are excuses and I should take them for credit. I'm such a whiner. The classes this semester are 1st and 2nd Corinthians, the Psalms, and Hermeneutics. I enjoyed class on Monday and I know I will continue to enjoy them. Dad is the evening school director and has already decided that when Chloe comes Mom can watch her next semester so I don't have to stop going. Actually, it's really so I can continue recording so he doesn't have to do it, but that's fine with me if we can do that. The only problem with that plan is that the classes start at 6:30 which is the time Mom gets off work most days so Dad will have to watch her until she gets to the school. Dad doesn't usually like to watch baby's alone and if she's fussy he definitely won't like that! Either way, it'll work out some how.

I forgot to post my TP Thursday again. As of Thursday I was 26 weeks 6 days and 9 1/2 squares round. I'm obviously growing and Chloe is making herself known. I love watching her move around. I can see it on the outside now and it's hilarious! I do think her little head is in my ribs because my posture has gotten a lot better. If I slouch over I have a lot of pain in my ribs on the right sides so I'm pretty sure some little body part is up there. I think it's adorable so I don't care in the slightest!

That's it for now. I know this got really long and is probably going to bore some of you to tears, but I had a lot to say since I haven't posted since Tuesday. I hope you all have a great weekend!

1st Day

I finally started my new position today. My hours were 8 to 4:30 with a 30 minute lunch and for now they are 7:30 to 4:30 with an hour lunch. So I came in at 7:30 and by 7:40, I was told that Coworker had called in sick...again. This makes the 8th day this year that she has missed...in other words, she hasn't worked at all this year. I had to go back down to the dungeon to help get a couple of people started with opening mail and remitting. I did get to go back upstairs at 9:00 and have been listening to phone calls and learning what I can since then. I am excited about the opportunity to move up, but am also leary about being in a call center. I'm just going to have to suck it up and deal with cranky customers. There isn't much else I could do. I did tell my boss (old boss) that if it wasn't for Coworker I would have stayed in the position I had. She was the deciding factor. I had to get away from her. I hope I don't have to see her once she does decide to act like an adult and come back to work. I have no sympathy for her whatsoever. She is the type of person that plays the system and is so good at it that she gets away with it. Anyway, so I am in my new position, but am also helping out downstairs when they need it.

I did have an interesting dream last night. I dreamt that I moved to my new position and they wouldn't give me one of the headsets that are small and sleek. They made me wear an enormous yellow headest like the ones the people who are on a tarmac at the airport wear. So I had to look like an idiot while everyone else had their ear pieces. Luckily, when I came in this morning, they had a nice, sleek headset for me. It does hurt my ear a little. I think I will try it for a few days and if my ear doesn't get used to it, I'll ask for one that had a headband instead. This one wraps around the back of my ear.

That's it for now. I'm on lunch and have a bit of bible reading to do. I'm hoping to actually make it through this year. I fizzled out around August of last year. I did make it in 2006 and am hoping to be able to do that again. We'll see with little Chloe coming. It's something I know I need to do.

Bump Watch - 26 Weeks

She sure is making herself known! I've started having men at work ask me when I'm due so I'm definitely showing now! I've started calling her Squirmy Wormy because of how much she moves. Chloe just can't sit still for long which I love. I can't wait to meet her! 14 more weeks of pregnancy and then I get to hold my precious baby girl in my arms.

I know this is everybody's favorite part. Weight gain as of today: 15 pounds. Just for kicks, I tried on a pair of my regular jeans this morning and they still fit in the thighs and butt. I even got them buttoned, though that was NOT comfortable! Obviously my weight is all in belly and boobs. I'm not one of those girls that you can tell is pregnant by the back and there has been no sign of a waddle (I'm sure that is coming). I know you all tell me not to worry about my weight, but I really can't help it. I do work out on my Wii Fit every evening and I try to eat healthy, but it just keeps piling on and fast. I can't believe how fast the weight piles on no matter how much I watch what I eat or how much I work out. I actually only work out for about 30 to 45 minutes each evening. I make sure my heart rate doesn't get over 160 and I drink lots of water during. I only do moderate excercise. 15 pounds is still in the normal range and my doctor hasn't said anything about the weight so I'm going to go with it and keep eating healthy and keep working out.

I have 98 days until my due date. I'm a little sad that pregnancy has gone by so fast, but am also very anxious to meet our little girl. I love my belly. I feel so glamorous with it even though I don't want it to grow too fast. Anyway, that's it for now I think.

Have a great day Blogger Buddies!

TP Thursday

I forgot to post this last week. I was 24 weeks 6 days and 9 squares big.

This week: I am 25 weeks 6 days and 9 1/4 squares big.

My Ticker...

Is below 100 days!!!! YAY!

More Clothes!!!

A friend gave me all these clothes last night! My plan for tonight is to go home and seperate them into sizes and put them away until little Chloe gets here. Yay for lots of clothes!!!

Abby

My Mom and I teach the the 2's and 3's class at church on Wednesday evening. She is actually the one teaching. I am helping right now.

Abby: "What's in your hand?"

Me: "Glue stick."

Abby: "Did you ask your Mom?"

This and That

I had the hardest time getting out of bed this morning! I absolutely didn't want to come to work. It doesn't help that Coworker is still not here this morning, though she has 15 minutes to make an appearance before we are scheduled to start. Everytime my alarm went off, I whined to Russ. He told me that I should call in and say that I'm too cute to work.

I had an interview with a woman who has a home daycare last night. I liked her a lot, but her home isn't in a very good area of town. It's only 5 to 10 minutes from my work, but my work is in downtown and the residential areas down there aren't the greatest. But, her home was clean and she seemed to be very nice. She's only been doing this since August and that is concerning to me. She does have a few kids that are grown and an adopted 3 year old at home. I just don't know what to do. I'm going to ask around some more and see if I can't find someone in a better area. But, her kid, B.J., was hilarious. This is a conversation we had last night:

B.J.: "Hey, where's your baby at?"

Me: "She's in my belly."

B.J.: *look of shock* "Did you eat her last year?"

What Happens When...

You spill sweet-and-sour sauce all over your hand.And this is after the soap and water festival. You should have seen the rest of the mess....

Moving Up

I came in to work today and was finally given a start date for my new job. I'm so excited to be going upstairs and getting out of the basement and away from Coworker (who isn't here today). Though, I do feel like this could be good or bad. I don't want to start training to only be pulled to come and cover for people who don't find it necessary to come to work on a regular basis. I don't know if I could deal with that. I guess I should just be happy that I'm moving up and getting away from this toxic environment.

I almost called in sick today. It's a good thing I didn't because Coworker did. I ended up getting really sick Saturday night after our shopping trip. We got home around 2:00 and I was exhausted. I thought I had just overdone it. I had worked out with my Wii Fit before our shopping trip and then trekked around a few stores for a few hours. Around 7:00, I started having stomach pains and by 10:30 I was in the bathroom with fluids coming out of too many of my body's orifices. I ended up staying home all day Sunday. If you know me, you know that's not normal. Russ makes fun of me because I have to be next to dying to stay home from Church services or work. I'm feeling better today, but am not 100% yet. At least I don't have to deal with Coworker's drama.

Our Day

It has been an absolutely gorgeous day out today. It is 71 degrees outside and I was able to go out without a jacket and in short sleeves. My windows are open and there is a wonderful breeze coming through the living room. If only it would stay this way, but alas, I do believe it will be getting cold again shortly.

Russ and I started off the day by going to a furniture store. We recieved some money from my Granny Tiger and Pappy and decided to buy a glider with it. We only have a sectional and I wanted something that rocked for Chloe. I looked online at a few stores around here and decided on one that I liked. When we got there, I didn't like the feel of it as much as a different one so we ended up getting the one I liked the best. It was a little more than I was planning on spending, but we both loved it much more than the others they had. So, within 20 minutes, we made our first big purchase for the baby! Here is a picture of the glider we picked out.

We bought it in a dark green color that will go with our neutral sectional very well. We didn't buy the ottoman with it. I don't think we would have room for that, too. I'm so excited to get the glider! They will call us in 2 to 3 weeks to come pick it up.

Then we headed over to a department store to get Russ some much needed new jeans. He has lost 40 pounds (GO RUSS!) and is still wearing the same jeans he had. He went down 3 whole sizes! What is really funny about this is that between the weight I lost before getting pregnant and the weight he lost, we have lost 110 pounds. That's a whole person! I'm so glad we have changed our lifestyle the way we have. I want Chloe to grow up with parents who are healthy and active.

I decided to look at baby stuff while we were there (the actual reason I wanted to go) and ended up buying a few things for the little girl. I also bought a maternity shirt that was on sale for me. I'm going to have to stop buying maternity things, though because I only have 3 1/2 months of this left. It is so weird to be able to say that! Here are the things I picked up for Chloe.

I love baby headbands. I know they are annoying and never stay on, but they are sooo cute!
All of these outfits are 3 month size so she will be able to wear them all summer hopefully.

That's it for now. We are expecting a couple over who are going to bring us a crib mattress. Yay! Another thing to check off the list! I hope you all are having great weekends!

For Comparison

I thought I would post a few pictures for comparison and see if you all think I've really gained 20 pounds. Obviously I'm obsessed about this, but you all knew that!This is my 12 week picture. It was before I ever started showing and before I had gained any weight.

This is my 20 week picture.
This is my 24 week picture. I actually think I look bigger in my 20 week picture, but maybe Chloe was just turned differently. Maybe I am swollen a little bit? I don't know. I think I should probably just forget about it and go with my scale at home!

Doctor Appointment Update and Etc.

I just got back from a doctor appointment this morning. Everything looks good. There wasn't any protein in my urine and my blood pressure was good. I got to hear Chloe's heartbeat again. She's such a cute and sweet little girl and I can't wait to get to hold her in my arms instead of my rapidly expanding uterus! I go back in 4 weeks and that is when I will be getting my glucose tolerance test and my rhogam shot.

My OB was in a really good mood today...though that is normal for him. He told me that he really likes that my old doctor sends him so many of his patients because we appreciate our baby's a lot more than the 15 and 16 year olds that he sees. He also said that when you are 15 or 16 you can have sex at any time of the month and get pregnant to which I responded with "If only I was a whore in high school." I know, crude, but I got a huge laugh out of it and he went and told his nurse (who is one of my old doctor's patients) what I said!

The downside of the appointment today was my weight. Either my scale is off or their scale is off. I was sent to an exam room that I had never been in so it could have been partly their scales. I figure my scale at home is more accurate because we spent the money for a quality scale, we don't move it around and I weigh about every 2 days. Anyway, their scale said that I gained 13 pounds in a month. WHAT!?!?!? I am wearing some pretty heavy boots today, but I'm not sure they are that heavy. They are probably about 3 or 4 pounds. My scale at home said yesterday morning that I have gained 12.5 pounds over all. I did end up losing a few after the Christmas festivities. So, I'm going to blame it on their scales being off from each other, my big heavy boots, and the chicken fried steak I ate last night. The nurse did say that since I hadn't gained hardly anything before that, that it was just fine that I gained that much in a month and my OB didn't say anything at all about it. We'll see what happens at the next appointment.

Russ and I played Wii for a couple of hours yesterday. I played Wii Fit and finally made myself an account so I could track my weight and my excercise. It told me that I'm overweight, but it didn't ask if I am pregnant so I guess I can't blame it. I put my goal as gaining 15 pounds over the next 4 months. Maybe I'll get that, maybe I'll go over.

On the work front, I was promoted in the middle of November. I haven't been able to move to my new position yet, though. This is very frustrating because this means that I get to deal with Coworker until my big boss says I can move upstairs. We work in the basement so I have to deal with only her all day. Last year, she had taken all of her FMLA, sick leave, and vacation by August. That's 17 weeks that she missed in 7 months. She does this every single year. She is one of those people that there is always something wrong. Always a crisis. I get so tired of hearing her gripe and complain about her pathetic life. I don't have any sympathy for her at all anymore. I took the week of Christmas off and I came back the Monday after and there were stacks of bills that hadn't been processed. During the 17 or so weeks she was gone, I never once had bills left over from Friday. Sometimes on a Monday I would have to carry over to Tuesday, but I never left anything over the weekend. Of course she had an excuse. She had a tooth ache all week. Wah wah wah. I just want to tell her off, but I won't because I don't want to be fired over that. She needs to be fired but no one can because we are in the Union. This is one of the biggest drawbacks to the union. I'm thankful that I am union because my job is secure (or at least the most secure it can be during this time), but I hate it that it enables people like Coworker to play the system and get away with it. Coworker was here every day from August on because her job was threatened if she didn't come in. Since she had used all of her FMLA then the government or Union couldn't protect her. Well, I came in this morning and guess who isn't feeling good and isn't coming in? That's right. Coworker. And it begins again. I can't deal with this for much longer and I really hope I'll be moving upstairs within the next week.

That's it for now. I had a lot to say today. Hope I didn't bore you all to death!