Ahhh....

Gingerbread Latte!! MMMMMMM good! It is that time of year. Starbucks holiday flavors are out!! WOOHOO!! I am ADDICTED to Gingerbread Lattes. Of course, now I get decaf, and I don't get them as often. BUT, when I do...MMMMMMMMMM.





















School at the new location has been going smoothly. Of course, the diet regulations are hard for some of the parents to follow when it comes to packing thier kid's lunches. At the Jewish Center, they are a dairy center, so no meat is allowed. Meat and dairy mixed is not kosher....SO, our kids can't bring turkey or ham sandwiches. They can bring tuna, salmon, PB&J, eggs, cheese and yogurt for protein, but that is hard for some parents to deal with. Unfortunately, when a child opens their lunch and we find meat, we have to pack it back up and not allow them to eat it. The kids have actually been more receptive to that than the parents.

Today I went to get my flu shot. It is a special shot for babies and preggers. Since I have asthma, I teach preschool, and I am pregnant I was told I HAD to have a flu shot. So, Travis and I went down to my docs office. Since I was "overqualified" for the shot I didn't have to pay the $30, and the lady looked at Travis and said, "I need to give you one, since she is pregnant." And, they didn't make him pay either!! My shot was half the size of his (because it is preservative free)!! :-)

The weather has been cool here the last few days!! I love it! Of course, by Monday it is supposed to be back up to 78. BOOOO!!! It is stinking November!!!!! GRRR.

You should check out Travis' blog. (link on the right). He has been out to the picket lines of the Writer's Guild strikes 3 days this week. He is writing a paper for one of his classes and he has gotten alot of interviews and what not. Anyway...it is pretty interesting. He got some more info today...so he will update again soon.

Ok kids...have a good weekend!!

Random things, and Pictures

Well, I hope you all enjoyed Owen's Halloween wishes on the last post. :-)
1. As a good many of you have noticed, I added a couple of little polls on the right side of my blog. I need an explanation from ALOT of you...Why in the WORLD are you so convinced that he will arrive at least 3 days (or more) early?? Seriously...leave me a comment and let me know this. Because I am convinced that he will be at least 3 days late...maybe even a week late. So...if you haven't voted on the polls yet...go for it!! BUT...please leave a comment on here and let me know what you voted for!!! So, those of you that have already voted need to leave a comment and tell me. For whoever voted that he will be small...bless your heart. :-)



2. Ok...on to other things. I had a baby shower yesterday and a baby shower last Sunday. They were both very nice and fun. Owen will definitely be well dressed.

Shower Number 1

(entry table, gift table, fun balloons, family friends Brice and Vicki)

Shower Number 2

(gift table, party favor)

3. Travis and I went to part one of our prepared childbirth class on Saturday. I really enjoyed it, and it was very interesting. This next Saturday is part two, and it will be the active stuff for pain management and what not. It should be fun.

4. The preschool where I teach had moved locations...we are now using rooms at the Malibu Jewish Center. They have been so nice and great to us. It should be a good time. The kids start tomorrow, so we will see how it goes.

5. I am officially in my THIRD TRIMESTER!!!! Crazy. I am on to the every two weeks doctor appointments. At my appt. last Thursday Owen's heartbeat was perfect, I was measuring exactly 28 weeks, and I discovered I have only gained 9 pounds (how in the world that is possible, I do not know). At any rate, I am right where the doctor wants me, and since everything looks and sounds great...I will for sure get to fly to Texas for Thanksgiving!!! WOO HOO!!!

6. We had orientation today at our new site for the parents. One of the dads asked me, "so, your ready to pop huh?" I responded, "nope, I'm only 7 months." His response to my response was, "DAMN!!" Geez, THANKS ALOT!!! I wanted to throw it in his face that I have only gained 9 pounds, but that probably wouldn't have made a difference. I am sure that other pregnant ladies get those types of reactions from people about how big they look, at least I HOPE I am not the only one. Am I the only one that it bothers?? I hope not.

7. I did go to the site of the preschool that burned down. I have pictures, but, I didn't figure anyone really wanted to see them, so I didn't post them here. If you really do want to see, then let me know in the comments and I will post a few.

That's all for now folks. Have a good week.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

No it's not a Jack'O'Lantern...

It's an Owen'O'Lantern!!!

Pictures and Things

I have to say, it is weird not going to work today. I am trying to relax and use it as a time to get things done - but under the circumstances, considering the reason I am not at work, it is sort of difficult.

The good news today is that the Santa Ana winds are almost non-existent today, and some of the roads have opened back up. Pepperdine resumed classes today, so Travis is across the street at the Law School. I am doing some laundry and getting the apartment ready for Travis' parents who arrive this afternoon. We opened the windows to try to air out the place, it smelled like a giant barbeque happened in here. It is smelling better. And all I have to say is thank goodness for Febreeze!! :-)

Ok...here are a couple pictures from the fire damage from right around this area. I don' have any pictures of the preschool site yet, hopefully on Friday.

This is a picture on part of the mountain directly behind out apartment building. You can see the green tree in the right side of the picture tha twas not burned. The rest of the mountain used to be green.

This is one of the parking lots at Pepperdine. Pepperdine is a very green campus, and the entire area surrounding these cars is nothing but black char.

This is a bank down the hill by Ralph's grocery store. Some embers blew over and caught this tower on fire and it collapsed.

This picture shows a field here in Malibu full of fire trucks.

Ok, now for a belly picture. This picture is a week late...sorry. This was at 26 weeks, I am now at 27 weeks. I look tired. Ha Ha.

Update on Fires (again)

When we left yesterday, I looked back behind our apartment building to see the flames coming down the hill. It was scary. Now, watching the news here it is crazy. I thought I was in danger, and we drove away fine. People's cars caught fire (not here at Pepperdine, but other places in Malibu) as they were trying to evacuate. The important thing to note is this: the news and websites keep spinning the Malibu fires as "celebrity homes in danger", etc. Well, so much more goes on here than just things involving celebrities. Malibu is not just about famous people. There are families and students and professors and working people. Many of them lost things, some everything. One of Travis' favorite professors lost his house. I have read and heard that some people were turning their noses up at the situation in Malibu, and some saying things like, "well, they deserve it" or "well, they can afford it." NO ONE deserves this. It is not ok to happen to anyone, I don't care who you are. Just because someone has money doesn't mean a devastating fire is not a big deal. And, not everyone here in Malibu has money.

We are actually back at our apartment on Campus now. We got home not too long ago. All roads are blocked off that lead to Pepperdine, so we thought it would be difficult to get back. But, at the road block we told the police we were trying to get back to our apartment. They asked for Travis' student ID and let us right through. So, here we are.



As far as other things go...the church where I work (worked), Malibu Presbyterian Church, was completely distroyed. We had some dear preschool pets, Rosy the rabbit, Sweetheart the guinea pig, and 4 ginormous goldfish - and they were all lost. It is terribly sad. I went to a meeting this morning at my boss's house with a few of the other preschool teachers and the pastor of the church. The church leaders are in good spirits, and confident that good things will come out of the situation. They had excellent insurance, and things will be covered. As the pastor stated, "the building burned, but the church didn't." And, that is the attitude they are taking. Which is good. So many churches in the area have offered help and there are places where they can hold services on Sunday mornings.



As far as the preschool goes, there are options they are exploring, and many locations have offered help for that cause as well. So, according to my boss, I am (and the other teachers) on a "vacation" for it looks like 2 weeks (at least) until they can figure things out.



It was very sad to watch the church building burn on the news. Especially the preschool wing and the playground.

This is a picture of the edge of the playground. The little house there is in the sandbox, well, it was. It is no longer. The preschool staff will probably go to the site of the preschool on Friday to check things out, and kind of grieve I guess. So, that will be an interesting day.

Travis' parents are supposed to come out here on Wednesday, and I have my first baby shower on Sunday. That should be fun, and hopefully all of the fires will be over by then. The Santa Ana winds just make the fires so much worse because they are so strong, hurricane force at times. But, they are supposed to go away by tomorrow evening...so, here's hoping.

We Are Fine!

Updated: Malibu Pres has burned, so we don't know what will happen with Jeri's job and the pre-school. There was a guinea pig in the church that we think didn't get out, but the rabbit was gone, and a few of the people who worked for the church did get in and get all of the important documents for the church and the pre-school, so thank goodness for that.

There is also a castle that looks over Malibu, which is a complete loss, it was someone's home. There are a few other buildings burning, but it's all away from us, so we are good. Just keep praying for all the people losing their homes and that everyone continues to be safe.

Original Post:
There is a fire in Malibu all around Pepperdine. We were evacuated, we got some of our stuff and are safe at our friend Allison's house. There are currently no flames on campus, and they keep all the buildings wet if the fire starts to come, so our stuff should be fine, although a little smoky.
It appears that Malibu Presbyterian Church has completely burned down, so we don't know where they will move the Pre-School, but as far as we know no one was at the church. It doesn't seem that anyone has been injured, so just pray that no one gets hurt or killed, and that no other buildings burn.

Again, we are safe and will try to keep you posted.

The Verdict is....

NO GESTATIONAL DIABETES!!!!!!! Hooray!!

Also...if you have looked at my ticker on the top of my blog...I am now below 100 days on the countdown to Owen!! Fun!

I have a funny story from work today. I hope it doesn't offend anyone...but I am going to put it on here anyway. It is something that a child said...unaware that they were saying anything wrong.

We were painting firetrucks in art today, and one little girl was there that has a bit of a speech problem. She is only three. Well, when kids create art, they get very proud and want you to notice every detail about their art. She said to me, "Mrs. Tidmore, look at my firetruck." EXCEPT: it did not come out firetruck. If you take out the "tr" and put another "f" instead, THAT is what she said. That's right. You said it right. She said, "Mrs. Tidmore, look at my fire*uck." She was saying firetruck, but that is not how it was coming out, thanks to her little speech issue. It was hilarious, but of course I couldn't laugh at her. And she kept saying it. Every time she added anything at all to her firetruck, she wanted me to notice it.

Anyway...have a good week.

UPDATE: well...one more couple in our apartments announced she is pregnant...so that makes 5 of us having babies. Although, there is one down because one baby was born lat night! It is going to be so much fun around here!!

In Case You Were Wondering...

I survived today. Just barely. I won't get the results from the GD test until Monday, but my terrible 1/2 day is finally over and I can put it behind me (at least for this pregnancy).

It was worse than I imagined it would be. I really didn't think the drink could get that much worse. BUT, I was oh so wrong. IT.WAS.HORRENDOUS. Half way through drinking it I was BAWLING and telling Travis there was no way I could finish it. My stomach was already killing me, as I had not eaten anything in many, many hours - that made it so much worse. I was gagging as I drank it, and, so sorry for the graphic descriptions - but I was literally swallowing to keep the vomit down. It was so terrible. We took our portable DVD player so we could watch DVD's while we sat in the waiting room. (we got there at 7:00 am, left at 10:45 am)

Before I drank the mess, they took my blood. Then they gave me the drink and I went out to the waiting room where Travis was to drink it. Then I was supposed to let them know, exaclty one hour from when I finished it, when to take my blood every hour for the next three hours. So, I finished the drink at 7:38 am (yes, it took them that long to even draw my blood the first time and give me the drink), and at 8:38 am I had the first blood taken. I was hanging in there, not feeling good at all, but I was still upright. Well...about 15 minutes after she took my blood that first time I started feeling SO SO terrible. I was light headed and really nausiated. I was so sick, Travis told me I needed to tell them. So, I went up to the desk and the nurse took one look at me and told me to come back to a room. And, that room is where I laid for the next 2 blood tests, while we watched "How I Met Your Mother" season one on DVD.

By the time the last blood test was taken my nausea was subsiding, but my stomach was hurting so bad from hunger. So...we went to a little place we had never been before to eat. We had seen it from the highway (it is on Pacific Coast Highway, between Santa Monica and Malibu), but I always thought it was a bar, so I never even thought about the place. Well, we saw it on a Food Network show called "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." IT WAS AWESOME!! It is called Patrick's Roadhouse.

It is a little hole in the wall joint with a great atmosphere, and I am bummed that we didn't find it before now. Anyone that comes to visit us between now and the time we leave here will be eating at Patrick's Roadhouse. Another great thing about that place: right behind it is a hidden little Mexican restraunt whose sign reads "TEX MEX." HOORAY!!! I am so excited to eat there. Maybe I will like it. The Mexican food out here is so not good. At all.

So, after my bad experience at the doctor's office it was nice that my day was redeemed by such a yummy place to eat. My body was so happy to have some protien in it!! I got eggs and bacon and the BEST whole wheat toast I have ever had. Everything had a really good flavor. And the price was way affordable, not like most of the restraunts in this area. Hooray for great finds!!

Well, now that I have bored you to tears, I will leave you to watch "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Network. :-)

Thanks for "listening" to my venting about my bad experience. I was told by the nurse that most women that have to take the 3 hours glucose test get pretty sick, so at least I wasn't an odd ball. :-)

Annoyed

After taking the glucose tolerance blood test, I was told I would be notified within 2 business days if the results were less than desired. So...since Saturday is a business day for my doctor's office...today, 3 business days later than I was told initially I would be informed - I got the call from my dr's office that I need to come in and TAKE THE THREE HOUR GLUCOSE TEST. I am not going to lie. Curses came out of my mouth. Along with tears. The nurse told me on the phone, "the drink is the same number of ounces, but twice the glucose." I shrieked. She asked if I was ok. I told her no. The mere THOUGHT of drinking that putrid mess makes me vomit a little in my mouth. So, not only do I have to subject myself to the nastiness that is this "drink," but I also have to fast for 8 hours prior to arriving at the dr's office, and 4 hours after that. So, I will go 12 hours without eating or drinking anything. I will NOT be a pleasant person. IF I don't eat every 2 to 2 1/2 hours I get VERY cranky. So, no telling what I will become when not only can I not eat or drink, but my stomach is full of sugar. VOMIT. I am starting my prayer now that I won't vomit.

Also...I need to take two iron supplements a day because my iron is too low. Fabulous. What else??

Also...a mother asked me last week, "so, your almost 9 months right?" my reply, "No...just 6." Today, the SAME mother said to me, "So...any minute now huh? That baby is ready." WHAT?!?!?! Did I not just tell you 6 days ago that I am ONLY 6 MONTHS PREGNANT?!?! Come on. That made my day...then I get home to a phone call from my doctor's office.

Needless to say...I am not in a very good mood, and I am pretty bummed about the prospect of having to drink that mess again. Not to mention that I DO NOT want Gestational Diabetes. And it seems pretty strange that I could have it considering my diet consists of VERY little sugar since I got pregnant. I guess if you don't eat sugar or sweet stuff, anyone would come up as diabetic on a blodd test after being made to drink 12 ounces of pure glucose. SICK.

So...my Friday will be spent in the dr's office, hopefull not puking.

TO TOP THIS ALL OFF: we just had a fire drill. Ridiculous. At 8:30 pm. There are tiny babies that go to bed early, and they went around and knocked on everyone's door and even made the tiny babies be woken up and taken outside into the cold. RIDICULOUS. We don't need fire drills. We are adults. We know what to do if there is a fire. GRRRRR.

This just in...

Travis felt Owen kick for the first time tonight. :-) It was fun. Then he sang the following song to my belly:

(to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)

Twinkle Twinkle Little Owen

How I wonder what you're doin'

Hangin out in your momma's belly

One day you'll have peaunut butter and jelly

Sometimes it definitely looks like I have an alien in my belly. My stomach moves all over the place, it is funny.

Anyway...Have a good week!

'Tis the season...

Well, not the Christmas season, but my FAVORITE season. October through the beginning of January is my favorite time of the year!! Now it will be through the end of January...since Owen will come then. I love seeing pumkins out and halloween decorations. My favorite actual holiday is Thanksgiving - that is when my entire family gets together, and eats until we are sick. :-) Several times. After we eat you can spot any member of my family sleeping on a couch or bed somewhere in the house, or eating, again! It is fun! Then comes my birthday...and not that we do too much to celebrate that but we always at least go to dinner with friends which is nice. Then it is Christmas, and I just generally like the feel of that time of year. New Years isn't far behind and that is fun because the year changes. And this coming January we will have another tiny person in our house....which brings me to my next topic.

Yesterday I had a doctor appt. I had to drink the nasty glucose drink for the blood test for gestational diabetes. IT.WAS.HORRIBLE. I will not lie, it is the MOST DISGUSTING thing I have EVER put into my body. I have had an aversion to sweet things since I got pregnant (which is against my normal cravings). So, drinking that drink was not something I was looking forward to. People told me it really wasn't that bad, so I had kind of prepared myself for something gross, but doable. NOT. I was gagging and really struggling to keep that crap down. I was literally in tears. It was so bad. I can't handle things that are too sweet these days, it makes my stomach really hurt and it stirs up the little saliva glands that get going right before you puke. It was quite difficult for me. But, I DIDN'T puke!! WHEW. I did NOT want to have to drink that again. I am just hoping that the test is negative for gestational diabetes, because the thought of having to drink that stuff again makes me sick.

The doctor also took a look at Owen. Owen does not like it when I eat really sugary things either. It makes him lethargic almost. Anyway...he is so much less active when i eat that stuff than when I eat healthy things. Sugar does not pump him up it knocks him down. So, she put the wand on my stomach and the poor kid was just laying there with his arms over his head waving his hands. He was also opening and closing his mouth which was cute. His heart beat was great. We discovered that he has VERY long legs. Which is good, because I have virtually no legs. :-) I hope Owen is at least as tall as Travis. The doctor also told us that we have a REALLY BIG BOY on our hands. She told us to prepare for a baby over 8 pounds. I am only 6 months pregnant, and she is already telling me my kid is huge. Scary. She also told me to be prepared for the possibility of a C-Section since I am petite and Owen is not. :-)

I know doctors are wrong all the time regarding the size of babies when they are born, so, maybe Owen won't be over 8 pounds. Travis was 8 lbs 12 oz. AHHHHH. I was only like 6 1/2 lbs, if I am getting that right. Is that right Mom? Anyway...I might be giving birth to a toddler. ha ha We will see. I am definitely all baby. My stomach is getting bigger by the hour.

Anyway...I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Random Bits

Not alot to say, but bits and pieces. So, I will do another random blog.

1. Britney Spears. I am not even going to touch the entire situation with the custody of her kids - BUT, I will say that I wish people would leave her alone about her VMA performance. Not that the actual performance was good, because it wasn't. It was terrible, in fact. However, people are ragging on her about how fat she was and how terrible she looked. Now, despite her ragged hair extensions, I honestly thought she looked fabulous for having given birth to 2 kids.

2. There is a little girl at school that has a speech issue. She is cute. She calls me Mrs. T wars.

3. Another little girl told me that I should name my son Candy Randy or Baby Boy Tony. HA I don't think so. :-)

4. I get pretty tired of parents at school telling me how I should give birth. Most recently, a mom told me that having a baby without an epidural is the most dangerous and life-threatening thing you could do. Hmmm...I HIGHLY doubt that. What did everyone do before the epidural was invented? Now, I don't knock those ladies that have had an epidural - but since I can't have one (due to rods in my back), I have been left to explore my other options...looks like natural is the only other option. ha ha And, I am ok with that. But this particular mother was APPALLED that I was even considering natural birth, and told me that I was basically taking my life into my own hands. Holy cow lady. Get a grip. God didn't create the epidural in the first 6 days, so I think I will be okay to join the other millions of women that gave birth without it.

5. I have a scar from when I had my belly botton pierced. It is slowly moving it's way up my stomach. It is funny. It isn't a small scar anymore. It is stretching. Good thing I am not much of a vain person. I think it is kind of funny to see where my scar will be every couple of days.

6. I am tired, and up WAY past my bedtime.

7. Goodnight.

Kids are Funny UPDATED WITH PIC

Today was a busy, crazy day at work. But, some funny things did happen.

1. A little boy and a little girl were playing playdough together. They said they were making pizzas, so I asked them what kind of pizzas they were making. The little girl replied, "CHEESE!!" and then the little boy (4 years old) said, "Prosciutto/fungi." He said this completely seriously. I couldn't help but laugh. Leave it up to a Malibu kid to prefer prosciutto and fungi over cheese. So bizzare.

2. I was standing next to a little girl (4 yrs old) and she looked up at me and said, "you know, I think your gonna have a baby." I said to her, "what gave it away??" She just laughed.

3. Another little girl (3 yrs old) walking next to me said, "whoa, look at your belly. It is getting so big. Probably because the baby is getting so big, huh?"

4. The same little boy that tells me he loves me all the time walked into my room and hugged me and rubbed my belly and said, "Oh Mrs. Tidmore, I'm so glad your baby is still in your belly." ha ha I said, "ME TOO!!"

Ok, I am 23 weeks tomorrow. So, I will probably post a belly pic on this same post as an update, so check back.

Here is my 23 week belly shot. Not great, but it'll do.

Relief

This first week of school is over. Whew. It was EXHAUSTING. I could barely do anything when I got off work. I am so glad today is Friday and I get off early on Fridays. :-) We went to Motherhood Maternity after work because I needed a pair of jeans. I actually got my jeans that I have been wearing the last couple months on ebay. They worked out great, but I have outgrown them. I wore the jeans on Tuesday and they still fit me okay (not great), but today when I wore them they were very uncomfortable. I must have had a growth spurt! ha ha

It is VERY cloudy here and chilly outside. I love it. It has not rained here in about 6 months, so I am hoping it rains tonight.

Today I sort of freaked out one of my kids without meaning to. It is the same little boy that told me he missed me this summer and asked if he could meet "my boy" when he comes out. Well, today he was in front of me and jerked his head back and got my belly. It didn't really hurt, but I said, "you bonked my baby." He said, "OH NO!!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry Mrs. Tidmore. I'm so sorry." He was pretty distressed. I told him it was no big deal it didn't hurt me, I was just kidding with him. And he said (with HUGE eyes), "Did I hurt your baby?!?!?" Poor kid. I assured him "my boy" was fine. I felt bad that I made him upset. Oh well.

Is this guy for real???

So, this guy is suing God?!?! What?? I mean, come on. What does he expect to gain out of this? Read the article here:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297121,00.html

In other news, today was the first day of school at work. There's a whole new batch of little guys. They are exhausting. I am so tired. There is one little boy that was there last year. This is his last year before he is off to kindergarten. Anyway, he is a bit of a bahavior problem - but for some reason he REALLY likes me. So, today as he comes into my room he hugged my belly and said, "Oh Mrs. Tidmore I love you." Then he rubbed my belly and asked me, "Can we please meet your boy when he comes out?" He is very sweet. Last Friday at orientation he ran up to me and hugged me. When I asked how his summer was he told me, "It was all great, except you weren't there!!"

I also heard some funny pronunciations of my last name.

• Tigmorg
• Timwork
• Turdmore (the kid that said this was really small, and totally didn't know what he was saying!!)
• Tidmonk

These are all very original. Most of the parents still call me Mrs. Tidwell. It drives me nuts.

September Showers....

Bring October babies! Well, in this case it does. I went to a baby shower yesterday for a girl that lives in my building. She is due October 24. There are 4 of us having babies actually, 2 due in October, 2 due in January. I debated on posting this picture, because I look ginormous, especially compared to the other 3 tiny women in this picture. I blame it partly on the white shirt I am wearing, because white is NEVER slimming - and I will blame it on the fact that I am short, so my poor son is very cramped. Anyway, here is the Preggy Club.

Left to Right: Katherine- due October 12, Shellie- due October 24, Me- due January 23, Emily- due January 25

I color coded the names by what we are having!! Blue means boy, obviously, and pink means girl. Emily is green because she hasn't found out yet. She is very close to my due date and you can hardly tell she is pregnant. I really felt fat yesterday - I tried to laugh it off, but man, by the time I actually have this kid I will be HUGE. The other girls are still so tiny and cute, and then there is the white mass in the middle of the picture! Boo. They were all VERY tiny prior to getting pregnant, but still - they are still so tiny. Not fair.

So, yesterday my son was literally sitting on my bladder. For about 3 hours I was going to the bathroom EVERY FIVE MINUTES!!!! It felt like I had been holding it all day long - so I expected it to take a while to pee. (too much info, sorry - but I need to vent.) No. It took about 1/2 a second to pee, and I felt SO MUCH better. But then, 5 minutes later I felt like I had not gone in hours again. Like I said, this lasted 3 hours. Travis came home in the midst of this and could tell I was frustrated and asked what was wrong. I said, "your son is sitting on my bladder." He laughed. He has NO idea. Normally Owen just lets me know when it is time to empty my bladder by gently punching it. And by gently I mean it starts of soft, but if it takes me too long to get to the bathroom he starts wailing on it. Like I said, he has no room in there. If my bladder is full it is taking up his space. He doesn't like it. I don't like it either, simply because it really doesn't feel good when he uses my bladder as a punching bag. Although, I much prefer that to him just sitting ON my bladder for a few hours. I did not like that. At all.

Poor Owen. He is still so small and already fighting for his space. When he gets to be 5 pounds he really isn't going to like my bladder, or any of my other organs in there. I also have rods in my back which doesn't allow for much moving around of the insides. There was this mom at my school that I just felt so sorry for last year because she was pregnant and HUGE. I could tell she was uncomfortable. ALL the time. Well, I am afraid that will be me. It isn't Owen's fault, he can't help it. I've only gained three pounds - so my largeness is literally ALL baby (and the things that go along with that). Owen accounts for roughly a pound of that.

Alright kids. I am done here. Maybe I can find an outfit in my closet that won't make me look quite as large as I am to wear to church.

A few things...and a few pics

Nothing fabulous to blog about on its own really, so here is a list.

1. Our church had "cowboy church" today out at a ranch where movies used to shoot. It is funny, because many folks wear cowboy hats and cowboy boots. I am from Texas and I don't own either.

2. Upon arriving to the grocery store after church today we witnessed a mom coming out of the store with her set of twins, as well as her set of triplets. HOLY COW!! We were not the only ones shocked - there were many in the parking lot staring. 5 kids under 5 years old. No thanks.

3. When we were in New York and were in line to get into the Yankess game (boo, it was not worth it) there was a girl and her boyfriend standing right next to me. She says to her boyfriend, "Oh my god, there is a pregnant lady going to a baseball game. That is the dumbest thing I have ever seen." She was RIGHT next to me, and she was obviously talking about me as she was staring right at my stomach. Last I checked Baseball is "America's Favorite Pastime," not "people who are not pregnant's favorite pastime." I was pretty angry actually. I didn't know that I was not allowed to enjoy baseball anymore.

4. I start back to work tomorrow. I am not looking forward to it. I have enjoyed my time off. :-) Oh well, in a few months I will get another couple months of to hang out with my son! :-)

5. We went to the doctor yesterday, and we had confirmation that Owen is in fact a boy! The doc says, "yep, there's the little wee wee." Ok lady. You can say penis to me. I'm not 2.

6. When we were in New York, we took the subway a few times. It was ALWAYS packed. When I needed it the most, someone offered their seat to me. Once it was a teenage boy, and the other time it was a man probably my age in a business suit. It was nice. I know they probably just felt sorry for the sweaty pregnant lady, but that was ok with me. I needed to sit down. :-) So - THANKS to those two guys for giving a pregnant lady a break. It was hugely appreciated, and more than that unexpected.

Ok, here are a couple of pictures. Nothing too exciting, but pictures all the same.

This is the chapel at Princeton University

This is Travis and Kenny. Being silly. :-) Actually, me and Jennifer made them do this. But it didn't take much. ha ha

This is just my favorite picture of my son. Hopefully he will be this relaxed when he comes out! :-)

EDIT: please see disclaimer in comments regarding the guy's picture. :-)

From Coast to Coast

Last Wednesday morning we got up before the sun and got on an airplane to New York City - followed by a trip to Princeton, New Jersey to visit some good friends!! Many planes, trains, taxis and subways later...we are home!!

We had a really great time!! Wednesday evening in New York we met up with a couple friends that left Pepperdine recently and had dinner at a great Pizza joint! Our hotel was neat and not too far from Times Square, and from the window we could see the Hudson River.

On Thursday afternoon we went to a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium. Honestly, I wasn't impressed with the stadium, or the people there - so we only lasted through the first 3 innings.

Us at Yankee Stadium!

Thursday morning we decided to see what kind of tickets we could get to see Hairspray - Broadway style!! We lucked out and got second row center seats, and it was AWESOME!!! The cast included Lance Bass (of NSync fame, as Corny Collins), Ashley Parker Angel (from O Town, as Link), and Jerry Mathers (The Beav, as Tracy's dad). They were great.

Friday night we went to see Grease Broadway style!! It was so good!! We watched the reality show last season "Grease: Your the one that I want" and our two favorites won the roles of Danny and Sandy, so we were excited to go see it. Plus, I played Sandy in Grease one weird summer a few years back...so that made it more fun.

Us in Times Square

We went to Central Park and we went on a carriage ride around it!!

A Harry Potter Leggo Display at FAO Swartz.

After our fun time in New York City, we took a train to Princeton, New Jersey to stay with some good friends for a few days. We had a fun time with them and their kids. We hadn't seen Kennan (their son) since he was about 4 or 5 months old - and he is now 2 1/2. They also had a new baby a month ago, so it was fun to meet her! They took us around Princeton University and to the Jersey Shore (the Atlantic Ocean). It was good to see them. Here are a few pictures from our time with them.

Me with Kennan and Brayden

These are us at Princeton

Travis and Kennan at the shore.

Travis and Brayden

Us at the shore

Us and the Rigoulots.

And now for the fat picture! ha ha This is me at 20 weeks preggo!!

Whew...

Well, I just turned in my final version of my thesis project. I am DONE!! WOO HOO!!!

As promised, here are a few pictures from our 3D/4D ultrasound. They don't look that great on the computer, they are much nicer on the paper. But anyway...here they are. The descriptions are under the picture.

Here is Owen with his little hand in his mouth. You can see his head, obviously. That is his hand in his mouth, and his little arm and elbow. If you look down you can see his little legs are crossed indian style!

Here is Owen relaxing! You can see his head again, and his little arm is resting there on his head. Both of his arms are up right behind his ears. His legs are stretched out in front of him and his ankles are crossed. This is my favorite picture. It's like he is chilling in a hammock!

This one is mainly his head and arm by his ear. I think he was palying with his ear.

I am going to Abilene on Friday to take my cousin to COLLEGE!!! I haven't been to ACU in a few years, so I am excited to be back in Abilene for almost a week. :-)

Anyway...that's all for now. Enjoy.

It's A.......

BOY!!!

We had our fun 3D/4D ultrasound and Tidbit is very obviously a boy! :-) We were so excited to know that we went right out and registered!! We will post some of the pics later. Just wanted to post what we are having.

Oh his name is Owen Parker.

one week left!!

well, I have only one week left until I finish my master's degree. I CAN'T WAIT!!! I can actually relax, and read a book for fun!!! And work on Tidbit's scrapbook, and maybe sew a little!! I can't wait!!! The last year and a half has revolved around school, so I will be glad to do some things for myself!! :-)

We had a doctor appt today and got to hear Tidbit's heartbeat for the first time!! It was great! Tidbit was moving all around so she kept having to chase it. It was funny. She also did a quick peak for us and we got to see Tid swimming around. He/she is pretty active. It was very fun. That was the first time I cried at the doctor's office, actually. Every time we go it gets more real. We got a fun picture where Tidbit's face looks like Spiderman. I am sure Travis is thrilled for that.

I am having a 3D/4D ultrasound on Wednesday - so there is a chance (if the baby cooperates, they said) that we will find out if Tidbit is a boy or a girl!! The 3D/4D ones are supposed to be pretty accurate, since they can rule out little fingers or toes or umbilical cord getting in the way of the result. Who knows!! Maybe we will post Wednesday with some fun news. If not, we will at least have some really fun color and black and white pics of Tid. Should be cool.

sick

well, i knew i was going to get sick on Monday when 3 kids were absent with a stomach bug. Sure enough, yesterday I was SICK. I spent 7 hours at Malibu Urgent Care on an IV. My OB's office told me to try eating a peice of toast and drinking some water, if I couldn't keep it down to go in. So, we went in at 12:30 yesterday (to the urgent care) and left about 7. Blah. I feel much better now, for the most part. I was just dehydrated, and being pregnant they don't want you to get dehydrated. They wanted to admit me to the hospital, but I avoided that. ha ha Anyway...hope everyone else is doing ok.

Boo

Here I sit, skipping church (I know, I know...I'm terrible) because I have to finish a chapter in my thesis project. Yet, here I am posting a new blog. I can't help it. My brain isn't working right now, and I am about to lose it, so I needed a break.

I just ate a bean and cheese burrito, thinking about eating another becuase I am still starving - you'd think I hadn't eaten for weeks. I'm sure you wanted to know that.

I am tired of school. I only have 2 weeks left, but if it doesn't come soon I might just quit. (not really, but I am tired of being a student. Grad school takes too long. ha ha).

I took a break yesterday and went to lunch with a friend of mine. Travis was in San Diego Friday night and all day yesterday, so I was on my own. He was only gone a little bit, but it was terrible anyway. So, after lunch with my friend we went to get a manicure and pedicure, simply because I needed one - and I needed to waste a little bit more time not working on my thesis. Well, a girl that was also getting a pedicure started throwing a fit about something, so my friend and I looked over - and it was Eliza Dushku. Alot of you probably have no clue who she is, but she is an actress. She was very rude and snotty, big shocker.

After the fun pamper time, we got a coffee drink (decaf for me) and went over to Babies R Us for kicks, I guess. I wish I knew what Tidbit was. There are so many cute things, but not much of anything that you could buy for either a boy or a girl. Only 5 1/2 more weeks and we will find out, provided Tidbit cooperates. If you want to know the truth, I want to know so bad if it's a boy or a girl, I would almost be willing to put money on the fact that Tidbit will not show us when we go to find out. I mean, I would be happy with either a girl or a boy, but it is literally driving me nutso not to know!!

Last week at summer camp a little girl whispered to me "how's the baby?" It made me smile, she is so sweet. I think she thinks it is a secret that I am pregnant, even though at only 14 1/2 weeks it is pretty obvious. Well, I guess some people might just think I am getting fatter by the day. But there really is a baby in there. I promise. It is getting to the point where my belly looks like a pregnant belly and not just that little donut of pudge on the lower abdomen - you other preggies know what I am talking about, right?

Ok, I have officially wasted enough time, and I need to get back to work. Boo. Anyone want to write my paper for me?!?!? It's about behavior disorders....anyone?? anyone?? Ok, well, I guess I have to do it myself.

Cassie - thanks for posting. Of course I don't mind if you read the blog. And, I think we have met at least once. :-)

News

Thanks to everyone who chimed in on my food post. I got some great ideas. I also was able to find some turkey lunch meat at Trader Joe's that doesn't have any nitrites/ates. So, I got some of that and it has been like a little bit of heaven to eat it. :-) I am going to make some chicken salad, too. Several of you mentioned it and I LOVE chicken salad, I can't believe I didn't think to make it before. My aunt has a good recipe for it with grapes and some other weird stuff, but it is so GOOD!! I need to look at the protien bars and see what my options are. Also...I drank a Diet Coke today!!!!!! It tasted SO GOOD!!! I was so strict with myself during my first trimester, so I think I can ease up a bit.

BIGGER NEWS: I felt Tidbit today!! It was fun!! I thought I was having a little muscle spasm, and the lady next tome at work asked me if it felt like a butterfly. I told her it did a little, and she told me that was no muscle spasm!! Anyway...I felt it for about 20-30 minutes consistently. Then off and on for a couple more hours.

Anyway...that's all I have. Have a good weekend!

14 weeks

I officially start my second trimester today!! Woo Hoo!! If I was sick, I could expect that to go away soon, according to babycenter. And, I should also start to get my energy back. Travis will probably be excited about that. Maybe we could do something besides lay around the house. He probably has a list of movies he wants to see.

So...Tidbit is 3 1/2 inches long, about the length of a lemon. Babycenter tells me that I may start to show soon, well, I think babycenter is a little behind the game in my case. I started showing at about week 10. And yes, there is only one Tidbit.

Besides eating like a pig, nothing is going on with me. I can't take a break from eating long enough to do anything. Well, that's a lie. I have 3 weeks of my master's degree left. So, I am starting to get busy finishing stuff up, like my nasty thesis project that is looming over me. Boo. I am so ready to be finished. Then I can relax, I think. Maybe I will read an actual book, that does not involve education or behavior disorders. YEAH!! That sounds fun.

Need help from pregnant people (or people who have had babies)

I am hungry ALL THE TIME. And I mean, STARVING!! It seems like I cannot put enough food in my body. Oddly enough, I haven't gained a pound, but I eat like a pig. Anyway...here is my question:

I NEED PROTIEN. What do you eat?? Or did you eat?? I don't mean like for dinner (steak, chicken, etc). I was told that I cannot eat hot dogs or lunch meat becuase of the nitrites - so those are out. I can't eat nuts or peanut butter because those are high allergy foods, and since I have allergies if I eat them it makes the chances of Tidbit being allergic to them higher. SO...WHAT CAN I EAT??? I am absolutely FAMISHED during the day ALL DAY LONG. I eat hard boiled eggs, but those only last so long. I eat cheese, but I can only handle so much cheese. I eat yogurt and drink milk (YUCK!) but nothing seems to carry me longer than 15-30 minutes. Please help!!! Come on...Leah and Jennifer...what do you eat? Who else is pregnant and reads my blog?? I NEED YOUR HELP. Call all your pregnant friends and ask them for me!!! K?!?!? Please!! I am begging you!!

Happy Anniversary!!

(scroll down to the last post for preggy updates!)

Today we celebrated our 4th anniversary! It was a fun day. When I got off work at 1:30 we drove to the movie theater to see License to Wed (a decent, no brainer movie). Then we drove over to Claim Jumper for an early dinner, then sat on a bench by the fountain for a while, and ended our fun at Ben & Jerry's. Now we sit watching one of my kid's dads on TV. Crazy

We decided not to do gifts becuase we are going on a trip to New York next month!! We are so excited!

This last 4 years has been so packed full of stuff: graduating from college, crazy jobs, moving to California, Law School, Grad School, getting pregnant. And lots of stuff in between!!

It has been the best 4 years ever!!! Next year we will have a 6 month old, and things will be very different.

Happy Anniversary Trav. I love you a Real Otter.

As You Wish....

To start off this blog post, I will mention a fun sighting we had today. We went to Babies R Us this afternoon to look for something. I came around the corner and Travis, with a grin on his face, came up to me and whispered, "Cary Elwes is over there with his wife and baby." We walked a little, and sure enough, there he was!! His baby is super cute, too. The title of this blog is a Cary Elwes reference. Anyone know what movie???

So, we went to the doctor today for my check up. We were just expecting a quick conversation with the doctor and to be out of there quick. Well, the doctor decided to do an ultrasound (just a regular one, not 3D). We weren't scheduled for one, but she did it just for kicks I guess. I didn't turn it down!! Tidbit really looks like a baby now!! We could see the little head with the eyes and nose and mouth. We could see the little body, and the legs. Well, Tidbit decided to show off for us. At first it was just kicking, kicking, kicking away. Then it started jumping up and down, and then I saw on the other side of the head a tiny hand waving at us!! It was so cute!

This is kind of a cruddy picture, but if you click on it and make it bigger you can see the tiny thing better! So cute!!! :-)

This is my belly at 10 weeks. Already sticking out.

This is my belly at 13 weeks. I will be huge by the time I am 9 months.

Well, no more news for now! We are celebrating years tomorrow! :-)

8 things...

Ok, so Leah tagged me to tell 8 things about myself. Hmm, this will be hard, but I'll give it a shot.

1. I saw the new "Hairspray" movie a few weeks ago at a free screening, and it is my new FAVORITE movie!!!

2. I love "High School Musical". I know, I am a dork, BUT, my sister likes it too.

3. I love potatoes. I mean, the homemade, mashed kind, baked, fried, hash browns, any kind. I love them so much that I have made them about 5 or 6 times in the last 2 weeks. I think pregnancy has made me like them more.

4. I like television. alot. sad, but true.

5. I have a Dodger's Mister Potato Head!

6. I also have a Dodger build-a-bear.

7. I collect Cow Parade cows. www.cowparade.com

8. I can't think of an 8th thing. I'm boring, sorry.

Not that anyone else will do this, but I guess I will tag Lori and Jen.

sorry no updates

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Nothing new to say today...just wanted to let those couple of you know that updates are coming! :-) We go to the doctor tomorrow, and our anniversary is Thursday, so their will be plenty to write about in no time!! :-) :-)

There are three other girls here in married housing that are preggers. Two of them due in October, and me and another girl due in January. There will be alot of babies in a few months. Good thing you can't really hear through these walls, huh? :-)

Ok, so...I will update tomorrow maybe after the doctor. Keep Checking!!

DELICIOUS!!

I woke up this morning....at 9:00 am, and decided we needed to have pot roast for dinner. Not only that, but we were going to make banana bread with the bananas we need to use before they are bad. So, we went to the store at about 11:00 am, got a roast and veggies to go with said roast. We came home, got the roast ready with the seasonings, cut up the veggies, and set the crock pot on high.

Then, we cleaned our apartment. Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, dining room, living room, etc.

After we cleaned, we decided to make the banana bread. So, we mashed the bananas, added all the ingredients, and put the mixture into two loaf pans that are now baking in the oven for about 50 more minutes.

I'm not tired. WHAT?? That's right, I'M NOT TIRED!!!!!!!!!!!! :-) Maybe my energy is returning?? Or, maybe it is because I bought a new pregnancy pillow that is supposed to help you sleep, since I haven't been sleeping - at least not well. And I slept great last night. Hence the reason I did not wake up until 9:00 am, so unlike me.
Anyway, whatever the reason for the energy today, I am grateful. We needed to get the apartment clean and I have just not been able to do much. I may pay for it tomorrow as my non-energy days could return, but for now...maybe I'll watch a movie - and stay awake for it!!! :-)

UPDATE: here is a picture of tidbit that I keep forgetting to post. This was...when I was 9 weeks preggo. You can see the legs (well, one of them since it is a profile) up at the top by a little circle (the yolk sac). And you can see the head pretty good. Sorry the pic isn't that great. We can't figure out how to scan it, so we have to take a picture of it.

All Star

Well, thanks to fan voting, Russell Martin beat Paul Lo Duca by almost 300, 000 votes to be the STARTING catcher for the National League in the All Star game July 10. I did my part in this voting, mind you. Here is an exerpt from dodgers.com:

"The 24-year-old Martin, the first Canadian All-Star catcher, entered Sunday's play batting a team-high .297 with nine home runs and a team-high 53 RBIs. He has 15 stolen bases, breaking a 45-year-old Dodgers record for a catcher, previously held by John Roseboro. He leads league catchers in hits, runs scored, RBIs, steals, walks, and slugging and on-base percentage, and leads the league in game-winning RBIs."

Boy, do I pick the winners!! :-)

Not only is Russ in the All Star game, but two other Dodgers will join him. Exciting! The game is nationally televised, just in case you want to set up your DVR!!

On another note, I am SO ready to be done with my master's. I have six weeks left, and it can't come soon enough. I am just done. Apparently, that doesn't really matter. I wrote a paper this last week, and I thought it was terrible - worst I had written in a long time. My professor told me it was "excellent" and "all parents should read it". HA I laughed out loud when I read that. I re-read it and it wasn't as bad as I originally thought, but writing a paper while suffering from morning sickness isn't too easy. he he That was actually my very last paper to write as a master degree student!! YIPEE!! Now, I have a few power point projects and to finish my thesis project (BLAH) and I am home free.

10 weeks

So, babycenter tells me that at 10 weeks the organs are formed and working, and in the next three weeks the baby will triple in size. Babycenter also tells me that my uterus is approximately the size of a grapefruit now, which explains why my clothes aren't fitting right. Or some of them at all. I haven't gained a pound, but my clothes don't fit. That is interesting. I am constantly eating, so it is strange that i haven't gained any weight.

Other than the Tidbit news, there is absolutely nothing exciting going on here right now. I am doing VBS at the church where I teach preschool, and I am EXHAUSTED and it has been a CRAZY and weird week. I will be glad Friday at 2:00 ish when I can come home and be finished with VBS.

Nothing Clever

Not too much is going on at our house. We are laying pretty low this weekend. Yesterday I felt really crummy with morning sickness pretty much all day long. It would start to go away, and then I got a headache and that made it worse. Ugh. I feel much better today. And, I can't complain too much because I generally feel great all the time.

We went to the doctor on Tuesday for our first "official" appointment. My due date was pushed back two days to January 23. We also had another ultrasound and saw the heartbeat again and the little legs! It is starting to look like a baby and not as much like a blob! I have had 6 ultrasounds already. Normally my first one would have been at my last appointment, but things started out a little interesting - hence the reason for 6. This kid is already craving attention!

The 4th of July Dodger game is coming up. This will be our third 4th of July game to attend. Those fireworks are always fun. What is everyone else doing for the 4th?

Posts have been changed to protect the innocent...Or not so innocent?

Well, I deleted a couple of posts on the chance that someone might google or something and find my blog. Anyway...the loyal readers know what I am talking about.

Today Travis and I celebrated "parent's day," as Travis dubbed it. I was pregnant on mother's day, but we didn't know it, and since then Travis has felt bad that he didn't do anything for me. So, instead of just doing father's day, we did mother's day too - hence "parent's day." It was fun. Travis made breakfast burritos this morning, then this afternoon we had steaks! Yum! I can't eat nearly as much in one sitting as I used to, and sometimes that bums me out. Tonight I had cereal for dinner. And it stuffed me. HA HA

I have been feeling good for the most part. We discovered that when I drink orange juice I get REALLY sick, so I am avoiding that like the plague. Pretty much that's the only time I get sick, when I have OJ, and I mean SICK. I slept 11 hours last night, which has to be a record for me. Even in high school I couldn't sleep that long. Anyway...I must have needed it. We went to a Dodger game yesterday and it was SO HOT I thought I was going to pass out. We ate afterward, and by the time we got home we had been gone for 7 1/2 hours. I was BEAT! When we got home I had a horrible headache. My doctor said that a little caffiene was ok and to wait until I got a bad headache to have some! So, last night I had some coke and it was YUMMY!!! And of course my headache was gone in seconds. Ahh....addictions.

Well, nothing exciting happening here. Travis is out in Santa Monica at the movies with a friend, so I am just hanging out trying to enjoy the quiet. In a few months I won't know the sound of quiet anymore. Not that I'm complaining!

Updates

So I went yesterday to an Imaging place for a better ultrasound of my cyst. The lady told me that it was not that big at all, and it was totally normal in pregnancy and will go away in a few weeks. So, that is good news. I wasn't really concerned, but, whatever.
After she looked at my cyst she showed us Tidbit again. It was really cool. It is HUGE compared to one week ago, and the heartbeat was very obvious instead of having to look for it. It was at a strong 171. We could see the head taking shape, and the body with little limb buds. It was really cool. Last week it was still pretty much a formless blob.

Houston...We Have a Heart Beat!

Well, it's officially official. There's a baby. We saw the heart beat this morning, and I got my official due date. January 21st. I am posting the ultrasound picture, even though it isn't great. Don't mind the black blob on the right, that's just a cyst. Apparently it will go away. So...here he/she is.

Tidbit

HILARIOUS!!!!

This is my favorite commercial EVER! I laugh so hard I cry EVERY time I watch this. So stinking funny.

nothing new

Well, there isn't really much to report. I just felt like the blog needed something new since it hasn't been update in like a week and a half.

Things are good here. I am home from work today with the world's worst cold. Generally, it wouldn't be so bad if I could take some DayQuil, but apparently it isn't good to drug out my unborn child, so I must pass. :-) Other than feeling yucky lately bacuase of a cold, I am feeling good. I am really tired, but good besides that. I haven't been sick (knocking on wood). And I do not want to be. At this point I am 7 weeks, so I guess there is still a chance I could get sick. But, I like to think that I would be sick by now if I was going to be sick at all.

There really isn't anything going on besides that. Things are pretty slow right now. So, we will keep you updated on the preggy news.

Oh...one of Travis' friends jokingly called our baby Tidbit. We actually thought that was funny and kind of like it. So, Tidbit it is (for now).

Ok, since the news is out...

There will be a new little person in our house in January. Yep! I'm preggers. We weren't going to spill the beans for a while, but EVERYONE in the free world knows already. We have gotten congratulations cards in the mail and e-mails, so, what the heck!!

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!