Life as a Mommy

Well I finally had Christian. One can not stay pregnant forever, although it sure felt like I would be. Christian was born October 5th at 8:30am. He weighed 8lbs 4oz and was 20.5 inches long. Today he is 5wks and 1 day. Crazy how time flies by. Being a mommy is definitely an experience of its own. Your entire life changes. From your role to your new family and your daily duties. You are needed 24/7 for something. And sleep... forget about it! I've been sleeping on the couch for comfort and convenience. It's been so long since I slept in the bed I forgot what it was like. Although lately in the mornings (between 4am-6am) I sneak into the bed with Kevin before he gets up for work. This usually lasts until Christian starts to cry for me again. But hey even 5min of snuggling with my husband is wonderful. I forgot what that was like too. Lol Luckily everyday is progress. Whether it be Christian cooing, sleeping in the swing, the amount of milk I'm able to pump, or how many meals I can eat without him in my arms. Every day is different. And even on the not so good days, there are good things. I mean look I'm able to get on here and actually write something worth reading... He's in the car seat looking around. I had to switch him from the swing to the car seat because he was getting sweaty from swinging back and forth. When things are peaceful in the house it feels like angels are singing. Although that could also be the Baby Einstein CD that I have playing in his room constantly throughout the day... Kevin has a late day today, so I'm fending for myself tonight. Looks like a mac-n-cheese with hotdogs night. Plus we are still trying to get the house clean and our bags packed before we leave next Saturday for our trip to MO. Can't wait!!! I'm So excited!!! Well that's all for now.

Stubborn Child

So the last few days have been overly eventful... Last Wednesday I went to my doctor's appointment for my weekly checkup. My OB said I was still thick and closed, but my blood pressure had been high the last few times I'd been in there. She told me it would be a good idea to go across the street to the hospital and get checked out. We went over there and stayed the night. I was monitored and had my blood pressure checked often. I felt fine but had to stay a full 24 hours so they could check my urine. (They needed a 24 hour sample) After we got the results back the nurse brought me my discharge papers and said I could leave. But before I signed them she checked my blood pressure and it was the highest it had been. I didn't understand why I was leaving if my blood pressure was still high. We had been getting mixed responses on what # to worry about on the blood pressure so we were completely confused. They ended up keeping me another night and had the ultrasound specialist check me the next morning. My OB had issued a induction order and the specialist approved it. So I went on the induction waiting list and stayed in the Antepartum til they had a room for me. Saturday at 2:30AM they came and got me and took me down to Labor/Delivery. I was immediately prepped for the induction process. But for those of you who know 100+ people who have been induced need to know that Pitocin is given only after the cervix is soft and dilated. I was still hard and closed. Therefore they started me on this lovely cervix softening agent called the Cervidil. The Cervidil is this strip/string looking thing that is loaded with softening agents. They insert it so that is sits right behind the cervix. It needs to stay put for 6-12 hours and you must lay in bed for the first 2 hours after insertion. Now I may have made this sound so medically wonderful but the truth is... It was the most painful medical application I have ever experienced. next to the fact that I had to get stuck with an I.V. twice because the nurse ignored my request for a arm iv and ended up blowing out the vein in my hand...Luckily after that she took my advice and stuck it in my arm. Back to the Cervidil, after having it in my body for about 12 hours my nurse removed it, but she had to check my cervix to see if it did its job... This is where my rough experience maxed out... The Cervidil makes your cervix and uterus extremely tender. So this woman is literally digging her fingers inside of me trying to #1 find my cervix and #2 see if I started to dilate. The pain from this was so horrible I was literally screaming and crying, begging her to stop. She finally stopped and quickly cleaned up to leave the room while Kevin comforted me from my baby bawling moment of excruciating pain. When I calmed down and the nurse returned she told me that I was dilated alittle more than a dimple but again it was hard to tell because I was in so much pain. She had talked to the on-call OB and they decided to give my body a break. I was to bathe (in the jacuzzi tub), eat dinner, and then they would put me back on the monitor for a hour and then the OB would decide if we needed to repeat the Cervidil. Luckily the OB decided that she did not want to continue forcing labor on me if it wasn't coming on its own so I was told to relax and get my rest and we would reevaluate my contractions again in the morning. By Sunday morning the news was that my blood pressure was no longer a concern, I wasn't dilating the way I needed to for a safe induction (c-section was the most likely outcome if we continued with the Cervidil), and they were considering sending me home. I had to wait for the ultrasound specialist to come and give the final say in my discharge. When he got there he was extremely honest. He said I needed to go home, sleep in my own bed, relax, and "get busy" to speed things up. He was alittle more blunt about it but that is actually his personality-which is hilarious. So we packed up, I got back into my clothes and signed discharge papers. It was SO nice to get home and relax. We got take out and then I took a hot bath/shower and we both fell in the bed around 9pm. Before I left the hospital the on-call OB told me to call first thing in the morning and schedule an appointment with my OB. My appointment wasn't until Wednesday and she didn't feel comfortable with me waiting that long for a cervical checkup. So I set the alarm for 7am so I could call at 8am. But being pregnant makes you go to the bathroom alot so when I went to the bathroom this morning around 7am I was presented with my mucous plug. Since my OB told me if I ever lost my plug, broke my water, had my bloody show, or had regular contractions 3-5min apart to report to the hospital, I called the doctor office and called the emergency line to let my OB know I was headed back to the hospital. When I got back to hospital Labor/Delivery was full so they sent me up to Antepartum to be evaluated. We spent 2 hours there. I got back into a gown, put on the monitor, and the nurse checked my cervix. I was dilated a fingertip but my contractions were still not regular. The nurse called my OB and she said for me to go home and she'd see me at my appointment on Wednesday. So here I am back at home waiting for something else to happen that sends me back to the hospital...or for Christian to continue being so stubborn that we have to schedule an induction again, except hopefully now that I am starting to dilate we can skip the Cervidil and go straight to the Pitocin. Ideally, my water will just break and Christian will come out on his own in good reasonable time. Only God knows... :-)

Note to those who don't have children: If you aren't comfortable getting naked for doctors or having 100 people feel you up, either never have kids or get used to it quick because childbirth is full of all of those things...Not to mention the many needles they will stick into you just so you can comfortably expel your child from the womb.

New Parent Jeeters

As my due date gets closer and closer, I can't stop thinking about how certain people will act around me and my child. Kevin and I have decided to drive up to MO for Thanksgiving. Doc told us to avoid airports and to make sure everyone is up to date on their vaccines...which with my family is impossible and that's like asking them to buy a suit/dress for our visit. It's not going to happen. In fact I never got flu shots in the past unless it was required or they were giving them out at school. Actually I'm not so worried about flu shots but I am concerned about one particular person being around my son. My sister. Over the past year and a half she has tried desperately to get pregnant and miscarried 3 times. It is unfortunate, but turned out better for her in the end, especially in her unstable emotional state and unstable relationship. My biggest concern is that her baby obsession will make her act in a way that could cause harm to my child. In addition, when I told her Kevin and I were going to be strict on who, when, and how people will be holding my son, she stated in a loud aggressive manner, that she was Christian's aunt and she holds every right to touch him and hold him. That she will hold him and that was that. I was speechless. I told Kevin about her aggressive comment in holding our son and he too was made even more uncomfortable with the idea of her holding him. I fear she will be the type of person to see him in his carrier and will walk right up to him and pick him up with asking a soul. I fear she will abuse her holding privileges by trying to get up and move around with him in her arms. My child is a human being not a baby doll toy to be played with. I do not want to show off my child like they do in the Lion King. What my sister wants to do with her children is her business but my son will not be treated this way. I know in general concern I am normal in having these feelings, but I fear, since not too many people know her emotional state, will think I am the one who is over reacting... I want some people to have the opportunity to hold Christian. I trust several of my family members, but I just can't find in my heart at this time to trust my sister with more than what most people give to a very small child when it comes to a new baby. The approved holding comes with 2 adults on both sides and the person must be sitting down. These holds usually last 1-3minutes tops. Now, my sister is 22yrs old. I can't act that ridiculous. But I want to. What should I do in this stressful and impossible to avoid situation?

Job Talk

As I come up on my 31 week of pregnancy (1 week shy of 8 months), I find myself extremely emotional. Kevin and I have been talking alot about future options for his career. Our current plan is for him to extend for 2 years and transfer to a new unit. However, lately he is really just wanting to get out of the military. I don't blame him one bit. His branch has offered several opportunities for enlisted members to get out early because of gov't budget cuts. But the problem with him doing that now is my pregnancy. Without a job, we have no insurance, and if anyone thinks I'm going to give birth in the backwoods with no drugs they are crazy!!! lol We agreed that we wouldn't make any serious life changes til after Christian is born. But then we also have an opportunity to leave enlisted and go reserves, which is in the end less pay and there's lots of things we'd have to do to maintain our living status. We've talked about heading back to Missouri, which is exciting for me. But at the same time it's frustrating. I will want a job too and well, I can't apply for anything now because school starts in 2-3 weeks and I'm still pregnant. No district would hire me being 8 months pregnant and ready to leave them in Sept-Oct. Not to mention, I still live in TX and I don't want to leave my doctor now. Even if we move to Missouri within the next few months, I'd still go mostly jobless for another year. Unless a district has mid-year openings and I had handle breastfeeding during school. There is so much to take into consideration now. Kevin said it best last night, if it was just the 2 of us, we'd have no problem making a decision, but with Christian, that changes everything... That pretty much sums it up. God has been showing us more signs lately on how to get started on the right path out of the military but we find ourselves stuck with the when is the best time to exit question... We need to make a decision soon in order to take advantage of certain benefits.

Father's Day

Yesterday was Kevin's first father's day. Unfortunately he is on deployment and isn't scheduled to be back til Jone 30-July 1st. I got him a card and a few gifts to receive when he gets home. Plus I plan to take him out to eat, which now since it will not be on a holiday will be easier to do. I can't wait for him to get home. Christian, even though he is in my belly, knows his daddy. He knows his voice and he knows when I am talking to him or texting him, because my heart rate changes and I giggle that in-love giggle. Every time Christian knows his daddy is around or talking to me he goes crazy with kicks. Right before Kevin left for deployment, Christian and him started this boop boop game. Kevin would tap on my belly and say boop boop and within a min or two, Christian would boop back. It's adorable!!! I mean they really play back and forth. lol I love it. :-)

Family Update

We went to the ultrasound Doc on Monday and everything was great. Christian is right on target with his growth. He may be one of the few that is born on his due date. He is kicking more and moving around. I feel the kicks and movements when I'm sitting still. He gets really crazy when I'm driving. lol He could be a rock star. :-)
Kevin has started his healthy eating and workout regimen. We haven't been eating the same things but I am really proud of him. It also gives us a less stressful evening. He gets home before me and can have his dinner done by the time I'm ready to start mine. It has been working out nicely.
 Work has been going good. We are almost done with our contract and the school year is coming to a close. I am excited for summer and to figure out what I will be doing this summer. I finally got around to eating sushi. After hearing about my mom and sister's lunches 100 times I decided it was time for me to get back into the sushi world. Pregnant or not, I can find something that I can eat. And I did, I had an avocado roll and California roll. But next time I am going to widen my horizons. I did my research on what I can and can't have. So I am hoping that Kevin and I get out to this sushi place on the Kemah boardwalk for Mother's Day. Oh and not that we have taken advantage of it, but Amanda told me that HEB had a sushi counter. Well we don't have the HEB Plus but we do have the sushi counter at our HEB. :-) Maybe not that my taste buds are fully back, I will look into what they have over there... :-) That's all for now, Kevin is on his way home.

Love and Marriage

Lately I have noticed that Kevin and I are showing our love for each other in ways that are different than each other and occasionally we discuss how the other isn't showing enough love. It turns out that even though we both took the profile for our primary love language, it wasn't as accurate as we though it was. In fact when we took the profile we were still living apart and now that we live together, our love languages has changed. Luckily after being told to read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman by two different people I gave in and bought it. I now know what Kevin's new love language is and I was able to read the chapter on it and ways I can show him the love he has been looking for.
In addition to that, Kevin showed me his love on his first day off from work. I assumed he would prepare a surprise dinner and that would be it. But when I walked in the door after I got home from work, He hugged me and kissed me. Then he completely stripped me down and carried me to the bathroom. When he opened the door, the lights were off but the tub was glowing with candles surrounding the water. The oil burner was going and he had daisies floating in the tub. Once I got in the tub I leaned back on my fairly new tub pillow and smelled the white tea bath salt in the water. Kevin told me to relax while he finished getting dinner ready. He put on the Michael Buble CD and told me when the food was in the oven he would come back and wash me. I was completely speechless and not sure what to think, but I listened and relaxed. When I got out, he had dinner ready and it was stuffed chicken covered in cream of mushroom soup and chicken flavored rice. I was SO good I asked for seconds!!!
Now I am offically on my 9-day weekend. Since the students are taking their state tests next week Sylvan does not need to be there, so I have the week off. Monday, Kevin and I have off together and we have some things to take care of. Then that evening I am going to "Ladies Night Out" with Melissa at the Sagemont Church.
I also intent to pick up my cooking again now that I'm feeling better and have the time to cook next week while I am off work. So my cooking blog should be getting some attention too. :-)

Don't Give Up-Grow Up!

Recently I spoke to my Aunt Vicki on FB and mentioned I was worried about how Kevin and I would deal with our son coming into the world and if if would affect our time together and the household chores we share. I know the answer but I was looking for ways for us to remain close and not allow the stresses of our baby harm our relationship. She got this from a church in Orange, TX on April 7th and passed it along to me and I loved it so much I'm sharing it here. :-)

Balanced and Blessed Series

Don’t Give Up—Grow Up!

Six Steps to Help Your Marriage Go the Distance

     In this final session we are focusing on growing up, not giving up.  I love this session because we will be looking at six steps that will help your marriage go the distance.

     Our world is composed of lovers and losers, and to avoid becoming a loser we need to learn how to become a lover.  Once again, God’s Word gives us practical instruction on how we can love our spouse and grow up as believers.

     To help us remember how to be a lover who encourages and not a loser who complains, let’s remember the acronym L-O-V-E-R-S.

     “L” represents the word “laugh.”  The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh. 8:10).  The Bible also says that a merry heart does good like a medicine (Prov. 17:22).  To have a great relationship, all of us need laughter and joy in life.  The joy of the Lord can be your strength, and the joy of your marriage depends on your laughing and building a balanced, God-honoring life together.  Fun does not always just happen—we have to plan it, to build margin into our lives so we can do fun things together.

     “O” represents “overlook.”  As a psychologist, I cannot tabulate the hours I spent with married couples who were fighting over things that did not matter.  Something within us wants to take control of the universe, wants to force others to do what we want them to do!  This insane craving is in me and it’s in you.

     “V” stands for “value”—we need to learn to value our spouse.  Too often we judge and reward people based on their actions or-more particularly-what they do for us.  We do not look at people as God’s gift, as His creation.  We need to remember that we cannot control how people live and perform—we can’t change them.  What we can change is how we see people—as dearly loved creations of God, made just like us, created in the image of God.  We are more like others than we admit: all of us are doing the best we can as we journey through this life on earth.

     “E” stands for “encourage.”  Think about people who have touched your life the most, those whom you remember fondly even after the passing of time.  Chances are every one of those people encouraged you, believed in you, and affirmed you in meaningful ways.  Encouraging others is one of the most effective of all human behaviors for building a marriage and a life that will go the distance.

     “R” stands for “realize” and “remind.”  We need to start realizing what’s really important in life and develop a habit of reminding ourselves every day.  In the end, it’s all about three things: faith, family and friends.

     “S” stands for serve—serving others, serving one another.  The Bible says that Jesus came to serve, not be served.  Serving our spouse is an act of love given not because we “have to” but because we “want to”—because we love, not because it’s our job description.

IT'S A BOY!!!

I know it's been awhile since I have posted. I have been busy moving into our new apartment and then cleaning it up and trying to enjoy my husband. Everything is going really good. Work is good. I'm finding my groove in my teaching and my kids crack me up with their silly questions of why I'm not "fat" yet if I am pregnant. Trust me I wish I was ballooning, but it'll happen in good time. For now I am enjoying the fact that my taste buds returned and I am feeling more energetic lately. I can get out of bed and eat real food without spending the first 10-15 minutes hugging the toilet bowl everyday. I'm starting to eat more and more things as the days go on. I'm still alittle wary of a few things but overall I'm just happy to eat more than crackers and cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. lol We went to the ultrasound specialist last Monday and the doctor was able to tell us what we are having. As you can read, we are having a boy. It was Kevin's first doctor appt with me so it was really exciting for him. The baby was bouncing around and kicking. Kevin's eyes were lite up the whole time. He looked like a little boy on Christmas day. Adorable!!! We have been debating names for our little boy. But I think we decided to stick with our original name, Christian Michael. Well that's all for now. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!!

Update!!!

Wow so much has went on. Teddy officially lives in Seattle now with Nita. He is doing very well and Xander renamed him Franky. :-) The morning sickness has really interrupted my life. I have completely changed what I can eat and choose to eat. I stick to cereal and very bland foods. Mexican & Chinese tend to be my choices for outings. I love mashed potatoes. lol Kevin and I also got the keys to our new apt yesterday. We will be moving in this Thursday with the help of Melissa ad Arland. We are SO excited!!! I'm going to the doctor next week and I'm SO excited!!! I get another picture of my baby and we get to see how much bigger he/she is getting. :-)

Goodbye Teddy

Yes that is right, Teddy will  be leaving us. Unfortunately I have come to the conclusion that we are not ready for a dog. Or maybe we were just not ready for the personality that Teddy has. He started out as a calm quiet dog, but has evolved into a little dog with a big dog attitude. I love him dearly and that is why I have decided to have Teddy move to Seattle to live with Nita. Nita is a great dog person and her roommate has a dog also. So Teddy will have an automatic new brother. In thinking about what's best for my little doggie, I think this is the best choice. And since he is staying in the family, I will still see him in pictures and when I visit them. Teddy is a really good boy but he is just alittle too much for me to handle right now with Kevin and I trying to enjoy married life, morning sickness, and a baby on the way. We have a few other priorities that need tending to. Teddy will be much much happier in his new home with his new mommy. I know Nita will take really good care of him. Now the question is when will he be taking his first airplane flight?

My First Week

I just finished my first week of my new job. It was very inconsistent and there were moments where I was asking myself if this was something I really wanted to do. But then today happened and of course, God reassured me that this is where I want and need to be right now. Today, I was at a school I had been before and also with two ladies that I had already worked with. They are of course very nice and we all get along great!! We did our usual testing which is alittle bit boring because you are basically waiting for your kids to finish testing. When we finished we had to report to the Sylvan Center for a meeting and preparing for next week. The three of us had decided to grab lunch together-mostly my idea-hello I want some friends and I haven't been out with girls my own age in a while-no offense to Melissa, she is great!! but it is nice to have girl time with girls my own age. After lunch we walked back to the Center and started preparing for next week. The owner was supposed to come and meet with us but he got caught up doing something else and so our boss informed us of everything and then sent me and one other girl home. The rest of the girls were doing weekend projects and they had to wait for the owner to come meet with them. After I got home I made some mini beef ravioli and grape juice. A bubble bath sounds super good but idk if itll happen, Teddy freaks when I go into the bathroom without him. I had to put the gate up by the bathroom because he discovered toilet paper and he likes to stick his face in my butt while I'm trying to go potty. Although, the gate hasn't been much help this week. Teddy has discovered that if he jumps enough times he can swing his front legs over the gate far enough to carry his whole body over the gate. Needless to say, he's had free range of the kitchen & livingroom all week while I've been at work. Everything has been good except for 2-3 cd/dvds that are now chewed up and the numerous "tootsie rolls" on the floor when I get home. The super-dee-duper news is that Kevin is coming home EARLY!!!!! He will be home on the 3rd, this Wednesday!!!! i will still have to work Thursday & Friday but he will be in bed with me finally!!!! Oh and also I went to the doctor on Wednesday and got our newest picture of Baby Bartley. At 8weeks 5 days, s/he was moving and kicking it's foot.

 

Thats all for now. Enjoy your weekend!!! :-)

I got the Job!!!!

Well as you can see based on the title of this post, I got the job. My interview was Friday @ 11am. I drove almost an hour to the Baytown Sylvan and was so glad to see that the director was a woman and she was young. For us young people that can sometimes serve as a sigh of relief to be interviewed by a peer. The interview went really well. I had so many questions about the job that she kind of let me lead. She only asked me 1 real interview question and if it wasn't for student teaching I'm not sure what I would've said but I nailed it. She hired me on the spot!!! I think there were a few times I rambled about some things that were not relevant but she liked my personality and she kept commenting on my resume and my credentials. lol So I start on Monday. I go back to the Center and complete my training and then Tuesday-Friday I will be at a school in Galveston testing with the other teachers. The best parts about this job is I get my own classroom. Hurricane Ike really moved alot of families out of Galveston so the school district has lost alot of students and even some teachers. Therefore, leaving lots of vacant classrooms available to .... me!!! :-D I also get paid mileage which is awesome!!! This job may be a hourly paid job but it is the most I've ever made at a job and it's definitely more than I'd ever make at Hardee's. lol I'm happy.

On the pregnant side of things, I had been feeling better, but today I woke up nauseated. I threw up for the 2nd time in this pregnancy and I'm having crazy dreams. Along with the cravings I'm having that aren't too weird. Chicken nuggets, sushi, pizza, bagels, and so much more. I've been craving alot but nothing strange. My mom told me she craved buttermilk and something else. That just sounds gross. Speaking of gross, non-pregnant I absolutely LOVE seafood. I could eat anything from the sea and love it, well except eel. lol Anyway, I had some lobster ravioli and it make me sick. the texture and smell was sickening. I was said bc lobster sounded so good. I fear this event will repeat itself in the future with other favorites. :-( In the meantime I can suck down V8 juice and almost any tomato product and I've been doing really good with meat. No fruits-yuck. Veggies-sometimes. On another note, apparently these dreams I'm having are normal for pregnant women. Mine are very real and vivid. In all of the dreams that a baby was visible, it was a girl. I don;t know if this means I'm having a girl but Kevin insists it's a boy. lol of course he's a man so typical. hehe I don't care if its a girl or boy. I'm just glad we have solid names picked out for both sex. That's all for now.

I Got a Job Offer

Friday after I got home from the doctor I did my usual thing which is getting on the internet and checking my email. To my surprise I had an email from Sylvan. I had applied for 3 different jobs that they had. I applied for Center Director-which I qualified for but was still too much for me, Center Instructor-alittle bit more up my alley, and Teacher Assistant-a drop from where I wanted to be but hey I want a job. What's funny is the job that they offered me is actually titled Teacher. I would be a daytime tutor in a school working with students that need help getting caught up and working with the school and their teachers to make sure the students are getting the fullest that they can get. Cool right? Well luckily I still have questions, because I still have to have a "meeting" with a center director aka an interview. The email was from a director that was impressed with my resume. lol Really? that little thing. Well hey this will help fatten it up so I'm going for it. There's alot of benefits to this job. The #1 benefit in my opinion is I will be working in Galveston which is huge because Kevin works in Galveston, so depending on the hours and such we may be able to carpool. Not that we need to but hey gas is a large expense these days. Anyway I just emailed them back that I was interested so hopefully I will hear something back from them within a few days. Even if Kevin gets a transfer I have 2 options. I can see if they will transfer me to another sylvan in NY or I can find a sylvan or teaching job in NY with the benefit of having this experience on my resume to up the chances of getting me a job. :-)

Hello Baby Tadpole

So I went to the doctor today. I got the full hoohaw treatment. lol I got some prescriptions for my nausea and prometrium as a precautionary measure since mom and Ashley both had miscarriages. I got an ultrasound which was cool. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat and got a few pics of my little tadpole. It was weird to think that this tadpole is really my baby inside my belly. lol

 

I also had to give them some of my blood but after the number of vials that they took I wondered if I was gonna have anything left. lol Luckily my Taco Bell craving kicked in after I left the doctor's office and I made my way to order a #1 and then on home to eat and relax. :-) Our new due date is set for October 6, 2010 so expect a Libra baby!!! Later y'all.

Possible Transfer!!!!

First I want to start with I broke my non-throwing up record this morning. It sucked, obviously. Throwing up always does. There wasn't much in my stomach so it made it a lot more painful. Luckily when it was over, I felt much better. I basically laid around the house today. I was still having some nausea so I played it safe. I didn't finish my cereal but I managed to get of it in me before I moved on to water and crackers. Eating that for a few hours made me feel like I was in prison. lol jk Ok so let's move onto the most exciting part of today... Remember about a year ago when Kevin was working on getting a transfer and he waited for a couple months and then it fell through? Well he kept trying to find someone and we prayed and prayed asking that God get him something in NY or NJ. Well today Kevin got a text from a guy in NY who wants to transfer!!!!!! I'm SO excited and if this all goes through we won't be moving into the new apartments in a month, we'll be moving to NYC!!!! Kevin and I are beyond happy about this but as we know it could still be turned down. Please pray that he gets a approval and that everything works out for us and we get to make our way to NYC to be with his family. :-) Especially his Nonna who is elderly and not in good health. We will staying with her to help her out and she already has an open room for us. :'-) Happy Tears!!!

Eat Crackers!!!

The last few days/weeks I have been feeling nauseous. First it started when I was getting into bed. I thought it was because I was laying down where as I was sitting up all day long. But the last few days I feel been getting the official morning time nausea. I wake up having to pee super bad but not wanting to get out of bed and in addition I feel sick so I'm scared if I do get out of bed I'm not going to make it to pee or vomit. Luckily, I've managed to not throw up and as soon as I sit down in the dining room chair I'm fine. I need to get ahold of some crackers since I've been told by several people that crackers are something to keep in your nightstand. I haven't been able to have the tea before getting out of bed since Kevin isn't here to make it but I do have tea 1st thing in the morning when I make it to the kitchen. Also I've been very picky about who my obgyn is. Kevin's cousin had been telling me about her friend that was an obgyn. He was said to be very good. However, I wasn't sure I wanted a guy. After reading reviews on the lady that I had been referred to by my doctor's office. I began to freak about everything. I'm used to my doctor in Springfield who had bedside manner and even remembered who I was dating every time I saw her (once a year). Now to go to a woman who would be performing uncomfortable procedures on me and deliver my 1st child with absolutely no bedside manner and treat me like a business customer. I wasn't sure this lady was for me. So I decided to give this guy that Melissa had recommended a shot. I made the call to my doctor's office to make the referral, they told me he took my insurance but not the insurance plan I have. So I continued to research for a doctor I could live with that took my insurance. I found another doctor and called my doctor's office but the referral lady had left so I had to leave a detailed message with the front desk secretary who ended up criticizing me for not wanting to be referred to the 1st lady I was referred to. She kept telling me what a great doctor she was and asking why I didn't want to see her. I finally was able to shut her up and to take my message. The referral lady was very nice and understanding unlike the front desk lady. She called me back today to let me know the doctor I asked about this time had the same story. She took my insurance but not my plan. Sounds weird but in the military you get Tricare insurance. You can get standard or prime. I have prime but most of these doctors took standard. Yes I agree its stupid that they couldn't take both but that's part of being in a military family and having gov't insurance. Luckily the referral lady and I came across a doctor that is right across the street from the hospital and has been in practice for 22 yrs. She called the office to make sure she was taking new patients and called me back. The doctor was taking new patients and the referral lady even scheduled an appt for me!!! How nice right? Even better she asked the secretary there if the doctor had bedside manner and the secretary said she had excellent bedside manner and that all of her patients love her!!! Needless to say I feel much better and oh my appt is scheduled for this Friday at 9:30am. So I will get to meet this lady very soon. I'm excited and ready to do this. I have a good feeling about this doctor. Now to mention I shaved my legs today so I don't have to rush to defuzz myself before I go in Friday morning. lol I can take a hot shower Thursday night and I'll be good to go Friday morning!!!

Good News & Bad News

Ok so I have designated today as a bad day but just so you know there were some high points. I spend hours today and yesterday trying to figure out our taxes. I finally finished them and we are getting back a pretty penny. After a long boring day of crying because I didn't understand our taxes I decided I deserved some fast food. So I took a trip to McDonald's. I decided to bring Teddy along because I knew he would bark alot if I put him up in the kitchen abruptly. I didn't think too much of him coming along til I forgot my wallet and had to drive the entire way back to the house!!! I just left him in the car and ran inside and grabbed my wallet and then back to McD's we went...As I'm driving, Teddy is trying to climb on me in the back and everywhere, but it turns out he was sniffing around so he could....poop in my passenger seat!!!!! Yes that's right he pooped in my passenger seat as I'm driving down the highway to McD's. And this wasn't a solid poop either to make matters worse. I hit a stoplight cleaned it up with the only napkins I had in the glovebox and after I got to McD's and into the line I looked down and saw it...he had climbed onto me and smeared his butt juice on my jeans. OMG!!! I wanted to die. So now here I am eating my 3 Mcdoubles drinking DrPepper and wishing that I would've just put Teddy in the kitchen. This day sucked. I hope tomorrow is SO much better!!!!

P.S. if you are more shocked about my 3 Mcdoubles, remember I am pregnant. lol Even though non-pregnant I could probably eat that many in one setting. :-)

The Lamest Doctor Visit Ever

Ok so on Monday I had a doctor appt. with my primary care physician. I needed to get a obgyn referral so that I can get my baby taken care of. I went in and got weighed, answered a bazillion questions, and peed in a cup. Then I waiting in my room for 20-25minutes for the doctor to come in and tell me that yes I was pregnant. She listened to my heatbeat and my breathing. Then she wrote me a prescription for prenatal vitamins. The End. lol To top it off, I couldn't get my prescription from Walgreen's because the pills are a discontinued brand and they cant just give me any prenatal vitamins until the doctor calls to confirm a new brand. Geez people, really? I can get prenatal vitamins from Wal-mart. lol I got the referal call today, and the lady the doctor referred me to doesn't take my insurance. So the secretary named a few off that do and I chose one. So I call the obgyn office tomorrow to schedule an appt. In addition to the drama, I researched this obgyn and found a couple really bad reviews. All the bad reviews were pretty consistent with each other, so I'm nervous about how good or bad she is. I really want a woman obgyn however, Kevin's cousin, Melissa, recommended a male obgyn. I may look into him if this lady doesn't work out. That's all for now.

The Price is Right!!!

No I'm not talking about the show. I'm talking about the apartment that I found today. Here's our story, Before I moved to TX with Kevin we were looking into finding a new apt so that I didn't have to live in the scary complex that he lives in. It's not bad there are just a lot of low-class people here. Kevin was worried about my well-being. I started searching for a new apt in the area. I came across this beautiful place and fell in love. I had Kevin go and check it out. He instantly fell in love with it as well. We had our minds made up. We were going to get a 727sqft apt for $662 a month in a gated community with a pool and every apt comes with a washer and a dryer in the unit. Sounds great right? Well now that were are expecting, we were worried about where we were going to put our child after the birth... The apt we fell in love with didn't have a layout that had room for a baby in any unit that we could afford. Even a 1 bedroom with a study was over $1000. Needless to say, we were going to be stuck with no room for a baby and a tight squeeze for us, Teddy, and our baby. Well when I was out with Melissa today, she had to drop off her boyfriend's apt keys because he moved in with her. I went in with her because she wanted to show me the place. Well I am glad I went in there!!!! It was a very open floor plan. I started to ask about price and she said we could ask when we went into the office. So when we went into the office we asked and they have a 750sqft apt for $719. It sounds like a lot more but here's the perks...

It is a 1 bedroom with a small study-perfect for a baby!!!! It comes with a washer and dryer, it's a gated community, and they do military discounts!!!! Oh and did I mention it has a pool? Yes this place is going to be perfect for us!!! We have already discussed it. Now we just need to take a look at the exact floor plan and move in!!! They have openings already whereas the other place had a waiting list... God really spoke to us on this one. :-)

The Big Surprise!!!

I love this one. Although I told a few of you and some of you are smart enough to figure it out without my calls or texts. Kevin and I are having a baby!!! I took a home test on Saturday with a digital test. I expected a negative test, but to my surprise it was positive and in bold letters it said pregnant. We promised each other we'd wait alittle bit to tell everyone, obviously we didn't make it a week. It's hard to hide such good news. I took another test on Monday. This one was a cheapy test from Walmart and again it was positive with a big bold + sign. I made my way around telling people here and there and adding a few hints. After awhile I figured we had told enough people to just tell everyone. lol Despite the situation involved, I am very excited that Ashley gets to share this experience with me. We are actually only 2 weeks apart. Her due date is Sept. 19th and mine (according to the internet) is somewhere between Oct 1-4th. We are talking everyday and we are making sure that we both are eating right and keeping each other updated on everything. lol It's cool that we can bond in a way so intimate like this. :-)

Ladies Night Out & Horse Poo-Eew

Last night I went with Kevin's cousin, Melissa to a local church event called Ladies Night Out. It was alot of fun. They served chick-fil-a and drinks. It was a tea party theme so there was lots of flavored teas. They had door prizes and a key-note speaker. Her name was Rhonda. She had a great story and a great message. I'm really excited about going to the next one in April. When I got home from the event I was tired and ready to relax and go to bed. But when I walked in the door I got hit in the face with a smell that reminded me of driving by Hwy D in Rogersville...horse & cow poop... I walked toward to kitchen to view my kitchen floor covered in dog poop. He had jumped up and down into the poop and up onto the gate. It was everywhere. I had to even give his paws a bath and there's still poop in the tub. It was completely disguisting. So I'm sorry if I grossed you out. It took me 20minutes to clean it up and hes been much better now. I think he's been reacting to Kevin's absence. Everyday is different with Teddy. He's good, he's a handful. Hopefully today and my new improved schedule for him will make things easier for him. We'll see...

Going to the Doctor

So I finally got my insurance and it kicks in on Feb 1st so I scheduled my appt for Feb 1st. lol I'm really excited about going to the doctor. I like meeting new people and starting all new. I also need to find a dentist too. I could use a good cleaning. :-) Tonight I am going with Melissa, Kevin's cousin, to a women's event at a church. Apparently its a big deal and they are serving good food. :-) Well I guess I need to figure out what I'm wearing and start making my way toward the shower... That's all for now.

The House is Empty and the Job Market is Slow

Well today Kevin left for Seattle. He will be gone about 6 weeks. I wish he didn't have to go but that's part of the military and his job. Thank goodness I have Teddy here with me to keep me busy & smiling. Also, the 5th grade math job that was available is no longer available. In addition to that perfect job the library job is also not available anymore. Wow the two jobs I was counting on are both gone in the same week. That puts damper on some things. However, on the bright side there still is a 8th grade science position available and I can also apply to be a camp counselor for the League City Summer Camp. I will need to get my CPR & First Aid certification to qualify for that job. Which in the end could benefit either job, especially because science = labs & chemicals. Time to get on top of the ballgame and continue praying. It appears that I need to get out of the house more and start making lots of calls to check up on my applications... In addition to getting out of the house, I plan on going to the doctor and dentist soon. Teddy also needs to go to the vet. I really need to get this house in order and get my employment plans in order before Kevin gets home. Here I come Motivation!!!

Kevin's Birthday!!!!!!!

Today is Kevin's birthday!!! SO I went to walmart and got his favorite, ice cream cake. I also got him Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 which he really wanted for Christmas but we couldn't do it at the time. It's gonna be a great evening!!! I'm making a southwest chicken salad for dinner. By the way if you didn't see my recipe for the southwestern chicken skillet you should it was SO good. In fact we had left over rice and Kevin is eating right now. We added red kidney beans to increase the protein. Yummy!!! Teddy is doing good. He has almost mastered going p**p on the puppy pad but going p** is another story. As long as he urinates in the kitchen we are happy. He's getting better. Anyway, that's all for now. I'm going to spend time with my hubby!!! :-)

Graduate School

Ok so for quite some time now I've been thinking about graduate school. I've wanted to get my master's in library science for almost 2 years now. Now that I have completed my Bachelor's, I'm free to attend graduate school and to move forward with my educational life. I have been looking at North Carolina Central University for a couple weeks now and I'm ready to begin my application process... but my big challenge is finding 2 individuals that I trust to write positive letters of recommendation. Right now I'm thinking my supervisor and my math CT. However, I spent more time in the library when I was with my science CT. I don't know... I am confident in my ability to attend and succeed in grad school but I think I still get nervous at times...

Teddy Updates

Well for all you who haven't seen his picture on facebook here is a picture of my new little baby.

He is doing really good since the first night. We picked him up on Friday and we've had two nights with him. He slept really good the first night but last night he cried for a long time. He also cries every time we leave the house. But we stand outside to see how long he cries. Sometimes hes cries alot and loud and other times he just whippers for 1-2 minutes. We are usually woken up around 5-7am by his cries in the morning and Kevin is really hating it. Mainly because he had problems sleeping before and this is torture especially on a weekend morning. We have been putting Teddy in the Kitchen at night because it is a good sized area and it's easy for us to shut the door on one end and put the gate up on the other. I have been teasing Kevin that our lives lives with change in similar ways when we have babies. Anyway, I'll share more tomorrow Kevin is asking about dinner...

Day 16

Well we got a new addition to our little family yesterday!!!! Kevin got me the cutest Yorkie-poo puppy. He is 11 weeks old and we named him Teddy. Last night was his first night with us. He did a good job and went potty on the puppy pad when we got home but we've had a few accidents since then. He cried pretty bad when we left to go get dinner but he passed out on the couch which made for an easy bedroom departure. I carried him to his bed in his blankie and he was quiet til about 5:40am when he started to yelp again. I spent a hr in the kitchen with him before Kevin had me bring him to bed when we managed to get about 2-3 hrs more sleep. The best part was when I snuck out of bed and my two boys were snuggled up passed out. I was able to clean up the kitchen and make a yummy breakfast which I will feature on my cooking blog later. I'm sure I will have lots to share as the days and weeks go by. This little bundle of joy is going to be alot of fun!!! ;-)

Day 12

Well today is just another day around the house. I've got several things I need to get done but I'm lacking motivation. I'm still alittle upset with some things that went on yesterday with some people. I understand where everyone stands, but I'm just tired of asking people what I need to do to please them. I need to please myself. I am almost 24 yrs old, I have a college education, and I'm married. If I got a teaching job tomorrow would it really make a difference? Or would I need to teach for 10 years before I can do anything else? I am old enough and mature enough to make decisions on my own now. I am not 5 yrs old. I am very smart and responsible. I just don't understand. What are people really trying to say to me? Wait wait wait. Wait for what? for my life to surpass me. Wait til I'm too busy for anything else? I know people who are so into their job/career that they don't have time for their families let alone trying to add to it. I am not like that. I appreciate your concerns and ideas on what I should do, but I've followed them for far too long and now it's time for me to do my own thing. So step back, understand, support, and respect. Don't forget that I'm family and that we all love each other no matter what...

Day 11

Hello Monday Morning!!! Kevin and I had a great weekend. Friday night we went out for pizza. Kevin really wanted to try this new pizza joint called Ba-da Bing Pizzeria. The name is based off the Sopranos, so Kevin wanted to see how Italian it really was especially since it's in TX. He hasn't really been too impressed yet. The result was wonderful!! Kevin loved it, said it's the best pizza he's had out here. We had the pesto chicken pizza. It was really good. I was impressed that the pesto wasn't slimy and runny. It tasted good cold too. :-) We also went to Rooms-to-go Friday night to look around for a new bedroom set. I loved one called Manhattan but Kevin picked one called Granby. The Granby was more expensive and he wasn't really into compromising yet, so we are still looking.
Saturday was kind of a lazy day. We slept in til around 11am and had yogurt and pizza for breakfast. We went out to Old Navy, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart, had dinner at Pho Tran-which is now closed, it was their last day. lol At Walmart, we got some organization/storage buckets and Sunday we put them to use, going through parts of the house that needed de-cluttering. We slept in again on Sunday after staying up later watching Forest Gump Saturday night. So overall it was a pretty laid back weekend. So now this week is about getting to bed early, avoiding take-out, and hopefully getting an interview or a job!!! :-)

Later on Day 8

Ok so today turned out to be great!!! I have been up since Kevin got up to go to work. I finally crawled out of bed around 9:45am and I got dressed, etc... I made my way to the City Hall where I dropped off my application for the library. Then I drove through the parking lot (literally) to the Library. I got a library card and checked out 4 books. lol One of the books is so great that I might buy it!!! I also got 2 cookbooks and Yoga for Dummies. Kevin got me this yoga DVD that I've done once. lol But I thought maybe I could read up on how to do some of these things before I try it again...aka I'm just being lazy. lol Hey I'm being honest. Anyway, I'm taking Kevin to Ba-Da Bing Pizzeria tonight since they finally opened. We went there once but they weren't open yet. Then we may stop by Rooms-To-Go because I found 3 bedroom sets that I LOVE!!! And they come with 2, yes TWO nightstands!!! Thank the Lord!!! You never get 2 nightstands with a bedroom set even though you should. Anyway, I'm excited about that. Also Kevin wants to rent a movie so we will probably find a McD's redbox so we can use our free coupons. I also continued to research schools for my M.L.S. program. I'm so serious, if I get that Library job I'm going to get my master's. Although the $ for the teaching job is much better, I think the library job will be better for me in the long run. Now if I get an offer for the teaching job then obviously I will take it, but until that happens I'm gonna pray for the library job. :-) Well my honey should be home soon!!!

Day 8

Well last night didn't turn out as well as the night before. I made a yummy whole wheat pasta dinner with basil, baby spinach, lemon, and olive oil, all topped with grilled salmon. It was delicious. Dinner was great. Kevin loved it. However, I was alittle more emotional yesterday than I have been. I'm adjusting pretty well to the move, but I am feeling lonely since I haven't got a job yet and Kevin works during the day so it's not like it was when I was back in MO. I am very happy to finally be living with my husband. I just need a job to fully transition to the move.
Kevin has been working late the last few days which has made him very tired. We haven't managed to get in bed before 9:30pm like we would like so he has been alittle cranky too. We need the weekend to get here so we can catch up on sleep and get our emotional stability back in whack. The high today is going to be 36 with wind chill in the teens. Not that the temps compare to those going on in MO but these are the coldest we have experienced here. I'll try to update again later...since it is 6:40am...

Day 7

Well last night turned out pretty good. I was watching Everyday Italian with Giada and I got so interested in her "spa-day" recipes that I printed them off wrote down what we didn't have in the house for them and ventured off to walmart to get the supplies. I really impressed Kevin with the Artichoke & Tomato Panzanella along with the Grilled Chicken we had already planned on for dinner. The Panzanella was SO good!!! We were also lucky enough to have 2 servings leftover that we will add to the dinner menu again tonight. Tonight we are having a delicious Salmon dish that includes whole wheat pasta, lemon, basil, and baby spinach. Another delight from Giada. Luckily these recipes are very clean and healthy and since Kevin is trying to eat healthy this was perfect. Not to mention that last night was the first time I cooked a healthy meal all by myself in our kitchen. I'm a killer when it comes to breakfast...but I'm still working on my lunch/dinner skills. :-)
Today I plan on making my way up towards the library where I'm applying. I have been lazy in getting a stamp to mail my application so I may just drop it off and then check out the library and work on getting a library card. If I check out books, I will learn my way around the library, and force myself to get out of the house, also I will benefit myself my doing something other than laying in bed watching GAC and surfing the net for hours upon hours... Here's to a new day and a great one at that!!!

Day 6

Well I'm still unemployed and actually getting very irritated with the fact that I haven't got a job yet. However, I can't be too upset because I have discovered that I'm still scared to leave the house without Kevin. - which I really can not be because in 2.5 weeks he will be going on a 5 week deployment. Then I will be forced to leave the house. I wish I had a job so badly. I want to make friends and start my new life here. On the bright side, we managed to get a nice bookcase to house our joint collection of books and the rest of (all of my) our dvds that don't fit on the two dvd stands.
Last night was the first night we went to bed earlier than 9pm this week only to be woken up at 2am by our "lovely" neighbor above us. His bed is quite squeaky...needless to say we are overly ready to move out of this place. We've already picked a place to move into this March, we just have to wait for a unit to open for us to move into. Oh and not to end on a bad note but my desktop has several horrible viruses and I have to save what I can so I can do a system recovery on it.-totally irritating. Anyway I had cereal for breakfast and yummy udon noodles for lunch. I believe Kevin and I are going to have grilled chicken for dinner, I get to have mushroom rice with mine and he's having a sweet potato. I wish it was easier for us to eat healthy together instead of just one of us...I know it will get easier soon enough. Thanks all for now.

Happy New Year!!!

Well it's 2010 and I officially live in TX with Kevin. Our marriage has been an interesting one for sure. ;-) After getting married in July and then living in different states until I finished my student teaching and graduated. Which graduation was great!! I managed not to cry when they called my name although I desperately wanted to. It was a huge accomplishment and I still feel like I'm floating. One thing is for sure though, I'm not digging this unemployed thing at all. In fact I strongly dislike it. Yes it's nice to sleep in and lounge around in my pjs all day but I feel like I have nothing to do. What? clean the house? oh please I'm not built to be a housewife. I'm a working woman. And not just that but I've been consistently going to school for the last 18.5 years. Ok so most of my life. I feel empty like I'm supposed to keep going to school. The more I thing about it, the more I'm like, "ya that's a good idea. Get my Master's degree." I have been looking into getting my master's for over a year in a half and I've already narrowed down what to get it in. I want a Master's in Library Science. I know you're probably thinking library science? Yes I want to work in a library. I love books. I love to read. I just have found it hard to read during stressful semesters and it has been awhile since I have read anything solid. However this past semester I read a book talk with with some of my students at Cherokee Middle School. It turned out to be a good book and a great conversation starter. As you can see I was kind of in the mood to ramble alittle bit about life. Well I guess that's all for now. Best Wishes and Happy New Year!!!