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.