Daddy's Girly!!

So I almost forgot about it, but then I saw the outfit this morning and had to share...

This weekend Chris and I went shopping in an attempt to find something that will fit my ever-growing butt... So while we were out, we figured we would swing by Babies R Us and add a few things to the registry and also check out some of the baby clearance racks at the mall and Babies R Us. Nothing big right?!?!

Except that Mr.Marine, Mr.Tough, Mr.I-Don't-Know-What-To-Do-With-A-Girl-And-All-That-Pink was all kinds of into getting the girly stuff!!! I've never seen a man so excited about sparkly, pink, sequined, shiny, girly-girl clothing... especially not such a guy's-guy like Chris!!

The one outfit he picked out all by himself (that I to say, I would have put back instantly) is a pink camo little outfit. And while I love camo, you've all seen my favorite pair of shorts, and am all for some pink camo for Jacelyn, there is a limit... I need to take a picture of it, but I'll try to describe it ::

the shirt ~ pale pink, long sleeve, crew neck, silver sparkle and sequined peace sign in the center (and whole) front, frilly edges to the sleeves
the pants ~ multiple shades of pink in camo pattern, shiny silver 'pieces' in the camo pattern, sparkly glitter looking silvery shine all over, little sparkle silver peace signs randomly scattered throughout the pants, little pink bows (they are actually kind of subtle, but it might just be the pattern that makes them look subtle) on the pockets and trim

Seriously. He keeps trying to say it's only because of the camo that he picked it, but it's beyond the most girly thing that I've ever even picked up before, much less bought!! And oh yeah, I bought it... it is the very first thing that Chris has ever picked out, matched, and got excited about for his daughter. Of course I was getting it! And, when she wears it, I will proudly proclaim that her Daddy, her United States Marine Daddy, picked it out all by himself!!!

Oh, and did I mention that with the exception of her "coming home" outfit, his little sparkle-camo-get-up is the most expensive outfit Jacelyn owns right now?!?! And, yes, it was on the clearance rack! Yeah, Mr.Fruggle is already spoiling his little princess... and with glitterfied flare no less!!!!!!!

My Blog Hates Me...

Yeah, so you may have noticed that we now have no background or color or anything... It's because the blog hates me. Friday... or maybe Thursday... whatever... Last week I decided to change the layout/background thingy. I found a super cute one that's a little more girly in honor of our gorgeous daughter. So I tried to load it, and I kept getting a server error message thingy. So I waited and tried again... And waited and tried again... And waited and tried again... So finally I thought if I deleted the old code, then the new one should work! Ugh, negative. I can't get the old one back because I keep getting the same message as the new one. So now, you get this white layout... Although I'm still trying to get the new, pretty one up... Keep your fingers crossed. :)

3D Ultrasound

Here's some pictures from the 3D Ultrasound... There's a butt ton of them, so I'm only posting a couple here. The rest are in our photobucket, under the Pregnancy folder :: http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s241/swaders_1girl/Anna%20Pregnancy%20Pics/ I know I'm a little bias, but seriously, she's the most beautiful baby girl in the history of babies and girls!! Just look at the gorgeous little smile!!!!Already talking up a storm, just like Mommy!!!

Her crazy, dancing legs! I swear they never stop moving... not that I'd ever want them too!!

Baby Girl Swader

Yeah, so I'm just being honest when I say that we have the absolute, most beautiful baby there ever was!!! Seriously. It's really not cocky if I'm just telling the truth, right?!?! :)

We had our 20 week check up yesterday with the OB. Jacelyn's heart is beating strong and she was having a little dance party in there. The OB is happy with my (enormous, immense, ginormous, insert other elephant sized descriptions here) weight gain, even though I still feel like it's a little much. We had our 20 week check up yesterday with the OB. Jacelyn's heart is beating strong and she was having a little dance party in there. The OB is happy with my (enormous, immense, ginormous, insert other elephant sized descriptions here) weight gain, even though I still feel like it's a little much.

Then we went to That's My Baby 3D Ultrasound in Bowie/Crofton... And seriously, Jacelyn is the prettiest baby in the history of babies. She has the most perfect little lips, and these teeny tiny ears. We were able to see her adorable nose - which we think she's getting from Chris, but we'll have to wait until she fills out more to tell for sure. Jacelyn was so active and just dancing all around my belly! She kept playing with the umbilical cord, and rubbing her eyes, and tapping on my placenta... yeah, I guess that's another one of those pregnancy things - you can't avoid saying things like "umbilical cord" and "placenta"... Apparently, from what the tech (who was the nicest person and soooo perfect for this job) was saying, Jacelyn's going to take after me when it comes to her sleeping position; I have to have my hands by my head - under my pillow, under my chin, on my pillow in front of my face, you get the idea - and that's all Jacelyn kept doing!! She even blew kisses, although I'm sure it wasn't intentional. Oh, and did I mention that it really looks like she's going to have the Swader toe?!?! Since she wouldn't stop moving, we couldn't get the best picture, but it does appear that Jacelyn will at least have Chris' version of it where the second toe is the same size as the big one. LOL!!

OH!!! And the most bestest part of the whole day/night was... seriously, you should be making a drum roll sound now... Chris felt her move!!! Cool Ranch Doritos make her go crazy, so I had been eating them for a little while before the ultrasound so we would get to see her move. In the waiting room I was trying to tell him how she's going crazy, and kept trying to get him to feel something... Finally, she just caught his hand the littlest bit!! It was enough to make him jump a little bit. He was so excited!!! Then, while we were standing (Jacelyn was moving so much I was starting to get a little uncomfortable sitting down) he put his hand on my back and then the other one on my belly, with a little bit of pressure... Sure enough, his daughter kicked him (harder this time)!!

Chris was able to scan the pictures in, but we didn't have time to get them onto the internet or anything yet... Sorry! Plus they gave us a CD with a butt ton of pictures on it, so we want to put those up too. Hopefully tonight we'll be able to send the link out and post a couple so you can all see our gorgeous baby girl!!!

Oh, and we do have the follow up (health check) ultrasound today. The OB told us yesterday that it's specifically to get a certain part of Jacelyn's brain and her spine. Apparently, as cooperative as she was, she changed position before that tech was able to get the pictures the OB needed of this one part of her brain and of her spine. So we'll be back at the doctor's again today... but we get to see Jacelyn again this afternoon so it's totally worth it!!!

Huntin' Wah-bit

This is really Chris' story, since he is (nice, wonderful, amazing, loving, the best and he...) gets up with the puppies in the morning, or middle of the night, so that I can get the rest Jacelyn and I need...

Anyways, the puppies get him up at 3:30 this morning. Nothing too unusual. He doesn't even get the door open before they're plowing right through it though. So he kind of thinks something is up, but since they weren't barking or growling, doesn't think too much of it. Instantly, Cuya and Dobie tear off into the corner of the yard without even hesitating... Chris does whatever he does for a few minutes, and then calls for them to come back in so they can all go back to sleep.

Nothing.

He calls and calls and calls...

Nothing.

He puts on a sweatshirt and some shoes, and goes out to get them...

After about 2 hours - two, dos, deuce, two frickin' hours - he gets them inside. Cuya just tears right past him and eagerly waits for him to see her in the kitchen. Chris said he noticed she had something, but figured it was trash that she found in the yard or something. Then he saw it...

A rabbit leg in Cuya's mouth.

She wouldn't drop it, but did let him take it from her when she was given the command...

Chris went back outside and began the hunt.

Apparently, the wonderful protectors that they are, Cuya and Dobie sensed that something was different and went right for the unsuspecting rabbit hiding by our mailbox. They, or at least Cuya we know for sure, was faster than the bunny. And boy were our fur babies proud of themselves! It was pretty much the equivalent of a child wanting to hang a fingerpaint masterpiece on the fridge, or an "A" test...

The moral of the story is, our dogs are just the best hunters and protectors ever!!! I mean, they just proved (against Chris' liking for the hour of morning) that they would kill for us!!!!

Nursery Colors...

Not really all that exciting right now, but I'm stoked about it! We picked out the colors for Jacelyn's nursery!! Of course I can't remember them off the top of my head now... But we were able to match the quilt we got perfectly!

If I haven't said it, we're doing two shades of green with a pink accent. Try to picture it now... because the house is so old, the walls aren't all full walls. So there's only 2 full walls in the bedrooms... the other 2 (of course the bigger ones) have the ceiling meet the wall with an edge - not quite a corner but sharper than a curve - about 4 feet up. Originally, we had white on everything but the one full wall (the second full wall has a window on it) where we had an accent color for the room. That made it feel like the ceiling wasn't closing in on you, but still gave the room some color. Well, we didn't want all that harsh white in Jacelyn's room... It's just so strong and stark up against the nursery furniture. We didn't want to put color on the ceiling either, because that would end up really giving you the feeling that the room was only inches above your height. So we needed a very, very, very pale color... and you can imagine, Chris wasn't too into having a pink room! (Not that I can argue since I'm trying my damnedest to get over the pink factor!)

So, we're basically making a chair rail that's high up... We'll have an almost-white-green color on the ceiling and above the "chair rail", with a more vibrant green (still pastel-ish and soft) under the "chair rail"; we'll have three pink horizontal stripes as the "chair rail" with the darker green in between the stripes. Basically, we'll make a horizontal line around the room where the ceiling and wall meet, and the light green will go above that. We'll have a small pink stripe (horizontal), a small dark green stripe, a large pink stripe (we have wording that will go over Jacelyn's crib in this stripe), a small green stripe, a small pink stripe, and then the dark green to the floor. Of course, by dark green I really mean the darker of the two which is still more on the pastel side while still be warmer. All the small stripes will be the same size, probably about an inch; just enough to give the walls some personality.

Hopefully, we can get the paint this weekend and Chris can start doing the work (I'm not allowed and we're not spending the extra money for the special paint that doesn't have fumes) next week or so!! As soon as work starts, you can expect pictures!! :)

Name of the Week

So Delainey was a bust... As much as I liked it, after saying it for just a few short days, I started hearing "Da Lainey"... as in "Da Lainey is Da Bomb"... And I got over it pretty quickly. I still think it's adorable, and maybe (although slim) we'll revisit it again later for second test drive. For now, Delainey is in da-past. (Yeah, I know...)

This week, we're testing Jacelyn out.
(Just because I've had it asked... it's pronounced like Lace, not Jack)

Let us know what you think of Jacelyn. Good, bad, and ugly, any thoughts are great thoughts!!

OH!!! And an update... sorry...

We get to see Jacelyn in 3D on Thursday... and hear her heartbeat again... and see her for the follow up sonogram on Friday... Yeah, Jacelyn's got a lot going on this week! LOL! We have our 20 week (OMG can you belive I'm 20 weeks?!?!) check up at the OB on Thursday. I'm a little nervous about the whole mid-wife thing, but I've been reassured multiple times that it means nothing and she's just like a doctor as far as my check up is concerned. Then, we go to That's My Baby Ultrasound for a little 3D viewing!! We really weren't going to do this until about 30 weeks, but we decided to just go for it after the original ultrasound went the way it did. Plus, we got a really great deal and just couldn't pass it up! After we scheduled the 3D, I found out that we had to go for a follow-up sonogram because the doctors didn't have what they needed, or enough of what they had, or whatever... The only afternoon appointment I could get within in the next two weeks (when I'm supposed to go in per the doctor) was Friday; so after a very exciting Thursday, we'll go back to see Jacelyn in black and white Friday afternoon...

I feel great, and I just love feeling Jacelyn moving around. I've learned that Cool Ranch Doritos really get her dancing like crazy!!! I just can't wait until Chris can feel her. Every time Jacelyn really gets going, I try to push his hand on my belly in hopes that she catches him just the littlest bit... but so far nothing's going. Rumor has it that any day now Jacelyn'll be able to start kicking other people besides her Mommy!!

Cirque du Soleil

Last night, my super amazing and wonderfully fabulous husband took me to see Cirque du Soleil in Baltimore... They're doing Kooza and he knew I really wanted to see it. Chris wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but knowing how badly I wanted to go, he got tickets and we went last night.

I have to say that even Chris was impressed and in awe of the show! It's sooooo much more than I could have thought. And with the exception of intermission, there wasn't a single second where 20 different things weren't going on!

The silly clowns, the magical crazy hat man, the little boy and his kite, the three contortionist girls... Just insanely cool. Then there was the juggler guy who made normal clowns look like a baby taking his first steps... Or the guys in the swinging rings of death - well that's what we're calling it... And the guys on the high wire jumping over each other like it's cool... Oh, and the unicycle guy who partner danced with a girl by flipping her all over the place while still riding his unicycle... and the little soldier people who just stood on top of each other like it's nothing out of the ordinary to stand 3 or 4 layers high on your co workers... and the flying swing girl who nearly gave me a heart attack the way she just flew all over that little swing... And the magic... And the comedy...

It was just soooo incredible!! I mean, for Chris to be impressed, you know it had to be good!! I couldn't believe that it had been 2 hours and 40+ minutes (that's what the little thing said the duration would be) when it ended... I couldn't take my eyes off the stage for a second the whole time. And I'm pretty sure my mouth just hung open like a fly trap for the whole show! LOL!

I mean, even at intermission, I was scared to leave my seat because I didn't want to miss it if they did do something silly again... Seriously, they had stuff going on before the show even started! You just didn't know where to look --- the clown wondering the crowd and stealing things from people, the cops trying to find the crook-clown as he disappeared, the giant dog that was taking potty breaks on people, the over excited tourist guy yelling to start the show, the delivery guy who's (literal) package kept getting bigger, the woman trying to get backstage to give her son some dinner she brought...

Aside from the crazy dreams the Delainey was doing the stunts, it was beyond worth the extreme sleepiness that I feel today!!! Even Chris said the same thing, and that really means something! LOL!

Oh, and it was cool because with all the music, Delainey was moving like crazy! I think she really likes music... but we did decide last night that Delainey will never, ever, ever get a swing! LOL!

Test Driving

I have the most fabulous husband, I really do!! Because of how I've been feeling towards the name Adelaide, Chris has decided that we should pick a couple other names and "test drive" them.

Instead of just talking about which one sounds better, we'll actually use her temp. name for a week or so, and then see how we feel about it. We'll be able to see how people react to it, what (stupid, annoying, dumb...) nicknames people come up with for that name, and if it starts to sound right or wrong.

We have three that we're testing... Adelaide, Jacelyn and Delainey.

This week-ish, we're testing Delainey. So far, we keep forgetting to use her name and still just say "baby" or "baby girl"... This little experiment could totally fail just because Delainey's parents are too simple to comply with thier own idea!! LOL!

Oh, and please, please, please feel free to give us your opinion! That's a big part in this, so any opinions or thoughts are not only greatly appreciated, they're a huge help!! :)

I Hate the Name We "Picked"!!

So we've had a girl's name picked out for a little while... It changed a few times, but it's been Adelaide for about 2 months now. We found out that we're having a girl, and I wanted to look into more options for names just to be sure. I really love Adelaide, but wasn't 100% sold that it was my daughter's name... if that makes sense...

Well of course everyone knew we were getting the sonogram done, so everyone wanted to know what we were having. As soon as I said "it's a girl", the next thing out of everyone's mouth was along the lines of "any names picked out yet"... Of course, I said "right now, we're thinking Adelaide Dorothy"...

Instantly, I mean literally every single person had the same reaction --- "aw, Addy, that's cute".

If I wanted you to call her "Addy" then I'd frickin' say we're thinking of naming her Addy!! But I said Adelaide!!!! Her name would be ADELAIDE not effin Addy!!! Seriously, if someone says their name, you don't automatically shorten it. You might ask if Christopher goes by Chris, but you don't just assume it. If I said, "we're thinking Adelaide and calling her Addy" then of course I could see you having that response. But I said "Adelaide", so at least have the courtesy of asking if I'd call her Addy... Then I could politely tell you that we wouldn't shorten it.

It's not that I hate Addy, but I'm not really that big into the shortened name thing... We fell in love with Adelaide because it sounded so classic and old fashioned without sounding old or out of date. And I know it's not right, but every time I think of "Addy" I instantly think one of two things --- the dumb, sleezy red head from Grey's Anatomy who cheated on her husband with his best friend (not exactly the image I want for my baby girl) or a blond, bimbo-y cheerleader-valley-girl type chewing gum with her mouth all open! I know it's ridiculous, but that's just what I picture!!

We talked about how we felt when the kids at school call her Addy when she's a little older, or teachers or whatever... We didn't hate it. But we also figured that that was years away, that we'd kinda have time to get the people around us in the habit of calling her by the name we chose for her - Adelaide, not effin Addy!!!!

But now it's seriously the very first thing people say when say the name we wanted... It's totally ruining the name for me!!!

And of course, Chris doesn't hear it so it doesn't bother him and he's still head-over-heels in love with the name. Same thing with my mom! Every time I say something to either of them about looking at other options for my baby girl's name, they kinda do that sigh of extreme patience. My husband's not too bad because he gets the whole nickname thing, even if he doesn't fully empathize with me yet. My mom, though, she just keeps saying "I like Adelaide". How many times can I say "I like Adelaide too, but I'm not really into Addy"?!?!?!

Uuuuugggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

I spent my whole life correcting people on my name, and I don't want my daughter to do the same thing. Yet, after all but deciding on the perfect name, I'm already walking that path to where she will!! I can remember being so upset that people couldn't say Anna... it was just Anne or Annie or Hannah... I don't want my baby girl to have to correct everyone that her name is Adelaide and not Addy!!

And then, to not really have any support or understanding, is only making it more frustrating!!

I mean, there's nothing wrong with Addy or even Addison (which seems super popular and is also often referenced when I say Adelaide), but it's not me... it's not for my baby...

I thought that picking/knowing/deciding/finding the name for my baby would be so much easier after I knew the gender... Yet, now I hate the only name that I truely loved for my little girl!!!! :(

Follow Up Sonograms...

So the doctor's office called, and we have to go back for "follow up" sonograms... Apparently they didn't get enough pictures of what they needed, didn't get all the pictures they needed, and need more detailed pictures than what they got.

I'm told this is totally normal, and very routine. Nothing's wrong with me or the baby...

But I'm still kind of frustrated. I mean, it wasn't the best experience in the first place --- not getting to see the screen at all, the tech not being that friendly... but why tell the patient that she can get this sono done as early as 17 weeks if you really need her to be no less than 20 weeks along?!?! Now I have to take another half day off work because of the sonogram places' hours, use PTO that I really wanted to save, and cross my fingers in hopes that the insurance covers another sonogram when I'm not a high risk pregnancy... not too mention the worry (although I'm trying very hard not too) of if something really is wrong and they're just not sure it's a big enough deal yet to be worried about...

Ugh... I'm sure that if something wasn't right the doctor would have told me, but still...

At least we'll get to see our baby girl again!!!

It's A...

... healthy, active baby!

Well, it's true! We went in to get our sonogram yesterday (woo hoo), and they took lots of pictures of the baby... Oh who am I kidding?!?!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

We are having a gorgeous, beautiful, healthy, active, very un-shy baby girl! She (I love saying that!) is still 2 days ahead of schedule, so they'll probably move our due date up a couple days. But her heartbeat is just "perfect" according to the nurse. I believe it was 145, but there was a lot going on so I'm not totally positive. Whatever it is, they said it's right in the middle of the healthy range. She is also about 8 oz.s now... She has a very healthy heart, strong muscles, good looking bones. Ugh, and she kept kicking and dancing around. It was so amazing seeing my little girl!

After a lot of measuring and watching and counting, I was finally allowed to pee and we started to look for girl or boy parts... She showed that's she is definitely Chris' daughter though! As soon as the nurse said we're going to start looking, his little girl went belly up and ass right towards the little machine - everything just spread right open for us to see!! There's no denying, we're having a BABY GIRL!!!

She will be the 4th granddaughter for Chris' mom and the very 1st for mine. So far, we're still pretty sure that she's an Adelaide Dorothy... but we're not carving any stones yet. For right now though, we can expect Adelaide Dorothy Swader some time in August this year!!!!!

PS ~ Here's the latest belly pics... Exactly 18 weeks along, and boy can you tell I'm carrying a girl! Oh, and don't mind the pj bottoms... it was getting late, I was soooo tired and they're really comfortable!

The Furniture World Hates Me

I'm so not even kidding. We desparately need a coffee table... all our stuff is hand-me-downs so we agreed that we're either getting something we absolutely adore that will last us a million years, or something super cheap to hold us over until we find/can get something we love. We just need a table before Dobie (or worse yet, I) go through the stupid glass.

Wait, let me do a quick background real quick... Our living room set is all from my parents' house; they bought the stuff about 22 years ago. To say it's so not me, would be a drastic understatement! It's not horrible, but it's not the cozy country lived in comfortable that I like. The tables (we'll just stick with those for now) are a not so bad wood, even though I really don't like wood that has a shine to it, with glass inlays. The glass has some iron stuff throughout it too... On the coffee table, there used to be a solid sheet of glass that went over the decorative piece but my mom cracked it when she sat on the table one day. Granted it was destined to happen soon anyway. Well now, Dobie (mostly) has taken to climbing on the table. Not for any reason and despite our constant corrections. So now the (thin) decorative piece is slowly bending. It's only a matter of time before he goes straight through the glass and we end up (back) in the pet emergency hospital with him (again).

So yesterday, Chris (kind of against his will even though he was a great sport about it) and I went to a couple "antique" stores by my parents' house to see if they had any old junk (that I would undoubtedly fall in love with and want to spend ungodly amounts of money on and Chris would hate and think was over priced by all but a dollar) that we could use as a coffee table. I love antiques; the older and more beat up, the better. Chris lovingly puts up with this. Well there was nothing. I wasn't discouraged though, and agreed that maybe we just get a cheapo while we keep looking for what (I) we want... Only there isn't anything.

Seriously, the only things I like out of hours searching online (after googling "coffee tables" about 27 times) are wwwaaaaaaayyyyy out of our price range! Everything else just sucks... and is still at the very, very high end of our price range for something that would perfect. I'm so not paying a bizillion bucks for something that I don't even like, much less am not head over heels in love with!!! I mean, I like - scratch that - I LOVE junk!! Old, beat up, "distressed", worn, JUNK! People should be paying me to take the crap off thier hands and instead they're charging a paycheck and half... before shipping!!!! So now, I'm over it. I'm putting a piece of plywood in the "hole" and that's that.

Just another thing to add to the list of things I hate shopping for...

OMG Pregnant!!

So I just had my first real pregnant moment... and as I'm laughing at myself, I had to share!!

This morning on the way into work, I stopped at 7-Eleven. I've had the sniffles in the morning so I wanted to grab a box of tissues to keep at my desk, and figured I'd just grab a bottle of water there too. Side note, they had the new propel and I got a little excited about that. Anyways, I grab two bottles of the new Propel and a box of tissues... as I'm making my way to the register, admiring how I didn't get that giant bag of sour cream and onion chips, I decide to treat myself with a 3 Musketeers bar. I try to limit the amount of junk that I eat so I thought it'd be a nice treat this afternoon and it's not as bad as other candy bars...

Long story short, a program I use a lot at work starts acting up as I'm trying to do a simple task. So I have to do this whole long process that takes about 5 times as long. I'm frustrated from the stupid phone calls I've been getting today (how hard is it to understand that I can't control the whole building?!?!), I'm still a little out of it from yesterday, and then the program starts being insanely difficult... Now I need that 3 Musketeers bar!!! I can't smoke, can't drink, can't kick people - the least I can do is have a friggin' 3 Musketeers bar.

And I can't find it anywhere!! I know I bought one. I know the girl put it in the bag. I paid very close attention to this, so I'm sure that candy bar left 7-Eleven with me. Yet, it's not in my purse or on my desk or in a drawer or even in the trash (yes I checked)... The pregnancy starts to really kick in at this point and I can literally feel the tears building as I'm tearing my whole work space apart. Desparate, I fight the tears a little longer and go check the car, praying it's in there...

When I saw that little silver shimmer with the red and blue writing on it, sitting on the seat of my truck... Oh I cried! Seriously! I believe I even did a little happy-dance-jump-for-joy thing... that included a little "woo hoo"... yeah...

I have definitely, officially had my first real pregnancy moment.

We Have Nursery Furniture...

So despite how hard yesterday was, my grandmother was once again looking out for me! As I slowly started losing it the more the day went on, I had to start convincing myself to go the graveyard even though all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and cry myself to sleep... Traffic sucked on the way home, so sitting by myself thinking more and more about Nanny really wasn't helping. Chris got home, let the puppies out, put them back in the crates and we were off... I just picked him up since if I went in the house, I wasn't coming back out. As he's getting in the truck and I'm about to seriously lose it, his phone rings.

Babies R Us was calling to let us know that the furniture we ordered on Sunday had arrived and was ready for pick up. It was supposed to take no less than 7 business days, and it was only the 4th day. They also had pick up times available that night, so we wouldn't have to wait until next week to get it. This too was something that we had planned on waiting a week or so to be able to do, after it arrived at the store. Taking a chance, and hoping against all odds that it didn't backfire and send his wife into more hysterics, Chris called my dad to see if he was available with the truck and to help with the furniture...

So last night, after the florist to get roses for Nanny and the trip to the graveyard, after getting Domino's for dinner and fighting off the puppies while we ate, Chris and I went to meet my dad (and nephew) to pick up the nursery furniture.

It's still all in boxes, of course. We need to clean and paint - and pick out if it's a blue stripe or pink stripe we're painting - before we can put the furniture together and in it's place. But, we officially have nursery furniture.

And while I know it sounds silly, I know that I have just one more thing to thank my grandmother for. I know, without a doubt, that it was no coincidence that our furniture arrived way early and we were able to pick it up so easily... well minus the actual lifting/carrying/literal picking it up. I know that she had a hand in creating a distraction that would take away from all the pain and saddness that I was dealing with yesterday... and that I could share the excitement with my mom, and therefore cause her the same distraction. It never ceases to amaze me, all the little miracles life brings when you least expect one.

The Anti-Celebration Day...

Today marks the year anniversary (seriously, not the right word but the English language is only so extensive) of my Grandmother's death... I drastically underestimated the baby's/pregnancy's ability to distract me from being mortally depressed thinking about saying goodbye to her this time a year ago... a whopping 3 months before her Goddaughter and Granddaughter was to be married in the Church that Nanny raised her in; just short of seeing her first grandchild do things "the right way", the way she always wanted. Or to keep from thinking about how the one thing she loved the most was her family, the stupid kids who still refuse to talk to each other despite her death and a wedding...

One year and one week ago, my mom and I were talking about what kind of dress in what color she'd wear to my wedding. We were talking about my dress and 'discussing' the wearing of a veil. My family and I were trying to figure out how my grandmother would "be" at the wedding... would we rent a wheelchair or maybe I would have to suck it up and just show her the video later...

One year and one week ago, Chris and I had just started talking about trying to get pregnant. How we would try to use my grandparents' names if we were lucky enough to get pregnant... We were wondering if any of my family would actually come to the wedding. And, if they did, how would they act...

One year and one week ago, I would've have given almost anything to have my mom's family back together under one roof like "old times". It's only now that I see the horrible irony of that... not that it did any good...

Still, I spent more than a lot of time today glancing down at my ever growing belly. Just thinking how amazing it would have been for Nanny to meet her greatgrandchild. Wondering if she'd think the baby looked like me when he or she arrived. Laughing back the tears as I pictured her face when we told her the not-so-normal names we've picked out... Imagining all the things she'd say about the baby being Catholic and making all their Sacraments. And trying not to think how my baby is a better person already because Nanny's blood runs through their veins, but how much better they'd be if they got to share even a little bit of life with her.

Dobie is Less of a Man

Dobie has finally gone long enough without an allergic reaction (knock on wood), intenstinal blockage, regularly eating poop, vomiting every few hours, and any other issue that escapes memory right now... that we're able to get him fixed!

Oh yeah, as of yesterday afternoon, Dobie will officially never enter manhood!! And thank goodness, because that little thing was starting to appear way too often for my liking... and it's really disgusting... and not something that I want to explain to our all-to-curious-nephew...

As of yesterday, Dobie came through the operation very well and we're picking him up in about 2 hours! I am not the only one who missed our Dobie terribly these last two nights either. Poor Cuya searched the house endlessly for him the first night, and refused to sleep last night. It was the first real snow of thier lives yesterday too. Cuya had to take on the task of getting all the snow flakes out of our yard all by herself!

Chris' Survey...

I had to steal this from Danielle because it's cute... and, like she said, it's not always about me... although it is most of the time since I'm creating life now! LOL!

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
NFL Network or SportsCenter or a sport of some sort depending on the season, night, teams being televised... and rarely that Man vs. Wild show or the Military channel if I'm not around or not paying any attention...
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
The most random and unheard of dressing that the sever lists... if it sounds off the wall, he's ordering it!
3. What's one food he doesn't like?
I don't think he's found one yet... Seriously, the man ate worms (and yes Chris I said "ate" and not "eats"!)!!
4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?
Either a beer (again the most random one on the menu) or a Jack and Coke...
5. Where did he go to high school?
Kenston/Kenstin... something close to that! I'm so not a speller.
6. What size shoe does he wear?
8 or 8 1/2 or 9... I think mostly an 8 1/2...
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Sports memorabilia without a doubt!!!
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
It seriously depends on his mood and what kind of crazy left overs he's trying to get rid of before they go bad... that's not a joke.
9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
Pork saurerkraut (sp?) and dumplings in kerowadeseed (sp?) oil stuff... It's the most horrid stuff I've ever been around, but he loves that crap! Stupid German! LOL!
10. What would he never wear?
I can't even say women's clothes because I'm sure I've heard a story about that...
11. What is his favorite sports team?
Depends on what sport ~~~ Football: Cleveland Browns; Basketball: Cleveland Cavs; Baseball: Cleveland Indians; College: THE Ohio State Buckeyes...
12. Who did he vote for?
I'm not stupid enough to open that topic of discussion.
13. Who is his best friend?
It's a tie... between me and the little-half-me in my belly! =P
14. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
Try to take home every stray animal, shrink all the laundry, eat in bed, speak in random foreign accents, spend money, make a mess, burb a lot, refuse to try new foods... oh I could on for a really long time!
15. What is his heritage?
German, with a little bit of German, and a hint of German
16. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
Whatever (disgusting and totally random) kind he finds me a recipe for...
17. Did he play sports in high school?
He was a Center for the Bombers (in football, in case that wasn't obvious).
18. What could he spend hours doing?
Talking sports or politics, watching sports or politics, playing rockband, explaining how we'd survive on a desserted island if we ever crashed on one... or in the middle of a desert... or the frozen tundra... or anywhere else that pops in his head...
19. What is one unique talent he has?
Honestly, dealing with ME! You've met me, you have to give him mad props that he deals with me all the time!
20. If he could vacation anywhere, where would it be?
Alaska or Germany... It's kind of a toss up since Alaska would complete his tour of the United States, but he's never actually gotten to visit the land of his ancestors.