People are silly

"The first year of marriage is the hardest"
"Marriage changes everything"

We heard it all and I want to go on record and say I think it's a load of baloney! Today is our 1 year anniversary! YAY! I seriously cannot believe a year went by so quickly. I can honestly say that our 1st year of marriage was amazing. Jody is the most caring, generous, loving husband I could ever ask for. (The man sleeps on the couch so his giant pregnant wife can spread out with 800 pillows and get a good night's sleep.) I hope Justin grows up to be just like his daddy.

I try not to get too mushy but married life is just the best. As husband and wife we went to Tahiti, Miami, Cozumel, Grand Caymen and Disney World. We worked hard to continue fixing up our little home. We hosted our first big holiday. Last week we met our brand new niece and nephew. Now we have our sweet little baby on the way in just 2 months! Not everything went perfect for us on an individual basis this year (jobs, cars, bills...Sophie, lol) but we were ALWAYS there for each other. No matter how horrible the day was seeing him always made me feel so much better.

I know a lot of people that read this blog are already married and probably doing just fine without my advice. I just want to say one thing- then get off my little soapbox. The 1st year of marriage is what you make of it. Remember that you are "on the same team" so support each other in everything. Go out of your way to do nice little things for each other; kiss in the grocery store, pack him a lunch with a love note in it, rub her back, let her sit on your lap and cry even if it's for the most ridiculous reason. Ugh- hormones are making me weepy so I'll wrap this up.

Happy Anniversary to us and many, many more!

I'm an aunt again...and an aunt again!

Woohoo! Kelly had her twins yesterday! She had a c-section schedule for 9/10 because one baby was feet down. The babies did not want to be told when to come so they picked their own birthdays. Linda called Jody around 1:30 and he, of course, called me right away- all excited that the babies would be here soon. It was a hurry up and wait kind of afternoon- they kept telling us, "15 more minutes" or "30 more minutes". At 2:58 the little peanuts were born at 35wks 3 days. Actually they're not peanuts at all! The 1st baby was a girl, Reese White and weighed 6lbs 8 oz. Reese looks JUST like her big sister Avery. The 2nd baby was a boy, Rory White and he weighed 6lbs 0 oz. The middle names are still being decided. Even though they are big healthy twins they had to go to the NICU for observation/tests. It kind of stunk b/c we had to go see them in small groups. By the time it was my "shift" the nurse was shoo-ing everyone out b/c the babies needed rest- I guess they weren't letting people take a lot of pics either =( The babies have these little domes over their faces with mist and oxygen to help their little lungs and they have little feeding tubes for now. I promise to post pics when I get them. Kelly is doing great. She was a little sleepy and shakey but good. I felt bad b/c she was in recovery for 3 hours and hadn't even really got to see the babies yet. I guess that typical of a c-section especially with preemies.

Seeing the twins makes me really hope that Justin goes full term (at least 37wks) so that he doesn't need all those NICU precautions. I'm too nervous of a person for that, lol. It was SO different. When Avery was born we all got to hold her and pass her around- she was right in the room with Kelly. Oh well, all that matters is that my little niece and nephew are here- they are adorable and they are healthy. What a happy day!

30 weeks

75% of the way "done"! Wow time really flies by. Jody swears by 10/25 as the date for the baby. Right after we found out I was pregnant he said the number 1025 kept coming up at the bank. Kinda scary to think that 10/25 is less than 2 months away now! I'm still sticking with Halloween.

Last night I went to bed around 11:30 and poor baby Justin got hiccups again. I know that they don't hurt him but I personally hate them for myself. I kept trying to reposition myself but nothing helped. This is humiliating but I got really quiet (held my breath, lol) and then tapped my belly real quick to try to "scare" away his hiccups. It made sense to me but Jody thinks I'm losing it =) Almost 10 minutes went by so I walked around a little and finally they went away. My restless leg syndrome has me up about every hour during the night with "pins and needles" from my hip to my foot. Not so fun but nothing a little tossing and turning can't fix.

Jody and I are on opposite schedules today so I took my own pic- it's not the best but I tried. Happy Tuesday!

Lots of growing!

This time I'm not talking about my belly! Jody has really taken charge of the garden this year and boy is it doing great! We have cherry tomatoes and broccoli coming out of our ears. We've had a few great (bell and banana) peppers and some impressive zucchini. Our beans and peas are doing okay- along with the cucumbers and carrots. He wanted to "experiment" and try a few new plants this year now that he's not a newbie to gardening. Here are a few photos of Farmer Jody's successful experiments. Hey- he's 4 for 4 I'm proud! The first is 1 of several cantaloupes he's grown. There is 1 of the DELICIOUS strawberries. A few ears of his corn and the biggest pumpkin in the "patch" (so far it's like soccer ball size.)

Darn you Target!

I'm thinking of totally getting rid our Target registry. Basically it's several pieces of our bedding set and now they are all "Online only". Everyone I know shops last minute for showers (myself absolutely included) so I don't think that many people will be ordering things online. Now, not only are the items online only- they are "online only, in stock soon, order now! First come first served". Seriously Target, WTF?!?! I'll already be almost 35 weeks at my shower- I don't have 6-8 weeks to wait to order these if I don't get them. I think I'm going to suck it up and just buy the darn bedding myself off of ebay or amazon. Thanks a lot Target- I didn't expect this from you =(

"C" is for cookie (and Cow and Cankles)...

I need a baked goods intervention. I just got back from the Dr's where I learned I gained almost 4lbs in 2 and a half weeks. He assured me that it's normal but I can't imagine that coffee cakes, brownies, cookies and twinkies are helping. He said that if I start to feel "concerned" about my weight I could just reduce the number of carbohydrates I eat. Riiight buddy. Easy for you to say.

It is time for my leave yet?

My department was already short staffed and then someone was fired yesterday. I work in the most un-organized, ridiculous piece of crap department ever. I'm tired... we're all tired- stop putting night meetings that are an hour away on us last minute. I'm sooo fired up right now. I decided to work up until the latest possible day so that I can save my all leave for when the baby is actually here but it's getting harder and harder to convince myself that =(

Yup, that's my rib...

Everyone says how hard the 3rd trimester is. Whenever I ask someone that's like 34 weeks and up how they're feeling I always get, "done." or "so ready to be done." or even "miserable". I promised myself from the very beginning that I will NOT be the token miserable 3rd trimester woman. I honestly am that sap that believes a baby is a miracle and I love, love being pregnant. He is something I wished for and hoped for (and even begged for.) I really think that a lot of pregnancy is mind over matter. I just need to stay positive and enjoy the short time this little baby is inside of me.

My little auntie-to-be of a sister says she looks forward to my honesty about pregnancy and child birth so I promise to always be honest. I can admit that I feel some definite changes in the past few weeks. Besides the restless leg syndrome, I have been waking up with hip pain a few times a night. Then it's inevitable that I'll have to pee. I've been having trouble falling asleep this week too. Just lots of tossing and turning. I know for a fact that Baby Justin has gotten very, very strong. Yesterday at work some part of him was jabbing me right in the ribs- it felt like his toe was stuck in there trying to push the rib forward. I tried to "massage" him down a little bit and eventually he moved. He's "awake" much more now- his favorite is right as I'm drifting off to sleep. Even though it can hurt, I still think it's cute because I imagine him saying , "hey how about another snack down here?".

As far as mental changes- I am a firm believer in "pregnancy brain". I hemmed a super long pair of pants for Jody that are now up above his ankle bones b/c I "forgot" the measurements. I have left my straightener on about 10 times in the last month- Jody keeps joking that I'm trying to burn the house down. Today, Cate pointed out that I was walking around work with my cardigan inside out. Still nothing AS good as the day my phone rang at my desk and I tried to "answer" the tape dispenser but I think we're getting there... Pregnancy is the most wonderfully weird thing in the world!

29 weeks

Happy Tuesday!!!

Hiccups!

I have been reading about other women feeling the baby hiccuping for a few weeks now but so far...nothing. This morning I was laying in bed relaxing and I felt him moving around a lot- which is unusual because he's usually a "night baby". All of the sudden- there they were. It was like "bumps" or "taps" in the same place, every 3 or 4 seconds. He's hiccuping!!! They lasted almost 4 minutes. My doctor (and baby center, lol) says that hiccups are totally normal and don't hurt the baby. It's actually a really good sign that he is practicing his breathing and his diaphragm is getting strong. What a little cutie!

Progress!

Woohoo! Now all we need is the furniture assembled and the baby inside! The first pic is the "before" as our storage room. The 2nd is Dad and Grandpa installing the new windows and the 3rd is my awesome paint job- I love it!

Comparison

Same tank top...10 weeks of stretching it out, lol! The left is 18 weeks, the right is 28 weeks

28 weeks!

Happy Tuesday! This pic was taken after a LOOOOONG day at work!

GD free

In your face Brimley! I called my Dr today and she said my 3 hour glucose levels were totally normal- no Gestational Diabetes! Woohoo!

More rain???

Sheesh this rain is getting out of hand. What a crappy summer! It's been soo rainy and now it's cooling off quite a bit too. I hope that this means the warm weather will just last longer- like until November so I can use my new stroller...lol.

I'm just taking a Dr Pepper break from painting Justin's room. I sure hope he inherits mommy's love of bright colors and daddy's love of green. The room is blue, white and green striped on the bottom with a solid green on top. In true Melanie fashion- it is bright-Slimer-from-Ghostbusters- green. It's really called "honeydew". I love it so far.

If I was a sensitive person I would be taking a diet Dr Pepper break, considering that my mother greeted me as "hey chubby-wubby" last night at my aunt's house. Despite my complaining about my chins, I really do love my pregnant body. My husband does a wonderful job of making me feel very pretty and I'm enjoying growing this little baby. So, as I step off of my soapbox- let me say that as a general rule, if you wouldn't make a comment (such as calling her chunky or chubby) to a "normal" woman- do NOT make it to a pregnant woman. It's not cute, it's not funny and it's not appropriate.

growth update

Kinda neat

Babycenter had a new article about what kind of parent your "sign says you will be"... it looks pretty true knowing me.

About the Virgo Parent

High Standards

As a Virgo parent, you're sensible, but you have high standards and place a premium on perfection. You enjoy teaching your children about meeting responsibilities, taking care of their possessions, and leading a healthy, active lifestyle.

At times, you can come across as nitpicky and critical, but you know -- even if your kids sometimes don't -- that you just want them to be as healthy, intelligent, and functional as possible. You may, however, need to remind yourself that your children consistently do their best, even when the results fall significantly beneath your expectations.

You're practical, helpful, and stable, so you're able to provide your children with a strong, steady foundation in life, both emotionally as well as economically. Yes, you tend to be a bit frugal, but that's so you can pay for their braces and college expenses later, right? You freely give your time and attention -- the most valuable gift of all.

You're a planner, and you have a keen eye for detail, so you're likely to be in charge of the family bills and budget. Don't be afraid to splurge from time to time on indulgences for your kids. This occasional display of spontaneity and extravagance will mean that much more to them.

Your children are likely to understand that you only want them to have the best life possible. Still, remember to be generous with praise and affection, as those are two things it costs absolutely nothing to give. Also, well-deserved compliments can help to balance out equally well-deserved critical feedback or disapproval.

Human Pin Cushion (kinda long)

Today was my 3 hour test for Gestational Diabetus. To all those in the non-preggo world- you go for a 1 hr test first. You drink some orange goo and then they take your blood after an hour. You get a score based on your "glucose levels". A passing score is 140. Yours truly came away with a 146. Yup failed the 1 hour by 6 points, so it was on to the 3 hours test. The good news is that over 70% of women who fail the 1 hour, pass the 3 hour and my Dr said he wasn't concerned given my borderline score. Today's test was a little more involved- I had to fast for 12 hours. I went in to Quest and they draw blood right away. Then I had to drink a very concentrated version of the orange goo (imagine a melted freeze pop with corn syrup mixed in). They took my blood 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours after your drink. I had read that you could feel a little sick after fasting, then chugging glucose but I figured I was tougher than that. At my 1 hr draw she tried to take blood from my left arm but the vein kept "rolling" and she was getting nothing. She re-stuck me and kept pushing the needle in further 3x. That's when she decided that all 4 draws would need to come from my right arm. As soon as she started taking blood I felt reeeally weird. I felt nauseas and super hot, I could see sweat coming out of all the pores on my arms. When she finished she made me sit by the AC and drink some cold water b/c I was sweating like crazy- pretty gross. Then I started to get really upset, almost in tears and asked if this feeling meant that I was going to fail the test- she said that it was perfectly normal and would get easier as the glucose "settled". The rest of the test I was fine and although my right arm looks like a pin cushion, it's worth it for my baby.

On a lighter note- last night Jody and I were in Wegmans checking out. Anyone who knows us, knows that we NEVER call each other by our names. (Hey- technically we're newlyweds and we are totally bananas for each other so it's okay to be mushy.) So the cashier (40'ish trashy'ish woman) was like "awww sweetie? hunnie? thats so cute!" So jokingly I said, "yeah he's nice to me most of the time, ha ha" and gave my signature fake laugh. Then cashier lady pointed to my tummy and said, "well, he better be nice- look what he did to you!" and burst out laughing. People are so weird.

27 weeks!

Happy Tuesday!

3 hours- ugh!

I was right- I did have "slightly elevated glucose levels" at my GD test. Now I have to schedule a 3 hour test. I was going insane sitting in the office for 1 hour at the 1st test. What am I going to do for 3 hours? To make things worse, this test requires a 12 hour fast before I go and no food during the test. This does not sound like a good formula... 15 hours of no eating + 3 blood draws? Who comes up with this crap? What a great way to spend my Friday.

Medical Karma...

Medical Karma is coming to bite me in the bum, I can just tell. After several years of my family making fun of the "diabetus" guy from the "testing supply" commercials- it's time for my karma payback. I'm sorry Wilfred Brimley- I'm sorry!

Well, I'm not sure yet but I just have this gut feeling. Today I left my phone at home by accident (WORST thing ever) and I just checked my voicemail when I got home. There is a message from my OB's office to call back and ask to speak to a nurse- they closed at 4:30, of course. I just had my gestational diabetes test on Friday so it MUST be about that. I don't think I would have to speak to a nurse for them to say, "good job, you passed". I have an appt Wednesday- why didn't they just wait until then? If I failed the 1 hour glucose test I have to go back for "further" aka 3 hours testing. Maybe it is okay news and I'm just over-reacting. I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning. Cross your fingers for me, I HATE having blood drawn.

Happy Birthday Avery!!!

Our sweet little niece turns 1 this week! I volunteered to make her a cake for her party today. I think it turned out pretty nice for a first timer.

My Gut...the feature motion picture

Ok- so it's a photobucket slide show but it's pretty cool. I have WAY too much time on my hands. The 1st pic is in a pair of boy shorts...I'm sorry- I hope you weren't eating.