False Alarm

Last night I began having contractions. The excitement mounted as some of them came 3-5 minutes apart. I had been just walking through the house when they started so it seemed that this was really going to be it! We decided to head out to dinner with our neighbor to celebrate his birthday. The restaurant was close to our house and I planned on eating something light so I wouldn’t have to "relive" it later. =) Besides, my doc said that I needed to time them 5 min apart for an hour before I came in - so we had some time.

Throughout dinner I kept getting them, but they were more infrequent and lighter than they had been - although I wasn’t moving around a lot, being seated and all. Once we got home, they picked up again and continued until we went to bed around 1030. Kev scrambled to pack the car and we even did a video diary (real world style) right before bed of "our last night before the baby came". But alas, this morning Kevin and I awoke to the sun streaming in our windows and no more contractions. Bah... So back to work it is. This little girl is such a tease!

Doctor's Update

I went to the doctor this afternoon and he predicts the sonogram is wrong! He thinks this kid is at least 6.5lbs right now. So we'll have to take bets. I thought the sonogram would be the best judge, but he said that there was a doc at the hospital recently who sent a woman in for a sonogram b/c he thought the baby was going to be big. The sonogram measured the baby at 7lbs 7oz. The baby was born a week later at 12lbs!!! Hmmm... I guess you have to take those measurements with a grain of salt! Lets all hope this baby isn't THAT big. =)

Down to the Wire....

Kevin and I were commenting last night how weird it was being down to the wire like this on the pregnancy. I feel like a ticking time bomb and we both thought it was a bit nerve-wracking. Each day we get up and wonder... Will this be the day? In many ways we're like - "lets just get on with it!". But in other ways we think... "lets not wish these last few days together away so quickly". So much anticipation for this event that could happen while I'm at work, in the middle of the night, etc etc.

Feel free to share your stories of where you were when you realized you were in labor.

Prayer Request...

I'm going to ask for prayer for my job. I spoke with the "powers that be" and it seems that the probability is great that I'd only be able to do full-time or nothing at my current position. Kevin and I were hoping that I'd be able to drop down to part-time once I return from maternity leave so now we're at a crucial decision point. Please pray for clarity from the Lord regarding the decision we should make. Neither one of us take this one lightly...

Time for the Eviction!

Ok, so this kid has 4 days to get here... Or else! Its been my mission for a while to have her before Sept 1st, because that's the school cut-off here and I know that she's going to be tall. But, alas, nature takes its course and doesn't really ask me for my timetable. =)

Actually, Kevin and I are officially ready. We packed the "bag" last night and I've caught up on journaling all of the pregnancy moments up until this point. I had been a couple months behind on that and wanted to get caught up before all the memories started fading and I had a whole bunch of new things to write down. I'm hoping the journal will help me look back and say... Oh, I had gained x amount by this point last time.

Oh speaking of weight, I had high hopes (very lofty indeed) of only gaining 25lbs. I've run into so many women who say "I only gained 20lbs with my pregnancies". Well I scowl in your general direction. I've managed to pack on 40 - much to my dismay. I'm very much looking forward to the insta-weight loss that I'll get when I have this baby, but I know that with 40lbs I'm definitely going to have to work to get back to pre-pregnancy weight. Grrrr.

Kevin's work threw us a shower last week and it was really really nice. They had a potluck lunch for us on Friday and several gifts from the group as well as some nice individual gifts. I got one of these recommended by Miriam and a couple of these and one of these with lots of refills - so nice!

We had a sonogram last week because the doctor still thought I was measuring small. The baby is apparently smaller than average, but within normal limits. The sonogram tech estimated her at 5lbs 4oz last Tuesday. She was super positive about it though and just thought that she'd be skinny - so we're not worrying. As long as she's healthy, I say small is great news. The doc also is estimating that I'll go into labor sometime after this Saturday (that's into September, folks). =( Ah well, I've already decided that if I hit Sept 1st and haven't delivered yet, I'll just wait as long as I can to see if I go naturally. I'm not big on being induced (got really sick last time from the meds) and I might as well make the most of these last few days as a DINK (Double-Income No Kids).

Here's a 38 week pic so you can see me in all of my pregnant glory...

Baby Update

So I had a doctors appointment and... drum roll, please... the baby has done a somersault and is head down! And I thought I needed to worry about it. Hmm... maybe standing on my head really DID help! I guess I'll never know. =)

Anyway, the doctor checked me out and said that from the looks of things he's guessing I won't deliver until right around my due date. So that takes a bit of the guess work out of things and gives me a few more weeks to relax and enjoy time with Kev and (most importantly) sleep. I took a nap after work today and it was fabulous... I better snag those while I can!

I'm still not sure what baby book I'm going to try to adhere to. My friends Alex and Miriam have tried them all apparently and have resorted to bits and pieces of various books. I'm currently borrowing Baby Wise from a friend, but I've looked into "Healthy Sleep Habit, Happy Child" and have also heard that "The Happiest Baby on the Block" was good. I know I wont be doing any sort of routine for the first few weeks or so other than feed, burp, change, sleep for 2 hours, repeat... but I'd like to have a plan of sorts ready to try as soon as possible. I honestly don't have time to read at the moment though - so I'm wishing that the books had little cheat sheets that I could just glance at and run with.

Kevin and I are still attempting to get through the 7th Harry Potter saga. Its SO good, but we're still only a few chapters in. This is only because I'll read it to Kevin before bed and before I know it he's snoozing and missed the last several pages - much to my annoyance. =) In fact, he's in bed right now and was out around 1030... such a lightweight! Its funny how much less sleep I need than him - even when I haven't had a nap. I used to be able to sleep him under the table - 12-14 hours. Strange how you grow out of certain things!

Well, I've done enough rambling for one evening. Better make myself go to bed or my OCD tendencies will kick in and I'll find some project to do here at midnight (yes, its midnight). Is this hormonal??? Or have I always been this way???

The Nursery

Whew... I finally finished the nursery...well, I may put up some additional pictures on the walls down the road, but for now, I'm happy with the way it looks. Its small and my camera angle isn't very wide... so here are the best pictures I could get....


Looking in from the hallway at my $35 craigslist bookcase! I love a bargain!


The awesome glider my in-laws got us - very comfy!


Behind the door, I just hung this coat rack by myself... I'm so proud! The outfit on the right is the first brand new outfit I ever owned (when I was a baby) and the sweater and cap were crocheted by my uncles mother-in-law... so cute!


The closet. End of story. =)


Changing table ala Craigslist. The quilt squares on the wall belonged to my Grandma Shirley - who I know would have LOVED to have known that they would grace the walls of her great-grandaughter's nursery. I miss her!


Craigslist crib - matches the side table and the changing table, but not the rest of the furniture in the room (ah well, do you think the baby will mind?). Yes, I'm using a crib bumper for now. No, the pillow is NOT staying in the crib. I could always change my mind down the road about the bumper since "they" say they aren't a good idea for SIDS and stuff. But I bought a nice baby monitor that's supposed to alarm me if she stops breathing - so hopefully that will give me some peace of mind. Oh, yes that IS a wolf on the wall above the crib. I always thought it was a nice picture, but Kevin pointed out it COULD be a bit traumatic to wake up to. Hmmmm....


And finally, our "his and hers" diaper bags. Kevin's is the camo backpack (of course) and mine is the Vera Bradley knockoff from Boscovs. I'm beginning to think it might not be big enough, though. I like to take EVERYTHING with me. =)

9 months pregnant.....

So, its official! I'm 9 months pregnant and things seem to be changing. Thursday I felt significantly different. We think the baby has dropped down into my pelvis because my waddle seems a little more pronounced and things are a little more uncomfortable. My stomach also seems to be pointing a bit more forward and down. Last night I was up every two hours taking a pee break and thinking that my back was about to break and that acid reflux was something I MIGHT not miss once the baby is born. Hmm... Lets hope this baby flipped on her own and isn't breech still. Can they still flip once they've lightened? I guess I'll find out at my doctors appointment tomorrow. She HAS been moving around a lot so I guess its possible she flipped and I didn't know it.

I know I said I was going to post nursery pictures, but I REALLY want to get some pictures on the wall, so I'm going to postpone posting them until tomorrow night. All the furniture is in place though, and I'm breathing a sigh of relief THAT's all done. Funny thing... the bookshelf we order from Walmart arrived last week CRACKED IN HALF! We have had the worst luck with furniture purchased from the web. So I found one on Craigslist (my current addiction) and sent Kevin to pick it up. Its not EXACTLY the right color, but for $35, can anyone really complain?

If "nesting" is any sign of the baby showing up soon, then this baby is coming this week. =) This past Saturday Kevin had to go into work mega-early so I got up with him at 445am. By 730 I had the entire house clean and by 830 I had some curtains made for the baby's room. I busted around all that day and did errands etc. I'm almost thinking that having to sit at home and change diapers is going to be exactly what I need. I have a few OCD tendencies when it comes to lists and getting stuff crossed off of them... Lets hope that's not genetic!

Here's the most recent pic!

Turn, Baby Turn!

So last week at my doctors appointment I was talking to my doc about the baby's position. At our sonogram a few weeks prior (32.5 weeks) she was breech. I had a feeling she was still breech since I had been feeling kicks way down low. So I asked the doc if she could still turn this late in the game and he said it WAS possible. I also asked him how successful he was at turning the baby by pushing on my stomach once I was in labor and he said that has a less than 50% success rate... not so good. Then he jokingly mentioned I should try standing on my head.

Well, you dont mention that to a woman who is scared of c-sections and willing to do anything to avoid one... So I decided that I'd give it a whirl. Hmmm.. to all 8.5 month prego women out there... standing on your head is a feat I'm not sure I'd advise. I had Kevin in on the deal... he was the ankle-holder so I didnt go toppling over. He was was convinced I needed to stay on my head for a good while for the baby to get the idea so he helped pull my ankles up to the ceiling so that I didn't kill my neck. I dont think I was up for longer than 2 minutes (although it felt like an eternity), but, in that time, I think every last drop of my blood rushed to my head and all I got out of the deal was a whopper of a head/neck ache - no flipping baby.

So, then I tried laying on my back with my rear-end higher than my head (propped up under pillows). This is a much more comfortable position than a headstand, but still didnt seem to do the trick. I've researched the whole "coaxing your baby to flip" subject and one website recommended crawling around on your hands and knees for 10 minutes with your head low to the ground. I'm not sure what that's supposed to do other than give me rug-burn and make me look like I've lost my mind, but I may give that one a try.

To anyone out there who's gone through this before - should I be worried if at this point (35.5 weeks) the kiddo is still breech? Any ideas about what to do to get her to do a sommersault? Take a minute and, after you get done laughing at me, drop me a line.

Birthday Surprise

So last weekend Kevin took me on a mystery date for my official birthday present.

Well, before I elaborate let me explain something. The way things work around our house is that I keep the schedule and he checks with me as dates approach to see what we have going on. I have everything scheduled out to a "t" usually so that we make it to everything and the world keeps spinning. He really appreciates the fact that he doesn't have to stress about the schedule. Honestly, before we met he used to tell people not to ask him to plan stuff more than a couple days in advance b/c it stressed him out too much. Ha! I guess I do the secretarial work and he does stuff like taking out the garbage and mowing the grass (stuff I really appreciate)... we complement each other that way. =)


Anyway he broke the mold and planned ahead for my birthday and told me to save the last Sunday of July for my official birthday surprise - and what a wonderful surprise it was! Kev arranged for us to go on a sunset dinner cruise at the Baltimore Harbor on an old paddle boat called the Black Eyed Susan. The cruise came complete with murder mystery theme - making it even more fun! So as we dined on crabcakes and beef tenderloin, we got probably the BEST view of the harbor of all... Isn't my husband wonderful????



5 weeks now to go...my doctor's on vacation for the next two weeks, so this baby's gotta stay put for at least that long. After that, I just might be ready!

Thankful

So I've been reading a friends blog that has a big following of women who have lost babies. And let me just say... I'm humbled. Although we've lost a little one too, I feel somewhat unworthy to be having a healthy little girl in a few weeks. Just the other day my friend posted a contest asking what you were most thankful for. (she had a prize for the best entry). As I thought about it more and more I realized, right now I'm most thankful for all of the aches and pains in this pregnancy because it reminds me that this little one is thriving inside of me - how awesome is that!

At the same time, I'm really fearful of all of things there will be to worry about once she comes - all of the external forces that I will have no control over and all of things she COULD have wrong with her that the doctors may not know about yet. I'm taking precautions to buy an expensive monitor to alarm me if she stops breathing in the 1st several months and I'm wondering if I'm going to have a hard time leaving her with different people that I'm not sure would watch her as closely as I would. Yet, I don't want to live in fear and hold her so tight that she can't grow and thrive and be her own.

I guess after losing one, you just feel guilty - guilty for celebrating another's birth. I have so many cute outfits lined up for her, the room is starting to come together (I'll have pics next week!) and we're really looking forward to her arrival with a lot of anticipation. But, in a way, it feels like that excitement in some way is helping us "move on"... And that scares me, because I don't want to "move on" if it means forgetting. At the end of this month, we would have had a 2 year old running around our house. In so many ways, I can't even fathom what that would be like. I just know and appreciate all of the good things that the Lord has brought into our lives instead. However, I want to FORCE myself to imagine a 2 year-old boy running through the house and playing with the cats - because if I don't, then I feel like somehow he didn't exist. And I think it's the fading memories of his life that scare me the most.

I may always keep a stocking up for him at Christmas - after all, Joseph was a member of our household if only for a brief period of time. I guess I don't really think celebrating our future children is forgetting his memory. But I realize now that choosing to preserve his memory is a choice I'm going to have to fight to make. His memory is what makes this upcoming celebration that much sweeter.

The dresser that wasn't.

I wasn't going to post anything about the "dresser from hades" but I've cooled off enough about it to post. More comical now than anything I guess...

I recently purchased a dresser online for the baby's room. I'm not really sure what I was thinking, but I had looked at several and didn't notice the poor reviews for this one until after I had made my purchase. I quickly called Babies R Us and attempted to renig my purchase as it had not yet been shipped. They told me that they'd try to stop the order, but that it was being sent from the manufacturer and they couldn't guarantee the cancellation. A few days later, I received an email confirming the dresser had indeed been shipped. So, Kevin suggested I call FedEx and request a return to sender. I did, and was informed that it would be returned to sender without being delivered. Perfect!

But, a few days later, I had a dresser on my front porch. Frustrated, I spent a lot of time on the phone with FedEx and Babies R Us (BRU) and finally got BRU to return the item at their charge - via UPS at their expense. So we set out the dresser to be picked up by UPS and I breathed a sigh of relief. This was finally out of my hair. Granted, I would have to eat the $30 shipping that it cost to get it to my house, but I could swallow that.

As I arrived home from work that day, I found the worst possible scenario - cementing this dresser as truly the "dresser from hades". There was a note from UPS on my door saying they had attempted to pick up the dresser and could not. The dresser was officially gone from my front porch and some loser was the new proud owner of a baby dresser. *sigh* I've since filed a police report and contested the BRU charge with my credit card, but I'm doubting anything will come of it. Some people just suck.

Aloha, Baby!

My girlfriends Jill, Kera and Melissa threw us a baby shower a few weeks ago. I just got the pictures in to post and I thought you'd enjoy seeing the fun we had. It was a luau theme complete with kabobs, Jill's famous guacamole, a humongous blowup flamingo and a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake (praline pecan flavored... yum-o!). If you notice in the picture, Kevin and I are wearing, yes, coconut bras. We also had grass skirts to complete the ensemble. =)
The shower was actually supposed to be a surprise, but I found out about it a few weeks ahead of time by seeing an invitation for it accidentally left out. Initially I was bummed to have found out, but it turned out to be a cool thing because I was able to find a cheap flight for my parents to come in town to celebrate in the festivities. We had a mini-family reunion of sorts as my aunts and uncles came also.
We got a lot of fabulous things for the baby and felt so blessed by all of our friends and family. I felt like I did at our wedding - it was so anticipated and over so quickly. What a good time we had though!

Jill, Me, Kera, Melissa (new mom to Joshua Caleb!!!)

Currently listening to....

Anberlin's new cd "Cities". My sister got me into this music. Its classified as emo. I'm not sure if it was around when I was in college and I have to say I don't like all of it, but Anberlin is pretty freakin awesome. I've been told by other's into it that there are a couple classifications of emo - the raging, screaming kind and the mellow kind. I think Anberlin is more mellow than screaming for sure, but they won't put you to sleep. So far my favorite track is #4 - A Whisper and A Clamor. Here's a taste.

Big news on the prego front...

Just wanna give a shout out to two friends today in exciting stages of their pregnancy. Angie and Eric have their official sonogram today and will be finding out what they're having. My guess is girl... but that's just because EVERYONE I know is having girls.

Second shout out is to Mike and Melissa. Melissa is being induced AS I WRITE and doesn't know what she's having. She's one of those patient types who can wait 9 months to find out if she needs to buy pink or blue. This is their 2nd child (they have a 3 year old girl). Pray for her today if you remember to. Let's hope this delivery is quick!

Seven weeks, 1 day to go for me. Eeek! I can hardly believe that!!!

Long time... no blog

Hey there... long time no blog. I know... I've been making a conscious effort to de-busy our lives so that we can actually have time for things like blogging and watching movies at home, etc. It seems that we've had something every night for the past couple months and this is the first week free. Excuses, excuses you say. =) Yeah, well. I can try. At least you know I mean well and don't purposely neglect the online community.

So its been an exciting bit of a day. I went for a doctor's visit yesterday and they measured me at 30 weeks - rather than 32 weeks. This is normally not a big issue, but it did cause me some alarm because the last time I was in (a month ago) I was only 1 week behind in my measurements. My doctor recommended I get an ultrasound today to more accurately measure the baby's progress. So, with a bit of fear and trepidation, I went into get a ultrasound today and get the word. Well, God is VERY good and apparently those measuring tapes aren't all that accurate. The baby is measuring just 2 days off of what she should be - not a deal in the least. We also had the tech confirm that we ARE indeed having a girl. As much as we'd enjoy having a boy, he'd certainly be hard pressed to find something in his size around this house. All of the cute infant clothes we have are rather pink and frilly. =) So with that all past us we are able to breathe a big sigh of relief and go along our marry pregnant way. Interesting fact though, the baby appears to be butt down, with her arms down by her sides. However, she must be quite the contortionist, because her legs are crossed in front of her face. Basically she's folded in half, arms at her sides... interesting. Not sure about that sleeping position, but I can't imagine that its comfortable. =)

So I'm including a picture of this 32 week prego body of mine. I'm noticing its getting a bit more uncomfortable as I walk and such and I've got a bit more swelling than before. I can imagine it only gets better!!!

One more cool tidbit before I go: my cousin and his wife just had their twin boys today and they were 32.5 weeks prego. While it was earlier than the doctors wanted, they are both doing very well and are rather healthy (one has assistance breathing for now). They came in at 3lbs 14 oz and 4lbs 4oz. Hard to believe that this little peanut is really that big now... Maybe we should rename her to pumpkin...

Down the OC, hon...

At least that's the way they say it in Mary-land. We're spending the weekend doing absolutely nothing (and loving it) in Ocean City, MD with our good friends Chris and Kera. There wasn't a lot that we could do for my birthday this year - being 8 months prego and all, so this came up at just the right time. I've actually been dying to go to a waterpark - but somehow it didnt seem wise for a fully pregnant woman to hurtle down a waterslide at lightening speed. Although I'm guaranteed to make a big splash, I'm sure that could be cause for inducing labor...

Oh, speaking of which, we've been doing our childbirth classes at the hospital. This past week we saw THE video. The one with all of the detailed shots of that all-important moment. I think all of the women in the video were going au naturale because they seemed to be in a lot of pain. Lets just hope at least - I was left thinking it all looked a lot more painful than the movies had ever let on and that I'd like to consider taking it all back. =) Do they do returns on this sort of thing?

Oh... one more development, we've been looking rather feverishly (ok...I'VE been looking feverishly) for some cherry colored nursery furniture. The only problem that I had run into was that I was trying to be fairly frugal and yet get something that I really liked. So this week we ended our search and found the perfect crib and changing table on craigslist. Have you ever used that site? Its the best since its all local and you don't have to pay shipping. So, now I've just got the dresser to buy (I'm looking around for one that will match) and we'll be set. I'll post a pic of the nursery once we get it put together. I'm so excited! Ha... Did I mention I was nesting?

28 weeks!

Here's the official photo from Saturday.

Kevin and I started our childbirth classes at the hospital yesterday. We have 6 weeks of classes (once a week) where we learn all about birth, caring for a newborn, etc, etc. The first night went pretty well. Kevin volunteered to get up front and wear a backpack on his stomach that the instructor proceeded to fill with 30 lbs of various odds and ends to symbolize all of the extra weight I'll be carrying around. Not sure its the best depiction of what its like to be prego, but an interesting perspective for him, nonetheless.

I've been busy looking at garage sales and craigslist for furniture and other bits of baby paraphernalia. I'm starting to wonder if I should just order some furniture online so that we have it in time, but I can't bring myself to part with the $$ that is required to get a crib AND a dresser/changing table brand new. I'll probably enjoy it more if I hold out for a real steal so I guess I'll keep looking for something used. I can't help but think that someone out there fell for the marketing ploy of "buy the best - aka EXPENSIVE - for your child" and needs to offload it for half the price. Ahh.. I think I'd be frugal even if I was a millionaire. =)

I had a doctors visit yesterday and everything checked out fine. I'm measuring a week behind schedule, but nothing to be worried about. I've had a lot of people come up to me and tell me that they think I'm carrying small for how far along I am. It honestly had me worried a couple weeks ago - so much so that I called my friend who's a resident at Hopkins and asked her about it. She said that there were a lot of reasons women carry differently and as long as my measurements were within 2 weeks of where I actually was, then I was fine. The little bambino has been moving a lot more frequently - so that had been reassuring. I guess I can hope for a smaller (but still healthy) baby after all!

A lot of people have been asking me if I have any unusual cravings. Um... well no. I eat sweets a lot more than before and I know that's not really good for me, but my willpower has gone straight out the door. I've been walking to combat the calorie increase and that seems to help. I tried to run as long as I could (I wanted to run a 5K at 24 weeks) but it was highly unrealistic to think I'd be running very long into my pregnancy. I've heard of women that run right up until their due date, but I'm not sure how they do that. I get a sharp pain at the base of my stomach when I run - ligament pain I've heard. I tried biking and that produced its own pain so I'm just walking. Its kind of funny because my hands and my feet puff up horribly after about 45 minutes and I resemble the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

You know what is interesting is people's reaction to a pregnant woman that is active (exercising or just willing to carry things, squat, do cartwheels with the kids, etc). A lot of people have the perception that you can't break a sweat when you're pregnant because its bad for the baby. If I followed everyones advice, I'd be parked on the couch in the air-conditioning, sending Kevin to the store every 15 minutes to replenish my bon-bon supply. Hmm.. that doesn't sound so bad! =) Honestly, though, I'm not really the sort to have people wait on me - I'm just too impatient. And I prefer to do things myself. Ha! I'd like to be the one lifting, painting, going here and there, crossing things off my list. My body has definitely told me to slow down but I don't think I'll ever completely sit back and be waited on unless (heaven forbid) I'm bound to bed rest. We'll see what these last 12 weeks holds... I've been told that the third trimester is a whole different ballgame!

Nesting

Ok, ok. I know its been a while. I really have no excuse! I have to mentally prepare myself for a blog entry I guess and feel like I have something to say. I've actually been getting a lot done the past couple weeks. Kevin has been out of town for business in Dallas and now is on a guys' fishing trip. I originally balked at the idea of him leaving so soon after he just got back from Dallas, but this is his last chance to get away before the kiddo arrives and I knew he REALLY wanted to go. Strange thing, fishing is. I have absolutely no desire to sit there with a pole in the water and reel the slimy little buggers in. But if that's what makes you happy... To each his own!

I've been a bit OCD in Kevin's absence. I'm a list maker from way back and am constantly scheduling out my time at home to figure out how much I can cram into my evenings and weekends. My inlaws came over last week and helped me install the closet shelves in the coat closet (it looks awesome!). Then, Kevin (in his brief stop at the house between trips) helped me install the baby's closet shelves. (No...we still dont have a name). Of course I had to then organize all of the cute little clothes and hang them up and arrange the room just so. We still dont have furniture for that room, but I have been amassing quite a stash of baby items (swing, pack n play, activity mat, bathtub, etc) that are finding a home piled in the corner. Its all a combination of garage sale finds and generous hand me downs from friends. I've found that baby stuff retails for a ridiculous amount of money so whatever I can get my hands on in gently used condition, I'm happy to have. Its ridiculous that baby items are so pricey when they are needed for only a short period of time!

I've found that I've been staying up late (last night 2am, tonight... 1245) several nights because I've not been tired and I've been compelled to finish a long task list before I finally hit the hay. What could be so important, you ask? Ah, well tonight I went through mail, did laundry, organized everything under the bathroom sink and weeded my old purses for goodwill - all after 10pm. I also ironed some baby clothes... hmmm... I dont even iron my OWN clothes. I guess you call this nesting - this wanting to make sure everything is in order before the kid arrives. I'm even itching to organize my husbands computer room - I must be REALLY crazy! Maybe I'm just realizing that I'm not going to have time to do this stuff after Sept 8th so I better jump at the opportunity.

You know though, my girlfriend Jill was just telling me how much she was surprised that she was able to get so much done since she's had her daughter. And I've recently met a lady at church with 4 boys (one is an infant) and she works full time. So, maybe it wont really be as bad as I think. I still think I'd like to go camping in October (in a tent)... I may really think I'm nuts when that rolls around. I'll keep you posted!

We Love GOOD Food. =)

Alright, Folks! We've been eating at home more to save money and I've been trying to make the meals a little more "gourmet" to make it exciting. Here's a few recipes (some freshly tried and some old favorites) that we absolutely love. Hope you enjoy them too!

Super easy and QUICK Ribs

Yummy Baked Scallops (make sure you read the reviews and cut down on the sauce so they won't be too mushy)

Lauren's Favorite Shrimp Salad (use a little Kraft spicy mayo in place of some of the regular mayo)

Cornucopia Salad
(This is the BEST SALAD YOU'VE EVER EATEN **everyone asks for this recipe** Add shrimp or chicken to it to make it a dinner)

3 Tbsp sugar
½ cup sliced almonds
½ head green leaf lettuce
½ head romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped celery
4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, cut up
1 apple, peeled and sliced
¼ cup dried crasins
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 large can mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ cup oil
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
Wisk together

Melt the 3 Tbsp of sugar in a large, dry frying pan with the almonds. Stir until the almonds are coated and browned, being careful not to burn. Spread almonds on aluminum foil.

Put all ingredients in a large bowl. Add almonds and toss with the dressing.