Thursday, February 26, 2009

Preggo Quirks Update (O:

I seem to acquire a new quirk every now and then. But, lately I've stayed the same- still crazy, but not that much new to report. There is one big quirk that has started up in the past month or so, and it's a funny one.

Jason and I spend our evenings together watching our favorite shows. Yes, we have at least one that is on almost every night. Call us pathetic, call us lazy, unmotivated or what have you, but it's something we both enjoy doing and we enjoy doing it together.

Anyway, in the past month or so, my wild dreams have started to return. They were on hiatus for the middle part of my pregnancy, but now they are back and more vivid than ever. The odd part is that now, whatever the last thing I watch on TV is, it is some how incorporated into my night's dreaming. For expample, last week we watched House before I went to bed. That night the entire House cast was in my dream! Different characters at different times, but they were all there. It was really funny.

Last night, I was a little worried about what I might dream up after watching Criminal Minds. It was an episode about a woman serial killer who posed as an 'escort' and then murdered the men! I just KNEW my dreams would be flooded with rat poison (her first weapon of choice) and middle-aged married men. Luckily, my dreams were much sweeter than that! (It was so wonderful that it will be getting its own post later today) (O:

A Most Wonderful Dream

The night before last, I had the most wonderful dream and the more I replay it in my head, the happier it makes me. I had a dream with my Grandma Hilda in it. It was kind of weird because for part of it she was alive and with me.

We were just talking and sitting in (what I assume was) her office at a university. She used to work at the University of Kentrucky, so this isn’t too far of a stretch. But then, as we got up to leave her office, all of a sudden I saw a long table and bookshelves full of pictures. I didn’t remember it being there before, so I turned back and said ‘Wait a second’.

There were pictures of me and my dad from when I was young, pictures of me and Grams from when I was a baby all the way up until the last time I saw her before she passed away (only a few years ago), and pictures of Grams at different ages in her life. In my dream I started tearing up because of all the happy memories and then Grams hugged me so softly and sweetly. It was such a comforting moment, filled with love and happiness.

That’s when I woke up. It was weird because I’ve never dreamed about her before, but it was also so peaceful and wonderful.

These are two of my favorite pictures of her, both of which were among those framed on her shelves. She was so beautiful. I love her and miss her so very much.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Welcome to Emilia's Room!

After months of planning, painting and rearranging...it's finally ready! I'm sorry the pictures are from kind of awkward angles...the room is rather small, and it's the best I could do. I'll post them in their order around the room. Enjoy! (O:
Directly to the left of the crib is the door to the room.
This (totally awesome) bookshelf is to the right of the crib. (You can see Mr. Giraffe peeking above the crib in the previous picture. Jason thought it would be fun to have lots of different giraffes on top of the bookshelf. Luckily, I already had the picture frame (from college, haha) and the beanie baby from my mom. Clare made the middle giraffe, my personal favorite! Then, there's a little guy you can't really see leaning on the beanie baby. So far so good, we'll see how many more get added over time! (Hopefully Emilia likes giraffes like her Momma!)

This is our FANTABULOUS glider and ottoman!! It's obviously in the corner of the room. The room is a tad too small to actually use the ottoman currently, as I'm sure you can tell...so, we just have it up against the wall, under the window, next to the glider. For now, that will be fine. Someday, whenver we move, we can get more use out of it. (O:

The changing table and dresser are against the wall- these are the first things you see when you are standing in the doorway. I just want to say how much I L.O.V.E the storage boxes on the changing table! They match the bedding and I've already got them jam packed with baby stuff. 1-bibs, 2-hats/headbands/bows, 3-towels/wash cloths, 4-burp cloths I know they might not stay so well organized once the kiddo gets here, but for now, it's glorious! (O: I would also like to add how excited I am about my Diaper Duty Organizer on the dresser. It has compartments for all your stuff! Jason just rolls his eyes, as I'm sure you are, but I'm pretty stoked about it! (O:

Last, but not least- a sneak peek at Emila's closet! Stocked to the brim with dresses and cute little outfits! But, before you freak out on me...3/4 of the top rack are NB and 0-3 month, then the other 1/4 is 3-6 months, as is the second rack. The bottom rack is 6-9 through 24 months. Those are just a few cute ones I couldn't resist and didn't want to pack away then have to iron. (O: Also remember that I was given SO MUCH from friends and family that I didn't have to spend much to have such a wonderful wardrobe. We are so blessed!

I hope you enjoyed your tour! You are welcome to come by and see it in person anytime! (Just let me know before you come so I can straighten up the rest of my house first!) (O:

Our Valeversary

Jason came up with that title for Valentine's day years ago, because it is also the day we started dating. I've always thought it was cute and fun to call it our Valeversary and I'm so glad he still does! (O: I don't know if would want me telling people we call it that, because it's always been our little inside thing. So, please don't say anything to him- in case he wouldn't want me sharing our secret. But, I had to tell you because I love it and he still calls it that, which always makes me smile. (O:

This Valeversary was spent at Anderson Hospital in an awful 'Prepared Childbirth' seminar. I'm seriously considering asking for my $25 back, it was that bad. Now, I guess I shouldn't really say that...it's just that Jason and I have both been studying and reading about all of this on our own, so the class really didn't have anything new to teach us. J cracked a bunch of jokes and eventually it was over.

We did get a tour of the 'Pavilion for Women', which I was glad about. The rooms look nice enough- better than regular hospital rooms, that's for sure! Each room is private (yay!), has several extra seats and even a DVD/VCR with the TV. Jason and I decided we'll have to pick out some good movies or seasons of our favorite show to take with us. The other thing they do there which is pretty awesome is put a footprint of each baby on the wall of the 'Pavilion'. You walk down this hallway and it's completely full of little pink and blue foot prints with first names under them. Jason and I were trying to scope out the perfect spot to put Miss Emilia's so we could find it if we are ever back there. (O:

After the class was over, we drove to Babies 'R' Us to pick up our glider and ottoman. Yay!!! Jason put it together when we got home and it looks great and is unbelievably comfortable! As I was finishing up organizing Emilia's room that night, whenever I decided it was time to rest for a few minutes, I'd sit down in that glider and rock myself into relaxation. I don't think I've ever had a chair that I enjoyed as much as this one. I am definitely grateful to my wonderful Momma for purchasing it for us. I'll do a photo blog after this one so you can see the finished room! (O:

Once I started to get hungry I asked Jason what he wanted to do for dinner. I, of course, wanted BBQ. So, he texted Justin and Amy to see if they wanted to get Bandana's with us. I was so excited because Jason doesn't really care for Bandana's, but he didn't even flinch when he said that's where we were going. What a guy! (O: We enjoyed a great dinner with Justin, Amy, Cousins Amy & Clayton and their two little munchkins- CJ and Rachel.

Oh, and either before or after dinner, Jason had to run an errand...and he came back with a beautful bouquet for me! We don't make a big deal out of our Valeversary with gifts or anything, because it's not about what you spend or what you get, it's about loving that person and showing them they matter to you. So, we had decided to forgo gifts of any sort this year, since we're gearing up to be baby broke...but, he must have kept a little istock money back and brought me the most wonderful bouquet! He told me later that they were pretty much out of roses, but I didn't care. I actually prefer all the other pretty flowers there are to chose from.

He did put a single red rose in the middle, which is another one of our "things". The first time he sent me roses was the day we started "dating", Valentine's Day 2005. Poor guy, I waited until the day before to tell him he could send me flowers (funny story, ask me later). So, he spent extra money to order them ON VALENTINE'S DAY to have delivered to me at work. They were wonderful! White daisies, pink roses and a single red rose. So, for any other special occasions for the next couple years, that was the bouquet I got, and I always loved it. It was so special to me that I even had that exact bouquet on our wedding day! That is also the reason he wore a single red rose with his tux. (O:

All in all, it was a perfect Valeversary. We spent the whole day together (even though part of it was agonizingly dreadful), ate BBQ and have a beautiful bouquet at home. (O:

Friday, February 13, 2009

Meeting Miss Cailyn

Last night I have the opportunity to take dinner over to the Brown's house. I picked up Little Casear's, feeling a little embarrassed that I couldn't bring them anything home cooked, but they both seemed very excited about getting pizza and cheesy bread for dinner. That made me feel better.

Holly showed me little Cailyn's room while Cory went to get her so I could ooo and aaa. The room is absolutely precious! It's a lamb theme with a soft green as the main color. Poor Holly was telling me, or should I say, WARNING me that it's not all giggles and smiles. She said it's more work than they had expected. Which was good to hear, I need to bring my head out of the clouds and start thinking realistically about how this is going to change our lives forever!

But, as soon as Cory brought up that precious little girl, my heart melted. She was sleeping, so I just held her the entire time we sat there talking. Cailyn still has that full head of hair; Holly says she thinks it's starting to lighten up, but she hasn't lost much hair yet. She made these sweet little noises every so often, which they told me meant she was happily sleeping. Funny story- they said she WILL NOT sleep in her crib. She only will sleep in one of her little vibrating/bouncer chairs or in her car seat! That made me laugh!

It was good to see Cory and Holly. They seem tired (which is to be expected), but are doing great. They really are such wonderful people, I always enjoy getting to talk with them. They genuinely care about what's going on in other people's lives. They spent more time asking questions about Jason and I than we did talking about their big new life change. I kept trying to ask about how it's been having Cailyn home and stuff like that, but the conversation always came back to Jason and I. I really like having them as friends. Not because they ask me questions about my life, but because they really listen to what people are telling them and truly want to follow up on those conversations. Like I said, they are genuinely interested in how the lives of their friends are going- even in the midst of their life getting turned upside down!

Going over there also made me start thinking about our little Emilia...she's coming very soon. I know Holly and Cory are completely worn down working out a schedule for feedings and figuring out what each different cry means, but I can't wait for my baby girl to get here! I know it's going to be so hard at first and I've got more than I realize left to learn about having a baby. But, I also trust fully in God- I know He will get us through. That doesn't mean I'm expecting a cake walk, but I know He has placed several awesome mothers in my life to help me along the way.

I'm so thankful for my mom and mother-in-law, they are both already beaming with pride and have both said they fully intend to come help us for a while when we first get home. I don't think I even know fully how to prepare myself for the shock that's about to hit this family, but it eases my mind to know I've got two of the best mothers to help me.

My blessings don't stop there either! I don't know what I would do without my mom friends! I know I ask Jaime at least 1 (what I consider) stupid question a day and she has never made me feel embarrased or inadequate as a parent for doing so. I doubt if she knows exactly how much I appreciate her friendship and support. I also hope she knows the questions aren't going to stop anytime soon, I'm sure! (I put that sentence in there because I know you're reading this, friend!) From time to time, I also ask Jodie and Jessca baby questions and defer to LeeAnn for anything somewhat medically related. They all are just as gracious in their answers and advice.

I should also say that I'm very thankful that I haven't received much (if any) advice that I wasn't grateful to receive. So far, I haven't had anyone just start spewing their beliefs and opinions of child rearing at me. I'm sure I'll get some of that, which I can't avoid. But I'll gracefully say thank you and then check with one of the many fabulous mothers (whose opinions and beliefs I trust and value) to make sure it's accurate info.

Thank you Lord for this most precious gift growing inside of me, kicking and punching all day. I cannot wait to meet our little baby girl and raise her knowing you and loving you. I also thank you for all the amazing women you've placed in my life to help me. I appreciate and love them more than they might know.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Now, THAT was a shower!

It's been 5 days since my wonderfully stupendous baby shower and I am STILL recovering! I can't say it enough how thankful I am to have such wonderful people in my life- I am blessed more than I even knew!

Saturday was just an absolutely awesome day. I was allowed to show up about 30 minutes before it started to ooo and aaaa, and man did I! Everything looked so great! The decoration theme was all the colors of Emilia's room- brown, red, orange, yellow, green and blue. There were balloons on every table and so much food! Jason's cousin, Amy, made the cake and it was so beautiful and delicious!

I stood at the entrance to the room the shower was being held in, to make sure I got to greet everyone who came. They just kept coming...and coming...and coming! Total head count was over 60 people at this party! My friends throwing the party (Jessca, Jaime, Margo and Erin) were all trying to keep us on track as much as possible. So, promptly at 1:00 I was whisked away from the entrance to start eating. I could not believe how full the room was! As soon as I was done eating (or at least it looked like I'd eaten enough...), my friends put me up on the stage to start opening gifts...I thought it was going to take forever! Look at this table!

My friends kept me moving pretty quickly for a solid TWO HOURS! I didn't even get to break for cake. But, I do appreciate them making sure I got a piece after the shower ended. (O: My guests had a game to play while I was opening gifts. On each table were 8 jars of baby food, and they were supposed to guess the foods. There was one winner from each table- I have no idea who won. Haha (O: Here's Jaime annoucning the answers (She was the loudest and most outspoken of the hostesses, so she was full time announcer) (O:

Jaime was also our human timer. Every so often she would come up on stage with this ladle and pot lid and clang them together. Whoever's gift I was opening at that time, won a prize. I couldn't help by laugh everytime because it was so funny! Most the guests got a big kick out of it too!

Here's just a small peek at some of the great gifts I received:

This is one of the quilts my mom made.
I love the bright colors, it will be perfect for play time!

My sister made Emilia a little stuffed giraffe. I LOVE HIM!!!


Clare also made a quilt. She embroidered old nursery rhymes. I want to make a little book of all the nursery rhymes she used so I can teach them to Emilia from her quilt!
This is me in shock because my same friends that threw the best shower ever also gave us our convertible car seat! I couldn't believe it! It's such a blessing to already have this ready to go!

This is a picture of all the ladies who are currently pregnant that were at my shower. 5 of us go to church together!

Me and my sister, Clare


This is me with two of my very favorite ladies- Margie and Gerry! (O:


Me with the Grandma's (O:




This is my roomie from college, Mandy. She drove 5 hours from Louisville, KY for my shower!! She's due in June with baby boy Emerson. (O:



Jaime, Erin, Me, Jessca and Margo. They throw one good par-tay!



This pose was my sister's idea...it's a little cheesy, but cute none-the-less!



This is our living room once we unloaded all the gifts from the van...


This is once Jason and I took everything out of the bags...


This was the first attempt at stacking items by type...

I am still in shock over how many people came, and with what generousity they gave gifts. We are truly blessed because we have almost everything we could need to bring our little Emilia into this world. And my friends! They did such an amazing job on my shower, it was absolutely perfect and I loved every minute of it. God has given me a great group of girl friends, and I thank Him everyday for them!

Oh, something I forgot to mention- Jaime and Jessca informed me it was their grand plan to make me cry at my shower! Isn't that awful!!! As it turns out, I did NOT cry (big shocker there...), but my thank you speech I KNOW made Jaime tear up! That's what happens when you mess with me Jaime! (O: But really, thank you so much for everthing. Love ya!

Living room status update: Still in shambles...I can't hardly find places for everything to go! But, I'm working on it and it's definitely a good kind of problem to have! (O:

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

One of those weeks...

All of a sudden this week it hit me- I am TIRED! I know part of it has to do with having such an awesome weekend. I fully intend on posting all about my wonderful shower, complete with pictures, very soon...but, probably not at least until this weekend...I'm just exhausted. Every night when I get home from work, all I want to do is lay down and do nothing. This presents a real problem because the closer I get to D-Day, the more I realize I still have that I want to get done.

My mind's swirling a little bit with so much to get done, so it's time to write out a list. It will include all the wonderful tasks like cleaning my whole house thoroughly, getting Zeke to the spa, getting my hair done (this one's a little selfish, but I'd like to have everything trimmed up and looking good before Emilia gets here because I know I won't have time once she is here!), finding room in my house for bottles, diapers, burp clothes and towels/wash clothes...the list goes on... The next problem this causes is that because I'm so worn out, I will probably get only very little done at each whack...so I need to get started!

I'm sorry that this blog is so dreary and not exciting at all...but, I thought maybe if I wrote it all down and got it out of my head, it might help. We'll see.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Let's Get This Party Started!

Tagged by good ol' Jaime (O:

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

And... we're off!

5 things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago: (1999)
1. Wearing jeans 25cent thrift store t-shirts every day
2. Participating in underage drinking
3. Discovering that if I blow-dried my hair, it didn't go all crazy kinky frizzy
4. Had my first encounter with 'Photo Joe' in the school's dark room. (That's where the crush started)
5. Playing the Bass Drum in the marching band

5 Things On My To-Do List Today:
1. Purchase stamps so I can write and mail all my shower thank you cards next Monday
2. Finishing preparing all our hospital bags for when I go into labor
3. Make a birth plan
4. Purchase all the birthday and anniversary cards I need for February
5. Iron the outfit I'm wearing to my shower!! (O:

5 Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Chocolate covered strawberries
2. Smoothies
3. Sliced red apple with peanut butter
4. Junior Mints or York Peppermint Patties or Andes Mints
5. Graham crackers, with or without peanut butter

5 Things I Would Do if I Were a Billionaire:
1. Pay off all our debt, then all our family's debt, then help any other loved ones with their debt
2. Help the church
3. Travel the world donating and working with orphanages and any other organizations that help impoverished children
4. Sponser lots and lots more Compassion children
5. Quit my job (duh), but start volunteering again as a Ministry Assistant to Ian and whoever else needs my help

5 Bad habits:
1. Not keeping up with my car maintenance
2. Rolling my eyes
3. Correcting other people's grammar (either outloud or in my head)
4. Never saying "No" to anyone
5. Chewing ice and hard candy

5 Places I’ve lived:
1. Grand Forks, North Dakota
2. Colorado Springs, Colorado (OH, how I miss you sweet CO!!)
3. Shiloh, IL
4. Swansea, IL
5. Pontoon Beach, IL (I swore I'd never live in Granite City and so far I've held to that! Barely, but I still count it as a win! Even though GC isn't as bad as everyone thinks it is.)

5 Jobs I’ve Had:
1. Kitchen worker at Johnson Bible College as my Work Co-Op
2. Banking- Teller and Loan Assistant
3. Ministry Assistant to Ian (my favorite job still to this day)
4. Accounts Payable at Illinois Eye Surgeons (who doesn't love wearing scrubs to work!?)
5. Wedding Coordinator (this is tied with Ministry Assistant...except in a few short months I will be able to add VIRGINA KERR, News 4 Anchorlady, to my list of weddings I've coordinated. Oh yeah, that's right!)

5 Things People Probably Don’t Know About Me:
1. When I was a little kid, I stole a cross keychain from a Christian bookstore and never got caught
2. I talk to (and answer) myself
3. I enjoy people-watching and always notice their shoes...something I learned from my Grandma Hilda many moons ago (O:
4. I cried at the movie "All Dogs Go To Heaven" at age 5, "Free Willy" and "Mrs. Doubtfire" a few years later and cannot remember the last movie that made me cry as an adult
5. I HATE the feeling of cotton balls and yarn...it sends chills up my spine like nails on a chalkboard

Lucky for you, I'm not tagging anyone- this is just for your reading pleasure! (O:

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

My Tae Bo Baby

Emilia had Billy Blanks working overtime last night, that is for sure!

She had me a little worried over the past couple days because she hasn't been quite as active. That's something my doctor has told me to monitor, and if she seems like she isn't as active, I'm supposed to call. But, since I've been down and out with this cold since Thursday, I thought that might have something to do with it. I've been so tired and have been taking Tylenol Cold, so I thought maybe she was just being lazy too. But, yesterday I did start to get a little worried because she wasn't even that active after I ate- which is usually when she goes nuts.

Last night she assured me all is fine and dandy in her world! Whew!

I had a full mental list of things I wanted to get done last night while Jason was at work (until 9:30) and so I was keeping busy. (Which can I just say how impressed I am with myself that I actually remembered my whole list without even writing anything down!!) Usually, she doesn't move around much when I'm up and moving- I read that it's because the constant motion lulls babies to sleep. I got home around 6:00/6:30 after returning the closet organizers to Babies 'R' Us because they were too small. (So sad...) I let Zeke out and played with him for a little while, walked on the treadmill, made a small dinner, did the last day of Bible study and paid bills. I was so proud of myself. Next, I decided it was time to relax on the couch and catch up on my SVU (yes, I'm obsessed and even watch reruns...) And that's when Emilia kicked it into high gear!

I tell you that she was kicking and punching and head banging all at the same time! Every part of my belly was bouncing underneath my quilt! At one point, I pushed the quilt down, pulled my shirt up above my belly and watched as my belly did its own little dance. I couldn't really make out which of her limbs was where, but it was so fun to watch! She continued her high kick, low kick, jab jab jab for a couple hours! It hasn't gotten to the point that it's painful or uncomfortable yet (Thank you Lord!!), so it's just very enjoyable to watch my little girl playing and having fun.

I laid there thinking about how blessed Jason and I are to have this precious gift on her way. I thank God for her all the time because I know she's going to be such a wonderful addition to our family. I can't wait to play with her, teach her how to do things and show her the love of her heavenly father everyday. I know sometimes I let myself get stressed because time has been flying by. And I know it's only going to go by even quicker when she's actually here in our arms, but I'm so looking forward to every moment and memory to come! (O: