Is the world ending?

This morning on the way in I passed three gas stations selling gas for $2.35 per gallon. (well technically 2.36.. why is everything 2.359, 2.589??? Do they think we don't notice the 9/10 of a cent??)

Anyhow, since I filled up on Saturday when it was 2.49 and I thought that was a good deal a 15 cent drop in one week makes me think something is up.

Is an asteroid headed for the earth and no one has told me yet?

And the OCD sets in....

My morning....

Up at 5:52 to pee. No, I can't wait any longer, yes I know my alarm goes off in less than 1/2 an hour. Yes, this pisses me off...

Alarm goes off at 6:21, hit snooze (I was just out of bed after all...)

Alarm goes off at 6:30, hit snooze

Alarm goes off at 6:39, hit snooze

6:42, alright... I'm getting up already. Stumble down stairs. Undress, weigh self, notice that I have gained a pound. Ponder whether I am okay with this as I get in the shower....

Turn on the water, pull lever to move water to pull down shower head, attempt to drown the gnat, then the other gnat, oh yeah... and that one over there too. (Where the hell did all these little winged creatures come from?)

Put shower head back in holder, begin to wash hair when I notice a moth on the back wall. Ponder for a few seconds whether I am okay with this. Decide I am not as it starts to crawl towards me... attempt to drown the moth.

7:02... finally make it out of the shower, 3 out of 4 bugs successfully annihilated. Head upstairs. While picking out clothes notice that Jake has left a glass and a container from his frozen dinner on the headboard. Pretty sure I'm not okay with this. Decide to empty dishwasher and then come back for them.

Head downstairs. While applying toner and moisturizer to my face solve problem at work. So that account is used for this... and that's why we don't make an adjustment... Ahhh...

Head to kitchen. Get distracted by grocery sacks lying on floor from grocery trip on Saturday. Put away remaining groceries husband promised to put away and has obviously not gotten to. Grab plastic sack to put pop cans in that I had rinsed out. Begin to rinse out the rest of the pop & beer cans that are sitting on the table.

7:20 Jake gets out of the shower. "So what have you accomplished this morning?"

Receive stare of death as he, in his half awake condition, shoves food into a sack for lunch.

7:25.. start emptying dishwasher as Jake enters our ONE bathroom. (Yes, there may have to be a port-a-potty invested in come November or so!!)

7:30... Jake... I need to go to work.... he exits bathroom as I begin to make my lunch. Pack lunch then head to bathroom to curl bangs. Remember that I need to grab my computer, head to living room to get computer. Shut off TV, shut off lamp, feed fish, grab pizza box off of stove to take outside and throw away.

Remember that I didn't brush my teeth. Put computer down, brush teeth, feed other fish, remember that the glass and plastic container are still upstairs on the headboard. Fight HUGE urge to go upstairs and get them as it is now 7:40 and I will be late enough as it is.

Grab lunch, keys, computer, and pizza box. Slip on shoes and notice that there is a cupboard in the kitchen that did not get shut. Head into kitchen, shut cupboard and head to car.

So, how was your morning?

Luxury or Necessity?

The following is an e-mail conversation I had with a friend on Monday:

"So, how was shopping on Saturday?"

"Well, I ended up spending $150 on Saturday. But I bought a lot for that (I think). I bought: 1 pair of Tommy capri’s, 1 pair of Tommy shorts, 1 pair of Jones New York capri’s, 1 long sleeve zip up, 1 pair of jean capri’s, 2 jean skirts: one long and one short, 1 pair of khaki pants, 1 plain red shirt, and some gap khaki shorts for my husband. I think I am going to go back and buy these khaki capri’s that I saw but didn’t buy. I am pretty happy with my buy’s. I bought a purse a couple of weeks ago and then I decided I just didn’t need it so I returned it and decided I needed all of these clothes instead and I even had over $100.00 left over."

Gasping for air and almost falling out of my chair....

"YOU SPENT OVER $250 ON A PURSE???"

"The one I am carrying right now is a $250+ purse and you went bonkers when I bought it too. You think I am bad, my mom is carrying a Louis Vuitton that was $1000 and no I didn’t accidentally add one to many zero’s. The only up side to that is my uncle bought it for her as a gift because he knows that she has wanted one for a long time. My husband spends an assload on his golf clubs and golf and his truck accessories so my thing is purses. Besides, I don’t spend money on things that most woman do, like salon visits or manicure’s and pedicure’s and my vehicle is paid off. $250.00 isn’t even a car payment. I told you I am a purse snob! You can’t say that you weren’t warned."

"Dear lord... you are giving me heart palpations just thinking about it!!!"

"Oh come on! I am sure that you have let Jake spend that kind of money on something similar because I know that you wouldn’t! Well maybe you would for 50 movies or something."

"Jake has spent that kind of money on two things. A gun and a bow and arrow. ONE time purchases. Not re-occurring like you need a purse every year type of things. I think once... a long time ago... my mom bought me a purse for $70 and I about shit a brick...

This one I think I got for $30 or $40 and I thought that was EXPENSIVE!! I need a new one... but I just can't justify it..."

"Well deary guns and bows are not always so “one time purchases” they break, or get lost/stolen, and they need all of these accessories to make them work. I spend a little more on a purse and it could last me years. Although it never does because I am sick of it way before then.

I don’t think that I spend money foolishly on things I see my friends spending money on. I don’t have hobbies or other expensive likings so I justify it. Although I am becoming a Pottery Barn snob too."

So, in the effort of fairness, I went back and looked. I did a search for everything that we have spent more than $200 on in the last 4 years. (Yes, I'm a geek and I have all of my finances in Quickbooks. It comes in handy for situations like this!! :-)

A Lawn Mower.... Um... not thinking that counts....

Movies... see... she was right about the movies. Although I bought about 50 movies last Christmas, so individually... not even close to the $200 mark

Jake's Bow...

Jake's Gun...

Power Tools...

Jake's Scent Blocker Suit...

Shall I continue?? I'm back to 2004... I know, we are boring people...

So, what is your weakness? (Or are you cheap like me?) Designer Shoes? Name brand clothing? Expensive toys (that would be Jake's)? French perfume?

Mine? I pay $100 every year for a new pair of tennis shoes. Living dangerously aren't I?

Old McDonald... I am not...

I have come to the regrettable decision that I am just not cut out to be a farmer. In fact, I fear for the safety of livestock were they to permanently live at my house. Why is this you ask?

Last night I got up at 12:45 and I could hear the cows making all kinds of noise. Wanting to avoid a repeat roundup situation I slipped on my sandals and traipsed outside to see what the problem was.

You want to know what the problem was?

Huh?

Huh?

Do ya?

Well join the club because I'm still wondering the same damn thing!! All that tromping through wet grass at 1:00 in the morning and the only thing I could find was a bunch of cows screaming at each other from different sides of the fence.

Makes you want to throw objects at their heads doesn't it?? (See, I told you I would fear for their safety!)

So back inside I went to remove my wet socks and stumble through our darkened bedroom trying not to wake up Jake in my quest for new, dry socks all the while cursing those stupid cows and their stupid noise making.

This morning when I got up there were still four or five of them standing on the feeder cow side of the fence bawling at the other cows. So, I counted. All 14 that belong with the bull are with him. So, best I can figure these feeder cows are in heat and were calling to the bull for some sweet midnight loving. (Crap... family site... kids, that just means.. well hell.. I don't know, ask your parents!!)

Speaking of parents, hey Mom & Dad, you can come get your #$^& cows now!!

Skywalk ramblings...

When I got into work today after my doctor's appointment (I'll post about it on the baby's site..) I rode down in the elevator with some woman. She seemed normal enough when I got into the elevator. Here's the conversation that followed...

"Hi, how are you today?"

"Good"

"So how did you decide to wear that heart necklace today?"

Noticing that she is also wearing a heart necklace it seems like a normal enough question, "I have warn it every day for 10 years. My husband gave it to me."

"Oh really. So, are you from Iowa."

"Yes."

"Is your husband from Iowa?"

"Yes"

"So, does he beat you?"

What?? Huh?? Did I just hear her right?? "Um... no."

"Oh really, because I've noticed that there seems to be a trend of violence among Iowa men."

"Well, I guess that depends on where you are in the state. We do have some hicks here..."

"No, I think it's pretty much all men here. So how did you get so lucky not to have yours beat you in 10 years."

Thinking maybe I can just joke with her to lighten the mood I try out this line, "Well, I started early. Beat some sense into him starting when he was 15."

She didn't laugh. I think she thought I was serious. "And he didn't beat you back?"

"Um... no." By this point I was beginning to be very uncomfortable. I just wanted to get away from her but she kept walking right beside me.

"Well you must have gotten really lucky. I've just been really un-impressed with the quality of Iowa men. They seem to all be very violent here. Maybe it's your culture."

"Um... maybe."

By this point maybe she got the hint that I didn't really want to talk to her so she started to speed up. As she walked away this was her parting comment, "Well, have a nice day. Good luck not getting beaten by your Iowa husband!!"

As soon as she was out of earshot I called my friend Katie. "So did you say anything back to her."

"I couldn't. She was OBVIOUSLY crazy. I was afraid if I angered her she would attack me!!"

So.... how was your morning??

What is the strangest random comment or conversation you have ever had from a total stranger?

Money Matters

First and foremost I must say... Effing Blogger and their Effing comments!! I was reading a friend's blog and I decided to comment. So I typed up this comment, which became a novel, a big one... like the one that you take on the 12 hour flight overseas and read the WHOLE way there and the WHOLE way back. Think Harry Potter in 6 point type. Yeah... it was kind of like that. Anyway, I finally finished up this catchy comment and when I went to push publish poof... it was gone!! GONE I tell you!! 45 minutes of my life that I will NEVER get back!! EVER...

So, instead of re-create it there, I decided since I had so much to say on the topic I might as well take up my own space, instead of hers and believe me when I tell you, that is just what I did. This could quite possibly be the longest post on this site so you may want to grab a beverage and a comfy seat and settle in.

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start, when you count you... oh... sorry I got kind of carried away there. Anyhow, just so you are not totally lost start here and then come back and read my response. Well... what are you waiting for... get going!!

Oh, I see, you think that I will just tell you the gist of it anyway and you can save yourself the trouble, well... maybe I will and maybe I won't. Don't blame me if you get to the bottom of this post and are sitting there scratching your head going what the hell is she talking about? I tried...

So, now that we are all back together again, the financial list. Basically the three financial goals my friend feels are absolutely essential before committing to having a child:

1. Employment-Possess secure employment, that could mean long standing with your company or having credentials that will make employment readily accessible.

2. A Savings (and still be able to contribute to savings after children) and 401K plan.

3. Responsible Loans: Responsible Credit Card debt and/or open lines of credit (if you can’t afford to make a payment on a $20,000 line of credit then you should not have that high of limits, reduce your open line of credit, in most cases it will help better your credit score anyways) AND College Loans (If you have $100,000 in student loans but only make $20,000, and will only make $20,000 – YIKES).

What? You can't read that? Really? Because when I first read it that is exactly what it looked like to me. It seemed greek to me to be concerned about such things... Alright... different font... here try this one....

1. Employment-Possess secure employment, that could mean long standing with your company or having credentials that will make employment readily accessible.

2. A Savings (and still be able to contribute to savings after children) and 401K plan.

3. Responsible Loans: Responsible Credit Card debt and/or open lines of credit (if you can’t afford to make a payment on a $20,000 line of credit then you should not have that high of limits, reduce your open line of credit, in most cases it will help better your credit score anyways) AND College Loans (If you have $100,000 in student loans but only make $20,000, and will only make $20,000 – YIKES).

Better?? Okay then... moving on. My response? I stepped away from the computer and breathed. Deep Breaths... (Let me tell you, these pregnancy hormones are a bitch!!) Why the need for all of this Lamaze breathing? Am I having pre-term labor? Why no, actually when I first read her post my gut reaction was that I couldn't help but feel attacked.

However, after sitting down and thinking about it for a moment I came to the decision that she was listing what she needed to feel comfortable with having a child (Okay, with the thought of being a parent, no one is really comfortable with the actual HAVING of the child) not what she thought EVERYONE needed to feel comfortable with.

So I decided that instead I needed to give my reaction to her list asrelatesltes to my own life and my own comfort level and maybe suggest a few other things that I feel are important. The decision to have a child is a VERY personal one and as you can tell one that strikes many deep emotions in peopObviouslyulsy there are MANY factors to consider when deciding whether you are at the right stage in your life to bring a child into your relationship but since she only touched on the financial aspects, that is what I will stick to. Also, since she is working in utopia format we are going to assume that this child is planned and not a product of oh shit the condom broke or holy hell I didn't take my pill.

#1) This is the one that struck the hardest with me. For those of you who know me you will know that Jake is nothing if he is not insecure in his employment. I am on my 1st job since I graduated college. I have been at my job over 4 years (but may be looking for something new soon if they find my blog :-) and plan to be there much longer. Jake is on his 7th job in the same four year period. (No, that is NOT a typo) 2 Floorcovering, 1 cooking (I know... it was a finding himself stage), 1 residential construction, 1 commercial construction, and 2 framing (one commercial and one residential). However, to his credit he has always had income coming in from some source.

So, on the money front this does concern me a little. Is it enough to keep me from having a child. Obviously not!! I don't think this will affect his ability to be a good dad and I think he has a LOT of great things to offer a child. If sometime down the road he is on his 20th job and I can't take it anymore then we will havereevaluateuate things but for now I knew who he was when I married him and I know that this is not on the top of my worry list right now.

#2) A savings? We were supposed to have a savings? Well Shit!! I knew we forgot something. Um God... it's me... are you listening? Could you take this baby back a few months... I've got some SERIOUS saving catching up to do!! Okay really, I put money into my 401(k) {I'm not getting any younger you know... and I don't want to work forever} and we have a small amount in our savings account, most of which is what I inherited from my grandma not that which we managed to save on our own account.

Look, I know in a perfect world it would be nice to have all of our debt paid off and to be putting awacertaintian amount each month but realistically for us, and for A LOT of people I know, that just isn't going to happen. If that is a requirement to have children someone needs to hightail it down to that hospital and start stuffing back some 70-80% of those babies!! :-)

Realistically I think savings comes with age and sometimes people are at a place in their lives where they are ready to expand their families but have not expandednned their bank accounts. My sister in-law just had a baby in February. She's 22 and I think the balance in their savings account is close to $0. We are due in in January. Jake and I will both be 26. The balance in our savings account is more than $0 but only because there was some inheritance and a little bit of self control on our part. Then there is my friend. She is 35 and considering having her first child. She has been working for over 10 years and the balance in her savings account is significantly more than mine. Is one of us more ready for this next step in our lives than the other? I don't think so. My guess is that at the age of 55 or 60 it will probably all even it's self out. Those of us who didn't save as much in our younger years will do so in our later and vice versa.

Finally #3) This is the one and only point which I do have to say had some merit on our decision making. People... honestly... if you are living in a van down by the river and you are making the decision to have a family please... just say no. However, if you can pay your bills and are not cooking cockroaches and earthworms for dinner then more power to you. Three years ago Jake and I were on the latter side rather than the former. We never actually ate bugs mind you, but I was floating checks EVERY week just hoping to make it so that we could buy food and pay our rent.

Obviously at that point in our lives making consciousious decision to have a child would have been irresponsible. However at the point we are at now we have manageable debt and are always able to do a little extra each month. I think once you get to that point it is really up to you what your comfort level becomes. Babies are EXPENSIVE!! You've got daycare, diapers, formula, clothes, etc. Everytime I think about it I have a mild panic attack BUT like everyone says, if you wait until you can afford children, you may never have them.

Okay, so I'm done with the list. Can I be excused now? Actually, somewhere in all of this I did speak to miss Jessica and as it turns out the answer she was trying to get is not one she will get by asking the questions she has. She knows that there is more to deciding to start a family than just money she's just not sure what it is. How big of a role should money have? When she looks around her it seems as if the money factor is not even entering some people's radars.

I can't speak for anyone else as coming to that decision is very personal and different for everyone. Growing up I have been on both sides of the money issue. When we were little my dad was a farmer and my mom worked as an accountant at Firestone. Most of the clothes we owned she made or they came from a garage sale. However I don't have any ill effects from the fact that for Christmas my sister and I got a Fisher Price kitchen set to share instead of our own power wheels. Heck, we had big wheels... who needed power wheels?

As we got older my mom quit her job and we started a family feed business. As the business grew, so did the expendable income that we had. Suddenly all the clothes were new and the Burger King was readily flowing. But my happiness quotient? It didn't change one bit. In fact I was actually more unhappy with more money... or maybe that was just the teenangstanxt!!

Either way, I think money should be a consideration but it is in no way the deciding factor. When your children get ready to have children of their own chances are they are going to remember how much you loved them and how much time you spent with them, not whether you lived in a 1 bedroom apartment or a 10 bedroom mansion. Most of the people I know are concerned with how they are going to raise their children not what they are going to buy for them.

So, what was it for us? What considerations did we have when deciding to take this step? I can't pin point it really. We wanted to make sure we were in a good financial and mental place but even when we got there, or thought we had gotten there, jumping off that cliff was a lot like it sounds. For a month it was this is my last month of pills, are we sure we are ready for this? This is my last week of pills, are we still sure? Okay, it's Sunday I can take the new pack now are we absolutCERTAINTIAN this is what we want to do? The first time I knew that we were having unprotected sex the freaking out was just as great....

BUT... then it took awhile and every month found us realizing how ready we were and how hard it was not to be there. And at that moment, it didn't have to do with money or the marriage or the stuff, it had to do with the look I saw in Jake's eyes when he would see a baby or the look I know he saw in mine. We were just ready and we just knew. How did we get that way? I suppose only God will ever know the answer to that one.
trulyuely believe in a phrase my good friend uses quite a lot. God will give you your children when he feels you are ready not when you tell him you are ready. If there is some planning that you can do before hand, great. If you are blessed with an unexpected surprise, great. Somehow, for those of us who try these things have a way of working themselves out. Sometimes it is with a second job or a little bit of credit card debt but as long as you love your children and show them that you are there for them whenever they need you 30 years down the road they may not even remember that you took them to school in an Oldsmobilebile. (With T-tops none the less. Hey, they were a special order!!)

Hamilton Family Roundup

Edited: 1:10 p.m. CST

Apparently this baby is destined to be a cowboy/cowgirl, which considering the family history is not really all that far fetched. For the third time since I have been pregnant I have had to chase livestock. This time it was cows. (Oh, and in case you were wondering in the four years that we have lived in our house BEFORE I got pregnant I chased livestock a total of oh.... ZERO times!!)

Anyhow, on Monday night we opened our windows because it was supposed to be in the 50's and our house is old, and it doesn't cool properly so the upstairs is always 10 degrees warmer. About 3:30 on Tuesday morning I heard the cows making quite a ruckus. For a moment, a brief moment mind you, I considered getting out of bed and seeing what the problem was.

However, since they had been known to bawl before at early hours because the self feeder was empty I decided against it, popped in my ear plugs and tried to go back to sleep. About 4:00 instead of visions of sugar plums I had visions of smacking the cows upside the head with a bucket. At that point I once again briefly, every so briefly entertained the idea of crawling out of my nice warm bed to see what the problem was.

About 4:15 they quieted down and so I drifted back into dream land. This state did not last long. At about 5:30 I heard what I thought was the dog itching his ear. It sounded like a thump, thump, thump on the floor. However, Sadie started to bark, which she normally doesn't do if it is just Jack making the noise.

I told her to quiet down assuming maybe he'd startled her. When she yipped again I decided maybe I should investigate. I looked out the one window and didn't see anything but when I looked out the second window I saw a man with a flashlight walking up our driveway to his car on the road. The first thing that went through my head was that he'd hit one of our cats, the second thing was that the horses were out again. However, it quickly dawned on me that with all of that noise I heard, it was probably the cows.

I sent Jake after him, as I am not going outside to meet a strange man at 5:30 in my condition. (Send Jake out to see if it's safe, call the police if it's not... that's my motto!!) As it turns out he was an off duty Prairie City officer who quickly informed us that there were three cows in the road.

So, Jake called them and they came running. We opened a gate to let them in and that is when we noticed that two of the fence panels were down. At this point I realized that this was not just a case of three cows jumping the fence, but instead all 15 were probably out wandering somewhere.

I went inside to call my parents, after all they are their cows and why should we have all the fun, while Jake located the others. They were across the street making a mess of the farmer's corn field. Ooops!! But, at least they were contained for the moment, and we didn't have to worry about them getting hit.

The officer waited with us while we waited on my parents and so we were chit chatting. We mentioned to him how we had also had to put some horses in about a month ago and how we were kind of amazed how many officer's knew nothing about livestock. (Assuming that he's from Prairie City, he must know SOMETHING.) To which he says, I'm a city boy. All I do is just knock on the door of the nearest farmer and then direct traffic.

I was just amazed. Miss Sonya... don't you have livestock out there in the sticks?? :-) Really though, I would think that any officer that is going to be working in a district that is even remotely in the country should have at least a basic knowledge of animals. After all, they are bound to get out at some point.

Anyhow, once my parents arrived we opened the fence and slowly herded the cows back across the road and into the pasture. Of course we only got to cross the road after the inconsiderate S.O.B. in the blue SUV swerved out past the Polk County officer (with his lights on) and almost took the nose off of one of the heffers just starting to step into traffic... but that's a story for another day.

By 6:30 we had the fence fixed and my parents were on their way home. When we got into the house I could hear my alarm going off upstairs.

"So dear, do you think we should get up now?"

Got Nail?

Warning: At the bottom of this post is a picture. If you have a weak stomach you may not want to look. There is no blood, but some people just don't like anything even remotely gory!! There you go... you have been warned. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

On Friday at around 11:30 I came back from the ATM to find that my cell phone was ringing. It was Jake which is not unusual as he sometimes calls around lunch. When I answered, I could tell from the tone of his voice that something was just not right.

"Hi, I wanted to tell you I'm alright...."

Oh dear lord... what did he do? Earlier in the week he stepped off the plywood that covers the basement and fell bruising his tailbone and shin so my first thought was what did he fall from now.

"...but I have a 16 penny nail through my finger."

"You have a WHAT?"

"Yeah, I was framing and I shot the nail gun once and when I pulled it back it fired again and the nail went right through my finger."

"So where are you going?"

"Well, I tried to pull it out with pliers and I couldn't get it so my boss is taking me to urgent care"

"You tried to do what? Oh never mind, do I need to come there and get you?"

As it turns out it was only a 12 penny nail (still looks painful) and his boss took him to urgent care and then picked him up. Unfortunately he had ridden with a co-worker and was pretty much useless for the day so I went and picked him up around 1:00.

Today he is back to work for the second day and the holes seem to have closed up. (They had to leave them open and let them drain and close on their own.) He's still on antibiotics but the nail just grazed the bone and didn't break it, so he's pretty lucky.

AND even better and more lucky for you.... he had the presence of mind to take pictures so that I could share with all of you the glory that is the nail. (Which he kept... don't ask me why!!) No, that is not blood on the nail. It went through so fast it didn't have a chance to bleed. That is the red from the stripping that holds the nails together in the nail gun.Unfortunately, it rained on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so he was already short on hours and this made it impossible for him to make some up this weekend. The fun never ends at the Hamilton household does it??

New Pictures

Okay, I figured since it has been two weeks I will post new pictures. For those of you with a keen eye, yes, I am wearing the same outfit that I was wearing two weeks ago. The strange part is I just did laundry last night and so I have not worn this outfit in two weeks... but it seems fitting just the same.

Here are the belly pictures from 17w3d.















I have felt somehow bigger all day but when I look down I don't really "see" a difference. So, just for fun I did this..... I think I have finally reached that stage that everyone has been telling me would happen. I have finally "popped." Next step, loosing sight of my feet!!

UPDATE: 8/11/06 - I tried on the dress... it still fits, but it also still looks like a tent. Hopefully some magical altering in a couple of weeks will fix that!!

Anyone out there??

For those of you wondering where the hell I have been... have no fear, I'm still here. I'm having some trouble finding the time to post, basically because they think I should work at work, and not blog. Some people!!

Anyhow, I've updated the baby's website for about a weeks worth of posts, although I fear that week 15 may be lost to me forever, which makes me sad!! Hopefully I can keep up from now on and not loose any more time!!

They are going to take blogger down in 5 minutes, for what I can only guess, so I will try (if I can keep my eyes open) to think of something THRILLING to say tonight!!

Pixie's New Do

There once was a cat named Pixie who lived with a wonderful family in Iowa. Unfortunately, Pixie decided that she didn't want to be friends with her family. So, she spent all of her days upstairs lying on the spare bed or under the dresser. When the family members would come up to see her she would not run away or hiss but she NEVER came to them to sit next to them or sit on their laps like the other suck up cats.

She was an independent woman damn it and she was going to prove it. Unfortunately all of this lying around had a bad consequence. Pixie gained weight and became unable to reach her tongue around to clean her back. Since she would not come to the family to have them pet and brush her regularly her fur became matted.

One morning the woman of the family noticed this mess and said no, no... this will not do. We will have to get the scissors and cut these mats off of you!! Pixie was less than thrilled and did not want the new haircut AT ALL!!

The woman, however was sneaky. She knew that Pixie came every morning for her one weakness... food. So one morning she cornered the kitty while she was eating and proceeded to brush and cut out mats all the way from the middle of her back to her stump tail.

It took two days of this (Pixie didn't learn the first time and came again for another "butchering" the second day) but finally Pixie was free from all the mats.

Pixie does not like her new haircut, she thinks she looks stupid. The woman... okay... she thinks she looks stupid too but hey you gotta do what you gotta do!!

Random Musings

When I wake up now I no longer wake up feeling ill. Now I wake up feeling hungry. Not, hmm I should get something to eat hungry. It's more of a feed me earthling before I gnaw off your arm and feed it to the alien child.

Since I'm kind of attached to my arm, my usual routine now consists of getting out of bed and heading straight for the kitchen. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Sit, stuff face, ask questions later.

--------------------------------------------------

On Monday Jake and I went to the grocery store. Yes he went with me. No it was not by choice. There are certain isles of the grocery store which have not been my friend in the past and so until I am certain that I feel better I need him to brave the smelly coffee isle to retrieve the lemonade. Things of such nature.

Anyhow, in the car I got the same lecture he always give me when I make him go to the store. Now no looking around. We go in, we get what we need and we get out. It's 7:15 and I want to be back in the car before 8:00.

I have NEVER been shopping with someone that SLOW in my entire life!! He must have taken 10 minutes to decide on what flavors of canned fruit he wanted to get to take for lunch. Every item was a major decision. Do I get the white string cheese or the white and yellow string cheese? Wait, what about this kind of cheese... do they have that anywhere? By the time we left I think we had been there an hour and a half and our total bill was close to $200.

I made it through every isle this time without gagging. Perhaps next time I shall go alone!!

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Last night I listened to the baby's heartbeat. Every time I have listened before it has been a woosh, woosh, woosh sound. Last night the heartbeat was REALLY loud at times and when it got really loud and I got the doppler in the right place his/her heartbeat changed.

I could now hear Ka-thunk, Ka-thunk, Ka-thunk, just like a regular heartbeat. I suppose that this means that my little munchkin is getting bigger. I'm not ready for bigger. What happened to my little peanut? I'm 16 weeks pregnant and already I'm wanting him/her to stop growing so fast. Why didn't anyone tell me it started this early?

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Speaking of growing up, I was reading a magazine yesterday and it was talking about talking to your children about sex. How kids don't always ask questions at the most appropriate times and how to deal with situations, etc.

Suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks. This baby is going to grow up. I'm responsible for shaping the development of an entire person. What if I screw it up? This little one isn't even here yet, they haven't even started crossing any milestones like say breathing AIR, and already I'm trying to make sure I'm prepared for their future.

I think I need more chocolate!!

Shopping, the final saga of the trilogy

I am happy to report that this final adventure is by far the happiest and the most self-esteem boosting trip. After the bad luck I had the week before when my friend Katie called last Friday and asked if I wanted to go shopping I almost told her no.

Fortunately for her that morning as I was getting dressed I had noticed that my button up shirt was getting a little snug in the waist area. It only had about a quarter of an inch before it would no longer be able to be buttoned. So, I already knew that I would have to do some shopping sometime soon.

I also knew that our budget did not allow for large amounts of clothing. So, I decided I would try to shop the sale racks and get as much for my money as possible. Unfortunately, that didn't go as well as planned. It was just SO nice to find clothes that fit me well and in all the right places that I wanted to buy them. I was also able to fit into mediums which totally boosted my self esteem and only furthered my desire to buy these wonderful clothes!

When the 2 hour shopping excursion was done I did end up going a little over budget, but I figure if I need to, I will pull that money out of savings. Isn't it worth it to have clothes that fit you well and make you feel wonderful??

Shopping, Part 2

Well... this trip was marginally better than the first shopping attempt while pregnant. I didn't have to wander for 5 hours through 3 malls and I was not made to look at overly thin, cute girls in dresses I will NEVER fit into again.

However, it still posed the same problem as before. I'm not really comfortable with the changes that are happening to my midsection at the moment. I think if I was shopping for actual maternity clothes, this would be different because they are supposed to fit someone whose stomach is much rounder than the rest of her. But as it is, trying to fit my ever growing midsection into a small little bridesmaid dress just doesn't work all that well.

Almost everything they had in the store was a 10. Now as anyone who has shopped for wedding or bridesmaid dresses knows, most of the time these things run small. Since in NORMAL times, I usually wear between an 8 and a 10 who wants to take bets on how many of these dresses actually fit around my mid-section. Anyone? Anyone? Yes... that's right... NONE!!

The girls that work in the shop tried to squeeze me into the first dress that I had on. It took two of them to get the zipper zipped. One held the top and the other one yanked. Yup... feeling great here... thanks!! After that, I decided that there was no need to torture myself when I could just hold them in the back and Lindsay could get the effect. Besides, my niece was with us and so once she found one she liked we had her try it on to make sure she liked it after it was zipped!!

After the uncomfortable half naked dress event, I got dressed in my regular clothes and the lady measured me. Apparently my top puts me between an 8 and a 10, my hips put me in a 10 but my middle puts me at a 16. I suppose that explains the zipper problems!! I went ahead and ordered the 14 knowing that they could take it in but it would also help me not to feel like I HAD to starve myself in the seven months after the baby is born. Of course my mother was appalled that I would order that large of a size. She didn't think there was any way I would need larger than at 12. I'm crossing my fingers that she is right, but I'd rather it be way to big than way to small!!

Shopping with the Barbies

First and foremost, for those of you following along at home I have updated the babies website and am now pretty caught up with "growing pains" stories. Now, on to the real reason for this post. For over a week I have been alluding to the fact that I have some shopping stories for you. Some of these details have been on the baby's site, but I've added to them so you may have to pick through or just read the whole thing. I'm going to break this into three posts because some of the stories are kind of long.

We will start with my first DISASTROUS trip. It happened last Saturday, no not that one... the one before. That day will forever be remembered as the day that I realized that just because I am pregnant, my body image issues have not flown as far out the window as I would have hoped.

That morning, while looking at wedding invitations, my father in law (FIL from now on to save typing) mentioned to me that he would like me to stand up in his wedding. This was new to me, because I thought that I would be the kid wrangler during the wedding, which I was perfectly content with. However, he had decided that he wanted me to stand up with their 5 other bridesmaids (another story for another day) because he had added a groomsmen and wanted things to be symmetrical.

Seeing as how my SIL, her husband, and Jake were all standing up in the wedding I felt bad telling him no so I just agreed. I figured if nothing else it would be an excuse for me to buy a cute maternity dress. After he asked me he also mentioned that the girls were planning on going and looking at dresses that afternoon and would also like to know if I was free.

Let me preface this by saying, I HATE to shop. H-A-T-E HATE!! I am a go in, get what I need and get the hell out kind of shopper. So when he asked me all I could think of was find and excuse, find an excuse. Unfortunately I didn't have one. I was meeting my friend Katie for lunch at noon but after that I really wasn't doing anything besides sitting at home watching movies. Can I use that as an excuse??

Begrudgingly I told him I was free and proceeded to ask Karen (the fiance) how long this little shopping trip was going to last. Her answer, oh just a couple of hours. We don't want to be gone too long. So, I figured two or three hours, I can do two or three hours right? So, after lunch I went back to Keith's house to meet with Karen and three of her four girls and begin the dress shopping.

Luckily I like these people. They are all really nice and really sweet so I didn't figure that a few hours with them was any big deal. Plus, they seemed to have a plan. There was a store that they wanted to go to called D.E.B. that had all different sizes of dresses. Unfortunately when we all got in the car that plan seemed to fly out the window. D.E.B. is in a mall close to us but their idea was to go to the mall farthest away and then hit the one in the middle and finally the one closest to us.

You can see where this is going can't you. Stop it... Stop laughing at me. Do you want me to continue? Then pull yourself together, get up off the floor and stop that cackling!!

By this point I was already high jacked so I figured I should at least add another hour to my time. We entered the first mall through Van Maur and immediately they were sidetracked by the clearance shoe room. Did I mention to you that I don't shop?? Okay, just checking. I own 5 pairs of shoes. TOTAL. One black, one brown, one black pair of sandals, one brown pair of sandals and a pair of tennis shoes. Until we went on vacation, I owned 3 pairs of shoes, two of which I've owned for probably 3 years. (No, that is not a joke.)

Once I finally got them free of the shoe room we made it into the actual mall. Unfortunately between Van Maur and our actual destination there were no fewer than two shoe stores at least one of which we had to enter because after all we were going to need shoes for this dress that no one owned yet and we didn't even know what looked like.

By the time we made it to Younkers to look at ACTUAL dresses we had been in the mall for over an hour. So we get there and make it to the sale racks. They decide that they dresses in women's are too "matronly" and so over to the junior section we go. Their selection was not great and all the dresses that these girls liked would NOT have looked good on my SIL or me.

Finally we decided to head to another mall and look for dresses at Dillards. Of course before we left I had to buy an ice cream cone because I am only so strong and they, of course, had to look at one more shoe store, or was it two. (These girls really have a problem.)

Once we arrived at Dillards they all headed straight for the sale racks in the juniors department. Knowing that NOTHING there was going to fit me and that they had yet to listen to me when I told them that no, your SIL nor I will NOT feel comfortable in a dress that barely covers our ass and is tight throughout the waist, I just sat on the floor and let them look.

Now when we started, I was told that we were just going to pick a color and "style" of dress and then everyone was on their own. I figured this way I could wait until next month and then get a cute little maternity dress. However, some time during the day that plan went terribly awry. They found all of these little cocktail dresses that were similar in style but different colors and decided that they just had to try them on. We could all get different colors and wouldn't that be fun?

Let me just say, once again for the record, that it is a good thing that I like these people. The oldest is a size 0, the next a size 3 and the third might have been pushing... gasp... a size 6!! My SIL and I... we are NOT size 0's. Every dress they tried on was tight in the waist showing off their flat stomachs and adorably cute figures. So consequently, every time they came out of those dressing rooms in those cute little barbie dresses I just wanted to cry. First of all, I remember a time when I would have fit into them and looked good, and second of all, I knew that time is NOT going to be in two months.

Finally one of the girls tried on a baby doll type dress that was black and very cute. Now that would not look bad on me when I got bigger nor would it look bad on Molly. HOWEVER, it was not on sale, and one of the girls was not all that keen on black so we pressed on. Over an hour later we emerged from Dillards, still bridesmaid dressless.

Finally we headed toward the third mall. This is the mall that contains the store that we had originally set out to look at and this is the mall where they finally picked this dress. Now this is a cute dress, and it will look good on my sister-in-law, who is not a size 0 and also on these girls who are toothpicks. In fact I'm pretty sure it will look good on anyone who is not, oh shall we say PREGNANT!!

See the problem with this dress is that it is fitted down to about an inch above the belly button. I am already starting to show, and it is not all staying below my belly button. After watching these girls try on smalls and mediums I was a little intimidated and not feeling really all that great about my growing waist line. I put on a Large and it fit, but that's all. It fit just right. In two months.... who knows. So, I ended up buying a 1X and praying that it will still fit me. I need to look at the receipt and see what the return policy is on those dresses and then try it on right before the time I can return it to make sure it still fits.

Luckily Karen used to alter wedding dresses, so she can take in the boob area which I'm sad to say I DO NOT fill out and probably will have no hope of ever filling out... in this life time. Finally we left D.E.B. dresses in hand. When we pulled out of the parking lot it was 7:10. We started this great shopping adventure at 2:00. You do the math!!

As we pulled out on to the main street Karen says, "There is this shoe store on the way home that we could stop at....." All I have to say is it's a good thing those girls said no. Things might have gotten ugly!!

Belly Pictures

Okay Tink... since you asked I will oblige you with pictures. Although I warn you... I am not to that cute belly stage yet, I am more in that is she pregnant or is she just eating too many twinkies stage.
This is my belly at 4 weeks 3 days. At the time, I thought I was big. Now I look back and think that was a pretty small belly!!

This is a picture of us on vacation when I was 5 weeks 3 days pregnant. I look at this picture and all I can think is... retain water much??

Then finally, here is my belly tonight at 15 weeks 1 day. Notice the rediculously stupid looks on my face. Yeah... that's the usual look of shock and bewilderment I wear lately. As in aliens have invaded my body, please help me!! :-)

So are you all happy now? Not too much to look at yet.

Bad Blogger

Please accept my sincerest apologies for what I can only describe as my BAD blogging lately. I really have no excuses except that every time I think about something good to post about I actually have work to do and then when I get time my brain is all mushy. I have shopping stories to write about from last weekend (yes like over a week ago) and also from last week. However, since no is not going to be the time to blog about them I will tide you over with baby news.

On Thursday I had my 14 week appointment. They said all of my blood tests from last time came back fine. What that means I have no idea because I am a BAD pregnant person and I did not bring a notebook to take notes and make them tell me about every test they did because let's face it... if they say it's fine that's about all of the medical lingo I'm going to understand anyway. I have another appointment in two weeks for an AFP test which tests for Spina Bifida and Down Syndrome and then my regular appointment in four weeks.

For those of you who are going to question my decision to have this test, please know that we did not come to this decision without a little thought. No, the results of the test will not change our outcome but it will help me, super planner that I am, to get the best prenatal care I can and also to be better prepared for what challenges may lie ahead. I want my baby's birthday to be a super joyous day and I think it will put a worry cloud over it if we are not prepared. Nuff said?

The heartbeat was around 148 which just further supports my theory that I'm having a boy!! (I know, it's too early to tell. A girl I work with said her daughter's heartbeat was around 150 so I'm just guessing here.)

Other than that, things are going great and since I have been so sick I have been given permission by my doctor to eat whatever stays down. He said the baby will get what it needs from me so I should just eat what I can. (I know... within limits.) Mmmm... Cheetos!!

Hotter than H-E-Double Hockey Sticks

Do people in hell have 112 degree heat?

Because if not...

I fear we may have pissed someone off...........

Second Hand, Second Best?

On Wednesday, yes... I know I'm a week behind, I went wedding dress shopping with my sister. Well she shopped, I just oohed and awwed. Anyways, there was this girl there who was trying on a wedding dress that I tried on four years ago when I was dress shopping.

So, my dad brought up this point: Why is there no second hand market for wedding dresses? Obviously if they have the same style in a store for four years it is not all about the changes in fashion. Also, they are SOO expensive new, you think people would just be flocking to save money but this does not seem to be the case.

I think it may have something to do with every woman wanting her dress to be "her own" and no one else's. Personally my dress is in a box in my closet. I will probably never wear it again and may only look at it once or twice if my kids ask. But, I did the same thing that lots of people do. I just couldn't bear to part with it so I had it cleaned and stuffed into a box to gather dust in my closet. Makes sense doesn't it?

So, here's your discussion topic for the day. What is your opinion as to why there is very little market for second hand wedding dresses? If you are married, did you even consider looking for one or was it new all the way? Finally, where is your dress now? (Or your mom's or sister's or friend's if you are not married.)

Daycare Dilemma

Today I went to two different daycares to get tours and try to pick somewhere to send the munchkin. My first beef... both of these centers have waiting lists of one year. How am I supposed to call and sign up one year in advance? That would mean I would have to sign up before I ever become pregnant. Does this seem strange to anyone but me?

Okay, now on to my conundrum. I liked both of these centers. The prices are similar ($5 difference per week) and they are both approximately the same distance from my house. There are only a few small differences, but things I think could make or break the decision.

Center #1: Large and only about 10 years old. The door is locked when you come in and the parents get a punch code to enter in and open the door to go back to drop off or pick up their child. The class size is not too large (8 infants age 6 weeks to 6 months, 8 infants age 6 months to walking, etc.) but the teachers did not really seem all that engaged in the children. Now, I went at 1:00 so it was nap time in a lot of the rooms and that could have something to do with it.

My biggest turn off, was I made an appointment with the director's assistant to meet with the director today and when I got there she was not there. So, one of the college students showed me around but I didn't get to ask some of my specific questions nor was I given a handbook of rules and regulations, etc.

The biggest thing I like about this center is the quality of the activities. They go on field trips a lot, some of the older school age classes are up to 4 days per week. They also have large play yards and the four year old room had in it what I can only describe as a two story wooden fort. So, if I take the munchkin there, they would have opportunities to do many things as they grow.

Center #2: Smaller center, housed in an old church. The door is not locked but all of the teachers seem to be aware if someone new enters as the front door goes by the office and the back door goes into the school age room. When you come in there is a sign in sheet that they check every day to make sure each child is signed in and out so everyone is accounted for. The class size is not too large (8 infants age 6 weeks to 6 months, 8 infants age 6 months to 18 months, etc.). I went to this center at 2:00 so most of the children were still napping or just waking up from nap.

My biggest turn off, was that the equipment is older and there is not as much diversity. The playground was just remodeled but it is still not large. Some of the rooms did not appear to have many toys in them and I would worry that as the child gets older (school age) they would be bored at this center.

The biggest thing I like about this center is the teachers. They seem to be older and more established and they all seemed much more interactive with the children. Also, the assistant director that showed me around really did a great job of explaining how things work and making me feel at ease. They go on field trips at this center but I think that they are limited to 2 or 3 days a week.

So, here's where I'm confused. On the way home from the second center the director called from Center #1 and apologized for her absence and also told me that they do have an opening in the beginning of March and for a $25 registration fee they can guarantee me a spot. I also paid a $30 registration fee to Center #2 but they could not guarantee me a spot until June. They said something MAY open up sooner, but that was their guarantee for now.

I think until we decide which one we want to go with I will pay the other registration fee and then we will have a guaranteed spot. So, here's where you come in. What is more important the wonderful vibe I got about the teachers at Center #2 or the "stuff" at Center #1? Personally I am leaning towards #2, but they can't guarantee me a spot.

It's not that I got a bad vibe at Center #1. I think that the munchkin will be adequately cared for and not in any danger if I take them there, I just feel like Center #2 is more "homey." As I write this I am kind of convincing myself except for the they can't take me until June problem.

So, I'm just going to stop now and open up the floor. Even if you don't have children or have never had to make this choice because you stayed home I'm still interested in everyone's opinion. What do you think is the most important thing to look for in a center? What is the least important?