Blogs

http://kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com/

http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/

I've come across these blogs recently. This isn't exactly the ideal time for me to be reading them, but it does make me grateful that everything has been great with Emma up to this point. And it makes things like numbness in my hands seem pretty trivial. I just want Emma to come home healthy.

Our due date is exactly 4 weeks from this Friday. Unbelievable. Part of me still wonders what I'm going to do with a baby. I don't know anything about babies. It's terrifying.

Courtney!

http://www.theledger.com/article/20090423/COLUMNISTS/904235070/1117/SPORTS?Title=Lee-Is-Stepping-Up-for-Magic

I'm still a little bitter that Nick wouldn't let me name Emma Courtney Lee.  But I'm pretty sure he's just jealous (Courtney is only 3 years younger than us, starting in the NBA playoffs and getting paid millions...).  At least I got something autographed while I could.  Not that I'd sell it now.  But it's kind of cool that someone I used to see everyday is doing so well in the NBA.  

Nat Geo

Forgot to mention...last night (actually early this morning) as I was lying on the couch and not sleeping, I did get to watch a cool show on National Geographic about volcanoes.  It talked about Hawaii's volcanoes, but also what could potentially happen to the earth because of our volcanoes.  Pretty much we're all going to be extinct one day, killed by either a super volcano or a monster tsunami.  I always like watching shows about Hawaii, so it was cool.  As cool as a tv show can be at 3:00am.

Ick

So it seems like the days of having a (relatively) easy pregnancy are over.  I have apparently developed carpal tunnel, which makes typing all day lots of fun!  Actually daytime is preferable to nights, where my hand and arm hurts and yet is numb at the same time.  According to Wikipedia:  Night symptoms and waking at night--the hallmark of this illness--can be managed effectively with night-time wrist splinting in most patients. So tonight I'm going to buy a brace.   I've also read that I can rest my hand for 2 weeks, take aspirin, have shots, or have surgery.  So let's hope the splint works.  I know it will go away after Emma is born, and is because of the swelling, and exacerbated by my typing.  I have developed an ear infection too.  I went almost 27 years and never had one, but it really hurts.  Now I know why little kids scream when they get them.  For real, I wish I could do that.  I also think that some of my vitamins keep me up.  My prenatal vitamin used to affect my sleep, so I changed when I took it.  Now I am taking iron too, which makes me feel weird sometimes.  Also, Sydney apparently has a urinary tract infection.  Which means another meaningless visit to the vet, a big bill and antibiotics that don't work.  Awesome.

Other than not sleeping, having carpal tunnel and an ear ache, and a sick dog, everything is great!  We had our first shower last week and got some cool stuff.  Our bags for the hospital are packed (mostly) and the nursery is finished.  My birth plan is done (I think), and I'm going to go over it with the doctor today.  Emma is still moving like crazy.  I thought I was supposed to feel her less as she had less room to move, but apparently no one told her.  The doctor always has a fun time listening to her heart, because she moves away every time.  But apparently her heart rate increases after she moves, which is good.  She gets the hiccups a lot now.  I feel bad for her...the hiccups are no fun.  

I've missed these

How long has it been since I've done a survey?!  I used to love these things.  On an unrelated note, I'm confused as to how my feet and hands can both swell at the same time.  Shouldn't the fluid go to one area or the other?  

1. What color is your toothbrush?
Not sure, it was a free one from the dentist.  I always buy a blue one at the store though.

2. Name one person who made you smile today:
Sydney, although it was more an exasperated smile (you're seriously trying to crawl over your sister?)

3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning:
Eating breakfast at work

4, What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
watching Friends

5. What is your favorite candy bar?
depends...butterfinger, reese's, snickers, crunch, krackle...just depends on my mood

6. Have you ever been to a strip club?
no

7. What is the last thing you said aloud?
hold on

8. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
mint chocolate chip

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?
water

10. Do you like your wallet?
yes, it matches my purse

11. What was the last thing you ate?
oreos from the cheesecake i tried to make (haven't tasted it yet, so we'll see how it turns out)

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
no

13. The last sporting event you watched?
The Masters on TV (I know, I HATE golf, but I wanted Kenny Perry to win).  I'm going to see the Hot Rods tonight...also, the Magic start the playoffs soon (how awesome is Courtney?)

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
Lots of butter

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?
I don't text much

16. Ever go camping?
not really, but I'd like to

17. Do you take vitamins daily?
Yes, lots

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?
Yes

19. Do you have a tan?
no, and I doubt I'll get one this summer

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza?
sometimes

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
in restaurants

22. What did your last text message say?
Tornado Watch

23. What are you doing tomorrow?
Work, Hot Rods game

25. Look to your left, what do you see?
end table covered with junk

26. What color is your watch?
silver

27. What do you think of when you hear Australia?
I'd like to go there

29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Usually drive thru unless it looks faster to go inside

30. What is your favorite number?
10

31. Who's the last person you talked to on the phone?
Nick

32. Any plans today?
today is almost over, so other than going to bed, no

33. How many states have you lived in?
1

34. Biggest annoyance right now?
people that drive me nuts.  Have you noticed that you can't go anywhere anymore without running into someone incompetent?  Restaurants, grocery store, AT&T (!)...seriously, I think it says something about our education system.  People can't count money anymore (what, are we the only people on the planet that use cash still?).  

35. Last song listened to?
I don't know, something on Pandora

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
no

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house?
ha no, Nick would kill me.  Also, he cleans a lot, and he's free

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Whatever I can fit on my feet...nothing is comfortable anymore

39. Are you jealous of anyone?
no

40. Is anyone jealous of you?
doubt it

41. Do you love anyone?
yes

42. Do any of your friends have children?
yes

43. What do you usually do during the day?
work, cook dinner/church/whatever activity we have that night, eat, shower, some tv, bed...sounds exciting, I know

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
No.  It's kind of cool to be old enough that you can just not see people you don't like.

45. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
Yes, when I answer my phone

46. What color is your car?
white

47. Do you like cats?
not particularly, but I don't hate them.

48. Are you thinking about someone right now?
Emma!

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
no

50. How did you get your worst scar?
had a cyst removed on my wrist

I love spring...minus the wasps

It's supposed to storm again today.  I love storms, although ours never turn out to be much.  We have a tornado watch about once a week.  I'm always leery of hail, but Nick thinks I'm being silly.  I try to tell him about the softball-size hail we had in '98, but he doesn't believe me.  I wasn't here, so I don't have pictures.  But I do have pictures of our house and vehicles.  I think that's probably (hopefully) going to be a once in a lifetime thing though.  Hope so, since I can't fit my car in the garage anymore.  But as long as the mower stays dry, right?

I enjoyed the long weekend, even though we were kind of busy.  We bought some things for our landscaping, and Nick planted most of it yesterday.  We got 2 trees this year also.  In a few weeks, I'll probably buy a couple of hibiscus trees, but other than that, I think we're finished.  He also made some space in the backyard for a small garden, and we have some vegetables to grow.  We had a few tomatoes last year, but this year we'll have lots (hopefully), plus some green beans, squash, zucchini, and I'm not sure what else.  We ended up getting our plants and trees at a nursery in Alvaton and the farmer's market.  It was a lot cheaper than Lowe's or Home Depot...and also, their selection was not too great.  Since we were in Alvaton, I got to eat at Split Tree BBQ.  Nick had never been there, and we never eat bbq (except Moonlite).  It was good!  Since we went to the farmer's market Saturday, I got some vegetables and grilled them with our chicken Saturday night.  I made potato salad too...we had a good dinner.  I love cooking.  Well actually, I mostly love eating a home-cooked meal.  Not the cooking itself.

I talked Nick into buying an iPhone.  He's had his Treo since we got married, and he complains about it a lot.  Also, I hate it.  He doesn't use any of the features, which seem hard to navigate.  He had originally intended to look mainly at the Blackberries, but the one he liked cost more than the iPhone and did less.  I'll miss my Blackberry, but only because of the email.  And I won't have a need for that much longer.  So today we're going to open our own account with AT&T.  It's the last thing that our parents still pay for, and it's not going to be cheap.  But I'm glad he has a phone now that can do more.  I want to be able to send him pics and video of Emma when we're at home and he's working.  Also, he keeps talking about wanting an iPod (for all the traveling he does obviously), so now he has one.  I'm excited about having someone I know on Twitter!

This is week 34.  Which means I only have 3 more weeks until 37.  Not that Emma couldn't come before then, but at 37 weeks, they won't try to stop her.  My bag is almost packed, but Nick thinks I'm nuts.  His bag is empty.  Even though he was 6 weeks premature...which would be this week.  I'll be glad to have my ankles back.  My feet are so swollen.  My fingers are too, although I can fit my wedding ring on again.  I keep waking up in the middle of the night with my hands asleep.  It's a weird feeling.

Pictures

Nick brought home flowers tonight. I've been talking about getting some tulips for awhile, so now I can plant some and keep them in the house.

Also, I got to take some pictures of Daisy this weekend. Daisy is Nick's dog, and I'd love to bring her home with us. But she's not house trained, and I'd never be able to leave her outside (even if we had the room, which we don't).

Easter

I feel like this is the first year that I've really stopped to think about the true meaning of Easter. For most people, it seems like it's about buying new dresses or hats, going to church for one of the few times during the year, eating out afterwards, fixing Easter baskets, and hunting for eggs with kids. I don't know why exactly this year is different; maybe it's because my relationship with Jesus has changed, or that I have the responsibility of teaching a dozen 4 years old about it, or because next year I'll have my own child to explain it to. Obviously Emma won't understand much next year, but it's kind of a daunting task to consider how we're going to talk to her about Jesus' death and resurrection. I know a lot of parents depend on the church to teach their kids, but we only see them for an hour each week. It's so cool to see the kids who have obviously been taught about Jesus at home...they get so much more out of it. I think having a child does make you really stop and think about things differently. Like how to make Eastern more than just bunnies and candy.

Swagbucks

I added a link at the top of my blog to Swagbucks. Apparently it's the popular way to search now. I've been using it for a few weeks, when I remember. I'm about to get my first Amazon gift card. If you want to sign up for Swagbucks, click on the link above and we can both earn. I'm about to be unemployed with a baby, so help me out!

Are we there yet?

We stayed up to watch the game (he was snoring, but claims he was "trying to breathe"). I should have gone to bed instead. It was a really boring game, and One Shining Moment wasn't great either. Last year's tournament was so much better.

I put on my wedding ring this morning, and it didn't fit. Also, it's freezing outside, but I have to wear sandals. Things I will NOT miss about being pregnant. Among others. Maybe it will actually get warm one day and stay that way. Although the bugs are out, which makes it an adventure to go outside. Is it weird that I'm more scared to be stung by a wasp than to give birth to a child? Do I have a delusional idea of pain?

We have childbirth class tomorrow night, and it's Grandparents' night. I think we only have one more class after that. I am now officially in nesting mode (or at least that's what they always call it). I've started writing my instructions for whoever takes care of the dogs while we're in the hospital, as well as my birth plan. I also started packing my bag this weekend. Plus, I made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, carrots and asparagus for dinner. I like to cook and all, but I don't usually fix big meals during the week. And then I baked a cake. And filed our taxes. Now I'm exhausted. I seem to be unable to sit for any period of time at all now. My feet hurt.

Forgot the Pictures