Being a good little aunt and uncle, we babysat my cool little nephew Jacob yesterday. After watching the Backyardigans on TV we headed outside for a while.

Jake and Bailey found some rocks to stare at in the yard.

We tried to pick some apples off the tree, but we just couldn't reach them.

And, finally he played in the flower pot after I told him not to. This is his "you talking to me lady?" look. "How dare you tell me not to!"

This is one well-behaved kid though. I hope little Gavin is this easy-going.

Farewell

So, I was sitting at work yesterday and went to put lotion on my hands. As I always do, I went to take off my wedding rings. They've always been pretty snug, but O.M.G. They almost didn't come off! When I finally did manage to wiggle them off my finger, I had major indentations where they used to be. So, for now, farewell wedding rings. I'll see you in September. Now I feel naked.

Doctor Appointment

I went to the doctor today for my glucose screening test/regular appointment. Glucose screening = drinking a super sweet drink + getting blood drawn. I wouldn't say I have a fear of needles, I just don't care for them very much. Kind of like meetings on Friday afternoons. I'm not opposed, but I'd rather skip them and go home early.

Anyway, the doctor's appointment went good. I have gained 19 lbs so far (I guess the days where I couldn't gain any weight are long gone). Baby's heart beat was nice and strong. And, I was pretty much told that I'm SOL when it comes to this pain I've been having in my ribs. It's not the baby, but rather my liver, spleen and gallbladder. I kind of wished it was my baby in my ribs. Then, I could poke him until he got fed up and moved. Oh well.

I go back in three weeks for my next regular appointment and then I switch to bi-weekly appointments. O.M.G. Where has time gone? People don't start going to the doctor every two weeks until they are close to having the baby!! I feel way underprepared at this point ::sigh::

So excited....

I can't tell you how super excited I am to have found this blog. It's a how-to blog on photography. My wonderful hubby bought me this nice, fancy camera for Christmas with the hopes I'd learn how to use the darn thing before the baby got here. It's now almost the end of May and I decided last week to whip out the old manual to try and play around with it. Needless to say, I didn't get very far. Of course, it answers all of the questions such as "How to change your aperature" but what does that mean? It didn't really tell me what I needed to know. Like, when should I use this setting? Or that setting? This blog is great for newbies with DSLR cameras and gives a nice starting place which is exactly what I needed!

Poor G-baby. I feel sorry for him already. Momma's going to have a camera shoved in his face from the moment he arrives!

Ok ya'll.....

You'll be happy to know that I have officially satisfied my craving for watergate salad. No thanks to Lowe's Foods though. And no thanks to my own attempts at making it. That little deli lady did not tell me you were only supposed to use the dry mix of the pistachio pudding. She told me to make the pudding which I assumed was by following the instructions on the box. She better hope I don't run into her in a dark alley....But, a big thank you to my friend's mother-in-law for making it for me. She doesn't even know me and must've have been told how desperate and pathetic this craving has been.

And, in other food news...I sent my friend Dana an email today that read "The Cheez-It Snack Mix box lied to me...it said it had 12 servings, but I only got about four out of it."

Enough said.

Oh Baby!

Week 26....which means I only have 97 days left til my due date. Which means I'm less than a week away from my third trimester! Holy cow! This pregnancy is going by fast!

P.S. Lonnie really needs to figure out how to use my camera. His pictures are always dark!

And then there was one....

Cupcake, that is. My husband bought these when I sent him out on Monday to search for watergate salad. It's Thursday and I have one cupcake left. I'm a little sad about the cupcake, but I'm really friggin mad about the watergate salad. You see, I've been trying to get some for what seems like a freakin' month. On Monday, I told my husband that "this was a SERIOUS craving" and off he went to the store. Only, he didn't come home with watergate salad. Instead, he came home with cupcakes and gummy bears (the two bags of gummy bears are gone...within about 12 hours with the help of my dear pregnant friend, Dana...that's what happens when you stick two pregnant ladies in a conference room all day with gummy bears...they disappear...quickly). Of course I was mad about the watergate salad, but he was forgiven since he brought me cupcakes. But, I still wanted watergate salad. (Note: A craving cannot be cured with a substitute. It only delays the craving for a short period of time.)

So, on Wednesday, I went back to Lowe's Foods in search of some watergate salad. Once again, the deli people didn't make any! The nice, little deli lady did tell me that it was easy to make though, so I went in search of all of the ingredients. I got home and immediately starting making it based off what the lady said.

Let me just tell you. I better not see that same little deli lady again. She said it was easy. I just ended up with a soupy mess. It wasn't the creamy, green goodness that I remembered. I followed her instructions and they were wrong. It's a really good thing I had cupcakes as a backup. But, guess what ya'll? I still want watergate salad.

For now, this last little cupcake will have to do.

Subtle Reminder

I came home from work today to an empty house. Lonnie wasn't home yet from work and the house was so quiet. I sat down at the kitchen counter to relax for a minute. I started thinking about the long list of things I need to do and was trying to figure out how I was going to accomplish so much in a short amount of time. And then the baby started kicking. This simple act brought a smile to my face and made me forget about my long list of things to do. I think that was just a subtle reminder that he was there and was going to be coming soon. And, when he arrives, the house won't be as quiet. And, that I shouldn't worry about everything I haven't done. And, I should live for the little moments. This little one isn't even here yet but has already starting teaching me about what really matters.

It's a love-hate relationship....

Here are just a few things I love about being pregnant:

• I am constantly encouraged to be lazy. Don't do this, don't do that.
• My husband is more likely to do something that I want him to do simply because I'm pregnant. My screened in porch was ripped to shreds for three years. I got pregnant and guess what? It's fixed now.
• It's ok to gain a ton of weight in a short period of time. In fact, it's encouraged. Where's my milkshake?
• I have boobs now. Awesome.
• Feeling all the little kicks and jabs from G-baby. And sharing the moment with my husband when he first got to feel it.

A few things I don't exactly love....

• An abundant amount of gas. Seriously. Don't pull my finger.
• An abundant amount of saliva. If something sounds good, my mouth literally fills up to the point of almost choking on it. And, I drool a little bit when I sleep. How sexy am I?
• Complete strangers feeling me up. Personal space apparently goes out the window when you're pregnant.

Oh Baby!

Well, here it is....my 24 week picture. The baby is now the size of an eggplant according to What to Expect When Expecting....and it does feel like I have a little eggplant in there. He is getting so active these days. He is currently practicing karate chops on my organs right now as I type this. It's a good thing that he is getting so much practice being a little tough guy because he has years of rough-housing ahead of him I'm sure (well, if Lonnie has anything to do with it).

Nursery: Part 1

The room that is going to become our nursery is finally empty. We took down our guest bed, moved out a dresser, a tv, and a tv stand. The only thing left in the room are those tiny little vases in the corner. Apparently, after moving out all of the other things, the vases were too much for us to handle :)

But, I'm getting really excited now. We can actually start working on our nursery and getting everything done. Here's our to-do list over the next few weeks.

1. First up, painting. We have hired a friend to come over and paint for us since we are terrible painters. And, quite frankly, I think my husband is tired of all the projects he has been assigned lately.
2. After that, we're going to hang our curtains and put up new blinds. We bought the cheap ones when we first moved in and are slowly upgrading the blinds to the 2" faux wood ones.
3. Then, the crib and the dresser will be put together. Wish us luck on this one. My husband gets very cranky when he has to put stuff together. Pregnant woman supervisor + cranky husband = nothing good. You might want to stay at least a mile away from my house during this phase of our nursery project.
4. And, finally, decorating time!

Stay tuned....

Cravings

My husband is a weirdo. The other night I was lying in bed thinking about all of the things on my to-do list. And then it hit me! I really wanted some watergate salad. Like, really bad. My mouth filled with an abundant amount of saliva just thinking about it. What's not to love....marshmellows, some green creamy stuff, with nuts and pineapple chunks. Instead of obliging to my weird craving at 10 p.m., he rolled over and went to sleep. Not a good move.

So, the next day, I mentioned that I wanted some watergate salad again. He just looked at me and said, "Still?" Being the pregnant, hormonal wife of his, I shot him this very dirty look (which he has coined my "I love you" look). I took a deep breath and counted to three and very politely told him that he was being an awful husband by not getting me some watergate salad. Since he is a man, after all, he responded and said "I don't really know when it is a real craving or not." And, then he proceeded to make up rules regarding cravings. This is how I'm supposed to handle cravings in the future:

1. Always state that it is a real craving. For example, "Lonnie, this is serious....I need watergate salad." Extra emphasis on the "serious" part so that he understands the urgency in the matter.
2. Cravings must come before he is in bed on weekdays since he has to get up and go to work at 5:30 a.m.

I'm the pregnant one...I thought I got to make up the rules?