Emotions

Whew ~ they are all over the place, but let's focus on the good ones :)

First off, our great friends back home, Brandon and Emily, gave birth to their sweet little girl this morning! From the few pictures I've been sent already, I am just overcome with happiness for them. She looks perfect and Brandon already is the doting daddy! They are going to be WONDERFUL parents!

Second - I got to see our sweet baby for the first time on Tuesday!! It was completely on a whim.. i wasn't expecting to see him/her until 20 weeks, but I heard of this Christian, non-profit place that gives ultra sounds for free (!!) and remembered to give them a call. They asked if I could come in that day... pshh.. of course! It was the most amazing thing to see it moving around in there. There was my little monkey doing flips, sucking it's thumb, playing with it's hair, waving to me, and even sticking it's little tongue out.. sassy already.. just like momma! I wish more than anything that Trey could have been there with me, but the nurse was able to get some good shots for me to show him. I've looked at them every day since :) and I just cannot wait to meet him/her in real life! Can't wait to see how it feels to have that squirming monkey in my hands and see the look on Trey's face the first time he sees it! The heartbeat was back up again at 174!! So we've had 161, 144, then up to 174!

The emotions I've been going through have not all been sappy and sweet, let me tell you! Out of nowhere this week came the irrational hormones! Tuesday night and last night, Trey said the smallest thing and I've snapped at him big time with each. Then I get mad at myself for being so silly and start crying because I was "mean" to him. It's crazy.. or rather I'm crazy!

I tried to upload the pics of the sonogram, but blogger wouldn't let me. They are all saved together on my usb drive.. not separately. I was going to ask from the skeletal pics, what your guess was... boy or girl.. but how about just your gut... you can vote up at the top to the left!

A Voice in the Wind

This was one of the best books I have read in a really long time!

I've discovered with this book, that I have a love for historical fiction. The book takes place in a few different areas, but starts out in Jerusalem. I admittedly, didn't know much about this era besides the basics, and I learned a lot from this book. The main character is a Christian girl named Hadessah who grew up in Jerusalem. (I'll try to sum this up as quickly as possible!) The Romans are coming in and invading, killing most of the Jews and taking lots more to be slaves. Hadessah's entire family is killed besides her and her sister. Prayer saved them from being shot in their home and she is taken to become a slave in Rome. She goes to serve an important and rich family and in particular is there to serve a young troubled girl, Julia. Hadessah is different from the rest of the slaves, as she is not particularly pretty and really actually cares for and loves the family she is serving. The book follows her and this family, along with a German who was captured to become a gladiator. There are so many twists and different story lines that we would be here forever if I went into detail of it all. It involves Roman history, gladiator stories, forbidden love, and having to hide the Christian faith.

I probably did a horrible job explaining why I loved this book so much and didn't even touch on 1/2 of what this amazing story entails, but trust me, you HAVE to read this book! I have the follow-up book in this series, An Echo in the Darkness, waiting to read, but have to read a different one first (it's due back at the library sooner), but I cannot wait to start it and see what happens with these characters! Who's going to finally let themselves fall in love with the other? Will she finally find happiness? Will any of the characters see that they are worshiping false gods and finally see what Hadessah has been trying to show them all along? I can't wait!

It's been a while..

Sorry for the unplanned blogging hiatus! I didn't plan on being away for a while (few days really), but I've been so busy. What's that you say? How does a house wife stay busy? I can't tell you what I've been up to for the most part, but I've been going going going! I'll update you the best I can through bullets (we'd be here all day otherwise):

• Last Wednesday, I met up with a few girls from the FRG to finish our pottery. It was a fun, relaxing afternoon with lunch at Atlanta Bread Company.. yum! I finally get to pick up my piece today so I'll be sure to post a picture.
• Thursday morning was my 2nd doctor's appointment. The first time I experienced Centuring. It was really fun and interesting so I'm going to stick with it. It's official though, the weight gain has started. In 15 weeks I've gained a total of 6 lbs.. eeeks! 2 of those lbs have packed on just in the past 2 weeks. I feel like I'm sticking to a lot of healthy foods, I'm just eating more. I have a much bigger appetite. Gone, for the most part, are the days where I'm just nibbling at my food! Anywho.... the babe's heartbeat has gone down a little.. from 161 to 144. It was harder to find this time. It was great to talk to some other women who are around the same week. Got more healthy snacking suggestions.. like frozen grapes. I can't wait to try those.. they are freezing now! I even left there with a goody bag filled with Easter candy. Which 1/2 of may or may not have been eaten by the time I got home :)

• Thursday night was the Red Leg Commendante Social. Had a GREAT time! We ordered a picture of the two of us, but for now here is a regular ol' picture that was taken of us..

Look at that belly!! I really don't feel like it's that big. I think the dress accentuated it a bit. I definitely don't look like that in jeans!

• Friday night was an at home date night for hubs and I. We got a pizza from Luigi's (the most delicious pizza place around here) and watched The Hurt Locker. What are y'all's thoughts on that movie? We really didn't like it. It couldn't keep my attention and he couldn't get past how fake it was... as in it's not really like that in real life. He said probably a million times, "that would never happen". We actually didn't even finish it, but I think we came pretty close.
• Saturday was probably the best day I've had in a really long time! We celebrated my big 27th birthday (it was really Sunday, but that day was dedicated to homework). Trey and I, along with another couple, went to OKC for the day. I have been dying to go to the OKC Zoo, but I wanted to wait for a pretty day. It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun there! Although, by the end I was begging for piggy back rides... After the zoo, we went to Target. Earlier in the day, Trey let me open my first present a little early. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I've been collecting Willow Tree figures for a couple years now. He got me "Cherish" which is the figure of a pregnant woman holding her belly. How thoughtful is that?? I cried as per usual. I didn't think he was getting me anything, because I knew he was taking me to Target to pick out a whole new bathroom set. So we did that.. my new bathroom colors are navy and green... very pretty! Afterwards, we went to dinner then The Melting Pot for dessert.. delicious!!

I was a little disappointed because I found out I wasn't getting our ultrasound until around April 9th. Buuuttt... at that last appointment I went to, someone mentioned a place called The Pregnancy Recourse Center that she had been going to that gives ultra sounds for free. I finally remembered to call them today and guess what??? I'm so excited... I'm going in at 2:00 today to see my baby for the first time :) I have a pretty big hope that they will be able to at least guess at the sex.. but I'm trying not to get those hopes up too much. If they can, I'm going to have her write it down and fold it up realllll tight so Trey and I can find out at the same time! Wish us luck!

Comfort

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me, freeing me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. I cried out to the Lord in my suffering, and he heard me. He set me free from all my fears. For the angel of the Lord guards all who fear him, and he rescues them.
Psalm 34:4-7

I came across this bible verse today and it really spoke to me. I'm not sure why as I have no story to really go along with this right now. There have been numerous times in my life, so many times I can't count, that this has applied to me. So many times that I've been in such a hard spot and God reminds me that I just need to give Him my worries, fears, and guilt. When I do, most of the time I'm immediately comforted. I've read it about 5 times now this morning and it's bringing me such a great piece of mind. Who knows, maybe someone really needs to hear that today :)

I'm so excited...

... and I just can't hide it.

Wow.. a little of the top maybe.. but it's true. I'm so excited for everything in my near future.

First and foremost ~ I get to go home at the end of April!!! I could burst, I'm so happy. Have my plane tickets and all. You see, I have a lot to catch up on back in SC. My friends have been busy if you know what I mean. I have 2 new babies to meet (one being my presh niece) and one little boy has done his fair share of growing since the last time I saw him. Plus, I have an aunt and cousin flying in from Massachusetts during the same week! I'm excited to see all of my friends and family and I can't wait for them to see me and my hopefully much bigger tummy by then.

Next ~ I'm in my 2nd trimester!! Yaayyyy! There was so much relief with that milestone. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably worry a little bit throughout my whole pregnancy, but chances of the dreaded M word go down by like 80% I think once you are through with the 1st trimester. Wheww! I can't wait to hopefully get some of my energy back!

And ~ Tomorrow we go in and finish our pottery painting.. so much fun! Thursday night we have a big social for Trey's company. Professional picture taking and all. I can't wait to finally wear my dress and I'm thankful it still fits!

FYI ~ For those of you who are Francine Rivers lovahs like me... she has a new book coming out March 16th. It's called My Mother's Hope and it's the first book in a 2 book series. Can't wait.

Then ~ I'm going to be having a giveaway soon. Like real soon. I'll be announcing it by the end of the week. YOU should be excited.

Also ~ I'm getting more and more excited for our move. We've started to do a little research and did you know that El Paso is sunny, on average, 302 days out of the year? Hallelujah!! Now if we could just get those stinken orders, I'd be even more of a happy camper!

Us

We had such a great weekend!! Minus Trey not being on his best behavior Friday night... which we won't discuss... tssk tssk... boys will be boys is all I can say! Anywho - In case you don't remember, my brother Chuck is station in Wichita Falls for AF AIT for a couple months which is 40 minutes away from us. He's to the point where most of his weekends are free. He doesn't have a car, so it's a lot of driving back and forth for us, but it's so so worth it. He spent Sat. and Sun. here with us in Lawton (I forewarned him plenty of times how little there is to do). It's beyond comforting to walk into my living room and see him lounging on our couch. It's like a little piece of home has followed us here. Even if him and Trey spend the whole afternoon napping, leaving no space for the pregnant woman to nap - it's perfect!

I've gained a few new followers over the last couple of weeks. Welcome to my blog and I'm so flattered and happy that you are taking the time to read about my life. Please feel free to leave comments so we can get to know each other. I'll start the "getting to know you" process, by telling y'all a little more about the most important thing in my life.. my husband! I stole this little survey from Expat Girl - go on over and check her out... you'll love her blog!

1. What are your middle names? Me - Ann or Y. (my maiden name) depending on which document you look at. Him - Wayne
2. How long have you been together? We met the summer of 2002 and were "officially" together from that October on... so... about 7.5 years. Since he was 20 and I was 19.
3. How long did you know each other before you started dating? I guess I just answered that one! A couple months.
4. Who asked who out? This is a hard one. I don't remember either of us asking the other out. We just kind of fell into it I guess. I don't think my mum appreciates this story too much, but it really is pretty sweet. In October, my family decided to go to the beach for a weekend and I was given strict orders that no parties were to be had at the house. I am sorry that I went against their wishes so much growing up, but I don't regret this night *sorry mum* I did have people over, and a few did spend the night.. including my future husband. We never went to sleep that night though. We stayed up talking and laughing together all night. He was a very respectful gentleman... wouldn't even get under a blanket with me (be still my heart)
5. How old are each of you? He is now 27 and I will turn 27 this Sunday!
6. Did you go to the same school? Not high school, but we did go to the same community college for a semester or two.
7. Are you from the same home town? Definitely not. I lived in Massachusetts until I was 13. He was born in Alabama (can we say opposites?), but moved around a lot with the Army. Then we both ended up in South Carolina.
8. Who is the smartest? Nothing against myself, and I am not saying I have no smarts, but I think we would both agree he is the smarter one. I just tend to not make the best decisions.. he's much better with geography, common sense, politics, history.. blah blah blah. Boring. Put us both in front of a computer and I have to show him the ropes, or give me a Sudoku puzzle and I'll kick his rear in no time.
9. Who majored in what? We both majored in business. I focused on Office Administration and received my Associates. He focused on finance I believe and has his Bachelors.
10. Who is the most sensitive? Ha! Me.. by far. And that was before pregnancy hormones! He has been known to shed a tear or two during a chick flick though. Don't tell him I told you that!
11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Cancun for our honeymoon. Followed by Oklahoma. Glamorous huh?
12. Who has the worst temper? I would be the winner of that award yet again. Sensitive and a bad temper. I have gotten better with that, but he has like... NO temper. What can I say.. I'm a Pisces.
13. How many children do you want? I would be perfectly happy with 2. He wants a bit of a larger family. We'll see. I MAY be open for trying for 3 if the first two are the same sex.
14. Who does the cooking? Me. All the time. Every meal. He rarely even makes his own lunch.
15. Who is more social? Well that would be me again. While he opens up just fine once he does meet people and people do tend to like him immediately, I am the one who pushes our social life. I will talk to anyone really. He tends to want to keep to himself more.
16. Who is the neat freak? Wow.. me again. We both like a clean house, but it's almost impossible to keep it that way with him. He keeps everything and leaves everything laying around. If it weren't for me, you'd see him on an episode of Hoarders. I don't know how to keep up with his stuff or how to organize/ store it. It frustrates me.
17. Who is the most stubborn? I can't chose on this one. We're both pretty stubborn.
18. Who wakes up earlier? During the week, him, but only because he has to for PT. I'm not a late sleeper naturally.. he is.. so on the weekend I'm always up first.
19. Where was your first date? Is it horrible that I don't remember??? I'm going to have to ask him. I'm sure it was dinner somewhere.
20. Who has the bigger family? Me.. absolutely! I have a huge family and we are all very close. I love it!
21. Do you get flowers often? No, but I'm kind of okay with this. Although, I will say that I do wish I got them every once in a while. I don't even need an expensive bouquet... I'd be happy with a couple flowers picked from the side of the road. But not so often that it gets old.
22. How do you spend the holidays? Before Army, we would spend the holidays split up between our families. Now, it just depends. Either just the two of us (soon to be three of us), with friends, or if we are luck.. a trip home to see family.
23. Who is more jealous? Honestly, neither one of us are really jealous at all.
24. How long did it take to get serious? Not very long. We dated a long time before getting married, but we were young. There was no need to rush into it. But even while we were just dating, I'm pretty sure we both knew that was it for us.
25. Who eats more? He wins this one with flying colors!! Even now that I am pregnant! Hubs loves him some food!
26. What do you do for a living? Right now, growing a baby and keeping the house together. That's not really "making a living", but it's what I do right now. I worked in a mortgage office before we moved here and I LOVED it. I loved the feeling of keeping things organized and seeing a pile of files going from 20 to 0. I would definitely love to do something like that again in the future, but I think for a while I'm going to enjoy taking care of my family.
27. Who does the laundry? Before pregnancy, I did every bit of it. He never touched it. Now that I'm pregnant, exhausted, and the fact that doing our laundry involves carrying loads of it down the stares and a couple buildings down, he is stepping up a bit more. I'm so thankful for how helpful he is!
28. Who's better with the computer? Definitely me. He gets so frustrated when it comes to the computer.
29. Who drives when you are together? Most of the time, him. But he is enjoying having a built in DD a little too much!!
30. What is your song? There are a ton of songs that come on and make us think about each other. Our wedding song was I Could Not Ask For More by Edwin McCain.

Centuring?

Has anyone ever heard of this? Everything about babies and pregnancy is clearly new to me, but I had definitely never heard of centuring before... but I am VERY excited about it. Excited enough to dedicate a whole post to it!

I got a call from the hospital yesterday asking if I wanted to take part of this. I asked a TON of questions, so I'll try to describe it as briefly as possible.

Basically, instead of going in for your monthly/bi-weekly/weekly appointments, signing in at the front desk, and meeting with a doctor that has very little time or patience to sit with you and go over all of your questions, you instead meet with the centuring director, a midwife (the same one every time), and a group of other women. Skeptical? I was too at this point. Here's where I flooded the poor lady with questions.

No, you do not have to spread eagle or even weigh yourself in front of a bunch of other preggies. Everyone still gets some one on one time with the midwife. These appointments will each last around 1.5 to 2 hours... so what do we do in the meantime you ask? At each visit there will be food and music played while everyone else is getting their midwife time. *can I go first please so I can eat AFTER I've been weighed? Thanks* After everyone is done, there is also a guest speaker each time. For example, the first time a nutritionist, the second time a masseuse.. with her massage table! Sold! She assured me that I'd get much more personal time (if you still have questions afterwards, the midwife will take you to her office), it's a great way to make some friends, and just know a group of girls that are right along with your in your pregnancy. She says they even throw showers for the girls a lot of the times.

By the end of the conversation, I already felt like I met a new lifelong friend. I told her I would love to be a part of it, but that we were moving in May and asked if that would affect anything. I told her where we were going, and small world, that where she just moved here from. She knows the whole L&D dept. in my new home town, said she would have me all prepared to go when the time comes, with a little notebook filled with all my info and extra copies of my charts, and would have an appointment sent up for me in new town before I even get there.. tour of L&D included! They have a centuring group there as well so I'll be able to continue.

Best of all, my next appointment was moved up by a week! So instead of going in on the 11th (to have screenings and schedule my ultrasound) I'm now going in for my first centuring experience on the 4th! Yes, less than a week.

I think this is going to be a great experience! I understand that this definitely wouldn't be every one's cup of tea, but it's right up my alley. Stay tuned a week from today to see how I really feel about it. And to *keep your fingers crossed* find out when the ultrasound will be! Which translates to knowing when we'll find out if this little munchkin is a he or she!

New Discoveries

I've been meaning to post about my favorite new discovery for quite some time now. On the slim chance that there are still people in the dark, like I have been, you must check out Pandora! This is pretty much the coolest website I have ever seen (you'll agree if you're a music lover like me). All you have to do is type in an artist you are loving or a song, and Pandora will create your very own radio station and save it. It'll play song after song for you that has qualities just like the one you picked and you give the song either a thumbs up or thumbs down (or just let it play if you don't want to be bothered by that). Thumbs up - they'll play more of the like, thumbs down - they will never ever play that song again! You can have multiple stations saved up too. Staying true to my random music taste for example, I have these stations: The Fray, Rihanna, MercyMe, Lil' Wayne (should those two stations be even typed next to each other??), and for my husbands deep south county taste, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band? *which gets no play* So anyway, this is perfect for me when it's time to do a little house cleaning. Oh yeah.. best part... it's FREE. Boooyah.

Discovery number 2? I don't remember, actually. I had this blog post idea in my head all day yesterday, but I was following my strict rule of not doing two posts in one day. I was hoping it would come to me by the time I got to this point, but it's just not happening. Buutttt....

I have a third one after last night. I went to a place called A Pigment of Your Imagination last night with our FRG group. It's the cutest little place to go in and paint pottery. I was looking forward to going, but a little worked up about it at the same time. I promise you, I am the least creative person you will ever meet. I also have zero artistic ability and have a hard time with decision making. After saying all of that - I had THE BEST TIME. I can't express how much fun we had! The whole picking out what I wanted to make and deciding on a design and colors did stress me out a tad. I must have changed my mind at least 4 times. I made a great decision in the end, though, and I can't wait to see the finished product. (Much to my relief they had stencils... so you really don't have to be a great artist!) It takes quite a bit longer than I expected so most of us didn't finish. We go back next Wednesday morning to finish up. I can't wait to show y'all the finished product :) And seriously... I could make us go broke in that place! I have SO many more projects in mind at that place. Gifts, decorations, and nursery items... watch out!

Spreading the Love

I am usually the worst ever at accepting these awards. I'm really not even doing that well this time. It takes me forever to post if I ever do at all. My actions don't coincide with my feelings though, I pinky swear promise. I received this award 3 times last week and I really did mean to post it up, but when I got it again today, it gave me that extra push. You girls are the best and make me feel SO loved!

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person(s) who gave it to you

2. List 5 things that make you happy.

3. Pass it along to 5 blogs that bring sunshine to your day.

So thank you Jaci, for my latest award! Don't hate me, but I can remember who else I got this from :( Can I use pregnancy brain as an excuse??

Okay... 5 things that make me happy:

• seeing my little bump growing slowly and knowing it's only going to get bigger
• planning a trip home in just a few months!!
• my husbands big bear hugs
• reading a good book
• warm weather

To continue on further with my horrible award acceptance posts, I'm not going to pass this one on. I've seen it sooooo many times over the past two weeks that I feel like I'll giving it to someone who's already received it. Plus, I'd have a really hard time just picking 5 of you!

Baby Bump

Hubs and I had a great weekend! It was somewhat low key, but at the same time, very eventful as far as this place is concerned.

Friday, he got released around noon. I was so excited that we'd have a whole extra afternoon to our weekend, but when he did get home we were reminded of how there really is nothing to do in this town. When the weather is nice we can always find something to do... even if it's just going for a walk and chatting. This was not one of those days unfortunately. So after some lunch, he humored me and joined me on a shopping trip to a little consignment shop called The Storks Nest (where I found nothing worth buying... funny how there are some shops that are clean and trendy and some that are just.. well.. NOT) then Motherhood Maternity to get a belly band. Yup.. I've reached that point. I was spending most of my days unbuttoning my jeans for some relief, so it was time.

Friday night was spent watching Valkyrie and Skyping with my parents and brother for about an hour. I have a hard time finding the words to express my love for Skype!!

Saturday was another cold and dreary day. Trey was gone until mid afternoon getting certified for one thing or another. I could have spent this time doing something productive like laundry, but I spent it curled up on the couch, under a blanket, reading A Voice in the Wind (which I'm loving so far!!). That night we went to dinner with a group of friends and some of us went back to one of their homes to hang out for what turned out to be a LONG night. My dear husband had a weeeee bit too much to drink, therefore, we didn't make it home until about 1:30. I'm old now so that is waayyyyy past my bedtime. Side note: I'm thinking he's enjoying having this built in DD thing way too much ;)

After such a long night, I had to get up a lot earlier then I wanted to. We drove down to Texas to spend the day with my brother. Our good friends mentioned the night before that they were planning on driving down to the same town for the day, so we all just went together. It was jam packed with going to a bunch of stores that just don't exist in our town, and I refrained from buying a thing!

That just about sums up our weekend... and now... I can't believe I'm about to show you all this. Some of you have asked for it, so yes, I'm about to show my bare belly for all of the Internet world to see.... I'm cringing as I type. Drum roll please ~

A little puffery and bloating action at 12 weeks

A more defined bit of a baby bump at 13 weeks

It's not much, and I can't believe I'm posting a belly pic that could still be looked at as just plain ol' fat, but I am excited. It's the first week that I could tell any sort of a difference. We're in the last week of my first trimester!

Definition of a Military Wife

One of my favorite people I've never met, Tori, sent me this email yesterday. I kindly let her know immediately that I had full intentions of stealing it to post for all of you to read. I just loved it so much.. so here you go...


A Military Wife: A Poem

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move... .....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown

Book Review

I am always reading one book or another. Always. Especially now since I've re-discovered the library all over again. I'm pretty good about showing y'all what I'm reading at the moment over on my side bar... but then I just leave ya hanging (because I know you value my opinion so much... you NEED to know how I felt about said book, right?) So, I figured I'd start doing a little review after I finish a book from now on. (to give you a little break from baby talk) :)

Last night I finished Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. I've only read one other book written by her (Little Earthquakes) but I feel in love with her with the first one. I LOVED Little Earthquakes! Like I said, I've only read two of hers now, but it seems like she has a pattern of involving many different characters, dedicating separate chapters to them, and having them all intertwine? My favorite kind of book.

All this being said, I didn't like BFF quite as much as I liked LE. It has hard for me to get into at first, but it has to be REALLY horrible for me to give up on a book so I kept going. The story is about the friendship between two girls that lived across the street from each other, one terribly shy, the other outgoing and adventurous... almost to a fault. It covers their friendship as little kids, growing up through high school and how they split apart during that time, and then (where I found it hard to connect with) the drama of how they reunited. After a 15? year reunion, outgoing girl attempts to get payback from the boy who did her wrong in high school - which ends with her thinking she may have hit him with her car in the parking lot while he was sans clothing. She goes back to shy girl for help and the book follows their adventures of covering up her hit and run and rekindling a lost friendship.

All in all, I did enjoy it. It had a few parts in there that I really could lose myself in, but lets just say that I won't be shoving it in any friends faces demanding they read it now!

Next up, A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers. This is kind of a big book, so don't expect any kind of review for at least 2 or 3 weeks :)

The best part of waking up...

since Christmas has no longer been Folgers. Remember when I mentioned that we got one of those really cool Keurig single cup coffee makers?? We've been in love with it ever since, but we ran out of our coffee supply last week. I kept forgetting to order more (yes, I have to order because I live in the middle of nowhere and there is no Bed, Bath, and Beyond in any sort of reasonable driving distance) so we've been in major withdrawals for a few days now. Doesn't seem like a big deal to you? Imagine my poor husband standing at the counter every day, spinning the empty coffee rack round and round, hoping a cup of coffee would jump out at him... yeah....

So I finally get around to ordering them on Saturday from this website. And I have no real point in this blog other than to tell you that our coffee supply is now in transit (in Nashville) and will be here tomorrow :) It was so much fun picking them all out and I was very pleased to find that they had half caf! No plain ol' decaf for me anymore... I'll be treating myself to a little caffeine every day now. I'm almost out of the 1st trimester and all doctors looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I was avoiding caffeine anyways... I was still hesitant (and still kinda am honestly), but apparently 8oz of caffeine a day is A-OK. Just a little FYI...

*This shot-out was not paid for by Keurig... I really just love them that much*

All you need is love...

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!

I looked back at my blog post from last year on this day and really not much has changed! We've never really put much into this day, and we still try to do little things quite often to show how much we love each other. We did make a little bit more of a bigger deal out of it this year, just because this will be our last Valentines Day with just the two of us. We went to see an early movie around 4... Valentines Day! It was sooo cute! There was plenty of laughter to go around, lots of "awwwws" and even a tear or two sliding down my cheek at the end of the movie. I did think it was going to be a little bit better than it actually was just because of all the great actors involved, but it's still worth going to see! And I hear rumor that there will be a sequel called New Years Eve!

After the movie we had plans to go to the only Japanese steakhouse in town. I was excited and hungry! There ended up being over an hour wait.. there was no way I could hold out that long! So instead we went to a Chinese buffet that we'd heard about a couple times (there was a strong need for some fried rice clearly). It did not disappoint and I came home a happy mama! I mentioned to Trey while we were eating that it probably WAS NOT a good thing that I was introduced to that place... that could be dangerous! We spent the rest of the night watching the Olympics... we are such an exciting couple aren't we??

When I said not much has changed, I was referring to the fact that we are sprawling around on opposite couches, me blogging, him napping! Almost the same scenario as last year :) And instead of going over to my parents house in a bit (man how I wish we were!!!) we will be going over a friends house who is making a roast, veggie soup, and cornbread. Different house, same home cooked meal... what can I say... I'm spoiled!

To all of you who are spending this day on your own - here's a biiiigggggg (HUG) me!!

Oh yeah ~ and happy 12 weeks to us ~ only 2 more weeks in the first trimester :)

Most Wonderful Sounds in the World

My appointment went very well today!

I actually saw a midwife instead of the doctor I was supposed to see and I LOVED her! She was great. If I were going to be giving birth here, I would want her to deliver baby. She did a full exam today, but I will spare you from the not so glamorous parts and tell you allll about the most amazing moment so far in my life.

I had a friend come with me since Army training does not care what-so-ever that your wifey is hearing the heartbeat for the first time of your first born child. She was able to stand right next to me for the big moment (heartbeat, not pap smear... i relieved her for that moment) cell phone in hand ready to record. It took no longer than about 10 seconds for her to find that swooshing sound and it was music to my ears. The tears were flowing. Direct quote from midwife: "that's a fast one.. 160-170 bpm.. it's a girl" She could have told me it was an alien at that point though, I was so happy just to here that something is actually happening in there. Plus we have a gorgeous name picked out for a girl :)

The recording picked up better than I expected. I'm going to attempt to put it up for all to share my enjoyment...

No such luck! A big thank you for all of you who listen to my baby rambling day in and day out :)

Pitter Patter

I cannot wait to hear the pitter patter of our little munchkin's heartbeat tomorrow. I am beyond excited.. so excited that I can't even express to you, but I have to admit I'm a little nervous as well. I'm a big what-if(er). I can't help it. I can't get rid of that nagging little voice sitting on my shoulder reminding me of how devastated I would be if there was nothing to be heard. Dramatic and morbid? Yes. Normal? I think so.. hopefully.

98% of me is certain everything is going to be just fine though, and I can't wait to let you all know how it goes! Oh yeah, and remember how they told me I'm only getting one ultrasound? Don't think for even a second I'm above begging them to throw one in for me tomorrow :)


Completely unrelated....
Is anyone watching American Idol this year? I took a little break from it last year, but so far I'm loving it this go round! Ellen took her permanent judging seat last night and she makes.the.show for me! I <3 her and she makes me laugh continuously! And I thought I'd go ahead and throw my favorite out there early in the game. I don't know his name, but I'm pretty sure you'll remember him. He got up last night with his guitar and sang his own rendition of Paula Abdul's song. Be still my heart. It was AHmazing and even brought me to tears. Pregnancy hormones were not to blame I'm sure!

Your Weekly Update and a Movie Review

We are now in our 11th week! This is a fun one for me for a couple different reasons. Most excitingly, Thursday's the big day! I'll hopefully hear that heartbeat strongly beating away. Trey sadly won't be able to come to the appointment, but I'm going to try and record it on my cell phone so he can at least hear it. On top of that... there are just a few fun things going on inside my belly this week :)
-The little munchkin is a little over 2 inches long now and weighs about 1/3 of a pound. (still sooo little!)
-Hair follicles are forming and the finger and toenail beds are developing.
-The fingers and toes are no longer little webs anymore - there are 10 of each hopefully!
-His/Her ears are just about in their final shape, nose has open nasal passages, and there is a little bitty tongue in that mouth!

I've been feeling really good lately. My food aversions are still there, although I have been able to add eggs back in the mix (which is good because I'm getting the protein that I'm not getting from meat). I'm still tired quite a bit and try to get naps in when I can, but I do feel like I'm able to get through the day easier now. No nauseousness in sight... Amen!!

I can't wait to tell you guys about Thursday!!

Soooo.... I saw Dear John Friday night. I won't go into detail for those that haven't seen it yet. It's been a while since I've read the book, but from what I can remember, the movie did a good job of staying true to it (besides one MAJOR part!!). For the most part, I enjoyed it. I ugly cried for pretty much the entire thing. I wish I could talk more about how I felt about the ending, but I'm afraid that would ruin it for some. I will say though, if you are without your husband now, or will be going through a deployment shortly, I don't suggest going. After I left, I could not get home fast enough to wrap my arms around my husband and let him know how much I love him. I don't think I would have been able to handle it if I were coming home to an empty house! In my opinion, I feel like that would just be too hard!

Random Thoughts

I'm too tired to form a full blog post today, so I'll take you through a tour of my brain on a normal day and all the thoughts that run through it at any given moment...

Chocolate chip cookies - Very fun to make. Gives off a very yummy smell throughout your home. Very pleasing to eat. Too pleasing. Not very fun to have sitting around the house tempting me. All 5000 of them because I'm incapable of splitting a recipe. Never did quite master those fractions.

I'm almost at 11 weeks. Guess what has already reared it's ugly little head? I'm the not so proud owner of my first stretch mark. Yes, I'm using cocoa butter. Yes, my momma had them in all three pregnancies. Yes, I've come to terms with the fact that it's inevitable. Yes, when I first spotted it, I made Trey double check, then cried a little. Isn't it too early for those things??

We went to a social for Trey's unit Wednesday night. It was called the Red Leg Social. I'm still not sure why it's called that. I could google, but I'm thinking maybe one of you will already know and save me from googling something YET AGAIN FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME IN A DAY. I had a really good time there. The food left something to be desired (chick-fil-a afterwards to be exact) but it was great to sit with all the other spouses/significant others and chat. One girl has been sitting here with nothing to do this whole time and get this... lives in the same apartments as we do! Next week we have a cocktail party and I'm even more excited about that!

Dear John... tonight's the night! Going with said group of girls and I cannot wait! I bought our tickets yesterday bc I'm a little anal like that and was afraid it'd be sold out. Not everyone is going. It seems that the movie is a little controversial among the Army (Military) community. I do see why one would not want to watch it, but I can't help myself. I'm not saying I agree with what she does or that it won't be hard for me to watch. I fully expect to sob in an embarrassing sort of way. You know.. that cry that really shouldn't be done in public. I hope I still have friends afterwards. I'm just a sucker for a Nicholas Sparks movie!

Someone stumbled upon my blog from googling... ready for this... I can hardly contain myself... "redneck woman pee". LOL. I don't know what I'm more curious about - Mobile, Alabama - you have to tell me why you even googled that if you ever read this!! Or should I just be more concerned with why on earth that brought her to my blog??? Ohhh man... I've seen some good ones before, but that just takes the cake.

My SIL sounds like she is doing very well with little Addyson. She is such a good mommy and I really hope to be as calm and collected as she is when our time comes. She has this DVD which shows you the difference between your babies' cries and she says that has been such a great help. She's sending it to me as soon as she feels like she's gotten a good handle on it.. along with some maternity pants that her friend offered to give me.. YAAYYYY!

The whole maternity clothing thing has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm a little confused as to when I'm supposed to buy them and how much to buy. Don't you need different sizes throughout the whole pregnancy? I really can't wait until it gets warmer. I fully intend to live in dresses this summer! Finally for once in my life I'll be flaunting that belly instead of hiding it :)

Columbia, SC (my hometown) was "awarded"?? the title of the 13th drunkest city in America today. That really makes me laugh and shocks me not one bit.

Cayce (family dog) got her first BIG kill yesterday. Mum said she saw her in the drive way flinging a POSSUM around like it was one of her chew toys!! HA! Can you imagine this sweet thing doing that?

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Giveaway!!

KLC over at Tales of a Northern Belle is doing an awesome giveaway. You have a chance to win a pair of Nomad Puddles Rainboots... they are tooo cute! Head on over here for your chance.. the contest closes on the 7th!

In the meantime, our little town has been threatened with no water! That's right... they're saying the whole town is going to lose water for 2-7 days. Apparently, at the place we receive our main source of water, the generator broke aannddd the backup generator failed as well. There is another place we get it from, but it only produces 25% of our water. It was supposed to be shut off for everyone last night (so says the ugly rumors), but it's still pouring out strong. I'm now thinking we won't lose it at all, but just to be on the safe side... we have pitchers filled up with water, luckily we had plenty of bottled water so we didn't have to run out for that (I heard Walmart was a mad house), and filled up the tub so we could use that to flush with! I wish I could take credit for that genius idea, but a friend of mine suggested it. I don't know what we would have done, but I'm sure it wouldn't have been pretty..haha! I'm not sure if this still is from the ice storm.. but on that note.. schools around here are STILL out!!

I got my first email from our FRG leader out here! I just figured we didn't have an FRG group out here since it's just for training ( training... the past year of our lives...) but it does exist! So, I plan on getting involved in that! She made promises of lunch dates and pottery painting. I'm down!

Hello, my name is Jessica...

... and I am addicted to playing Bejeweled on FB. I can't get enough and my competitive nature can't stand that there are four people ahead of me with higher scores. It does really aggravate me that you only have a minute to get your big score and raises my bp a little more than it probably should.

... and I'm scared that I may be getting a stomach bug. We had friends stay at our house Sunday night (their power went off) and while getting coffee yesterday afternoon, she really didn't feel too hot. She sent me a text last night saying she had the bug. This morning I talk to another friend who says her little boy had it for two days as well as another one of the wives little girls. Both of whom I had dinner with (held and canoodled) Saturday night. I'm sitting here thinking that I may be a little nauseous, but I'm praying that it's all in my head.. I'm good at doing that.

... and I really need to clean my house. I've ignored my cleaning list for the past week. Shame on me.

... and I really miss my family. I secretly want to dig into our savings and buy a plane ticket home, but I'm way too responsible for that. No, not me, I wouldn't do that when I have a bridesmaids dress to get altered and shipped to MA and a plane ticket to buy to ship myself to the same place.

... and I may or may not be fantasizing about walking outside, taking the hammer out of the nice construction workers hands, and smashing his fingers with said hammer so he can't hammer one second longer. Aggressive? Maybe... but I cannot take one more day of them "fixing" our apartment building.

~10 Weeks~

Yaayyyy we made it into the double digits. What will the little munchkin be up to this week?

-You are about and inch and 1/2 long and at about the size of a prune and you are growing by "leaps and bounds"!

-Your bones and cartilage are forming

-The little indentations on your legs are forming into your knobby little knees and ankles. (and your elbows are already working!)

-Your teeth are forming under your gums (I swear What to Expect has been telling me that for weeks now.. long process I guess?)

-Annndddd if you are a boy (I'm truly up for either or at this point.. I can't decide what I want you to be), your little manhood parts are already producing testosterone.

Our first real doctors appointment is coming up soon! We go to hear the heartbeat next Thursday!

We have been lazy, pathetic human beings since Thursday. We completely abused the .. ya know.. treacherous icy conditions out there wet roads from the ice melting to have an excuse to stay in and do absolutely nothing. We finally did get a little stir crazy yesterday and went out with some friends to a steakhouse. Delish! Check out these "cheese sticks" we ordered as an appetizer..

AAHHHHMAZING. I swear the picture doesn't do them justice.. biggest cheese sticks I've ever seen in my life. I pinky swear I only had 1/2 of one. I left there feeling not so hot (understatement) and I didn't even eat enough to warrant an upset stomach. I think the smells became wayyy too much for me to handle, which led to a not so fun night at home.

Anywho.. off to get ready for church. I'll be giving thanks to God for those unreal cheese sticks.

Addyson Kay

My niece, Addyson, was born at 6:04 tonight. She weighs 6lbs 3oz and is 19 inches long. Such a tiny little thing and I wish I could hold that little angel in my hands.. now! But I did get a peak at some pics thanks to her other aunt, Brittney. I took the liberty of stealing it off FB so y'all could get a sneak peak :)

There she is with daddy... trust me... lots more to come as soon as I can get my hands on them. Now off to find a cute little "I get my good looks from my auntie" onesies!

We miraculously made it through about 5 hours without power. All is well now it seems. I'm happy to have heat again. Hubs is happy to have TV.

Exciting Day!

First of all - my beautiful and amazingly strong SIL is in labor right now as we speak!!! I'm getting steady texts from my MIL updating me how she is doing. It's not easy (clearly) but mama and baby are both doing well and I'll have my first little precious niece by the end of the day! I can't wait to overwhelm you all with tons of pictures of her. I'm mostly excited to find out what her name is. Despite my many complaints, badgering, begging, and attempted trickery, they have done a great job at keeping her name a secret (I could never manage to do that) and I CANNOT WAIT to know what it is!! I've been saying lots of prayers for her today and I hope everything goes as smooth as possible!

It's storming like crazy around here today!! Right now I believe it's just rain and A TON of wind, but it doesn't look like it's far from turning into ice.. which is supposed to accumulate quite a bit. They haven't closed down post and said they were going to continue as normal today and of course that has me a nervous nelly. I have Trey there, expecting to be there all day, and the weatherman telling me that it's going to get bad and doesn't suggest any travel. Nice. Good thing hubs is pretty confident in his "bid dawg daddy" truck..... which btw I think you should all know... in it, this husband of mine at times listens to music such as Lady Gaga (he's loving her new song), Kelly Clarkson.. singing loudly.. "I want you to know.. that it doesn't matter", and best of all is when I realized last night that he knows all the words to Rihanna's new song (Hard) and we couldn't get out of the truck until it was over.... Yes, that's correct... my big strong Army, countrified husband has a secret pop music side and I find it to be the most hilarious thing in the world.

Answer Time

So maybe I'm a few days late, but better late than never right? A big ~woop woop~ to those of you that asked me the questions I know you're just dying to know the answers to! There weren't many, but that is A-OK with me.

Jaci @ Perpetual Newlyweds asked me: When I was a child, what did I want to be when I grew up? When I was little I wanted to be either a Veterinarian or a Elementary school teacher. I don't remember exactly, but being a Vet I'm sure went out the window when I learned I had to do mean things, like put animals down or something. I still might like to finish my degree in Early Childhood Development maybe, so I'm not far off from my other dream. I still wonder what I want to be when I grow up! For right now, a mommy :)

Yollie27 (I think that's what you go by!) at The Awful Truth asked how I feel about possibly delivering our baby alone if Trey is deployed. hmm.. good question and I'll try to keep this as short as possible and be honest at the same time. Honestly? It scares the absolute crap out of me. We are moving to a new post when I will be about 6 or a little over more months pregnant. Hubs unit is already deployed and we are not sure if they will send him over to join them or just keep him Rear D (stay home). Selfishly, I want him to stay. He's torn. He of course wants to be here for me and the baby. He in no way wants to miss that, but he is also anxious to meet his unit. I'm terrified. I'm scared that I'll get there and will end up going in to labor alone. I'm scared I won't be able to get to the hospital. I'm scared to go through this and not have him to help with everything when it's all said and done. I REALLY want him to be able to experience all of this. Realistically, I know other wives will step up and help out. But it's not the same as your husband being there. And I am NOT good at depending on people! On the other hand, I have pressure from my parents to go home and get an apartment there if he leaves. I know it makes sense to do that, but as of right now.. I don't want to do that. But that's a whole 'nother post in and of itself. When it comes right down to it, I depend on my faith. When we decided we we're going to start trying, I prayed every single night. Not for God to give this to us right now because we want it and what mama wants mama gets, but for Him to give us this miracle of a gift when He knew we could handle it... when His timing was right. He gave it to us right away, literally. So I KNOW whatever comes our way, we can handle it. Knowing this makes me feel so much better when I really focus on it, but it doesn't always stop the worrying, of course. Great question, and thanks for checking out my blog!

Steph @ Watching Airplanes asked me two questions. The first was what is my favorite food? Girl, I LOVE me some food so this is not simple, one answer question! Pre-food aversion self, my favorite was always Mexican (quesedillas, nachos, tacos, yum!). Pizza, I can never ever turn pizza away. Waffles and Pancakes. Ice Cream. (It's a wonder I don't weight over 300 lbs.) Cucumbers and tomatoes, cut up with salt and pepper on them (cucumbers are best when you add a little vinegar). And anything with cream cheese as an ingredient. Now.. I eat what I can. Right now I'm very into carbs it seems. Bagels and cream cheese, spaghetti, tacos (if I make them at home, I can't seem to go into a Mexican restaurant), oranges, apples, Edemame beans, and this delish salad from buffalo wild wings.
Her second question was, What is my best memory as a child? This is a very hard one to answer.. I'm not sure if I'll be able to stick to just one. I had a great childhood! Of course, family vacations to Maine stick out. We would go every year and had so much fun. It's pretty simple, but I just remember being on the beach with my family... burying my mum's feet in the sand (child labor), seeing if I can swim out as far as my dad, and riding waves with my brother and us making "meatballs" together.. duh.. what else do you make in the sand? I had a great group of neighborhood friends. We spent hours and hours together, playing house, kick the can, "school", swimming, sledding, etc. We still keep in contact to this day, one of them even being one of my best friends to this day. I'm actually in her wedding this May! We lived in a duplex with my aunt, uncle and 3 cousins next door from when I was in 3rd grade up until we moved at the end of my 7th grade year. That made for some pretty awesome memories... just spending time together and of course our yearly lobster makes every summer! That was a fun question.. thanks!

Shelze @ Shelze's World asked how I feel our life has changed now that Trey and I have become part of the Army family? Another great and thought provoking question! Our life has changed IMMENSELY! I think the main thing that I've learned is not to take each other, friends, and family for granted. I think back to our life before he left for Basic and I just have to shake my head. I don't think either one of us appreciated each other half as much as we do now. I think of the insanely stupid things we used to fight over... and I mean knock down dragging kind of fights. That just doesn't happen anymore. And not because either one of us are holding back, all that time apart (almost 7 full months) just changed us.. for the better. Not to mention, it's changed the way I look at him. I don't know the right words for it, but I'm basically in awe of him. He's my very own hero (swoon)
It's also made me appreciate friends and family more as well. Everyone knows how infatuated I am with my family and I never in a million years imagined I'd have a long distance relationship with them!! So every second we get together, every minute we have to chat, and every time I get to see their faces on Skype... cherished! Let's see, I've always been able to chat up anyone.. even a fly on the wall, so I find it pretty easy to make friends, but it's funny how these other couples that you JUST MEET become SO important to you SO fast!! They are your family away from family and that is so comforting and so very important! Lastly, it's made me appreciate everyone else that lives this lifestyle that much more. Every single other soldier and the families that stand by to them have a very very special place in my heart.

Cindy @ Army Brats and Me asked what is one positive thing I would like to do as a Military Spouse? I cannot wait to get involved! It's been hard here, just because there is no real FRG group for his training unit. I've heard rumors one was trying to get together, but so far nothing! Anyways, when we get to new post, I plan to be very active in our FRG. I want to help out with as much as I can. I'm not sure what all is exactly involved in that.. you know.. besides what I see on Army Wives, but I so badly want to be a part of it.

SCH @ Uncommon Life, Uncommon Joy asked two questions as well. What do I enjoy most about Military life? There are a few things. I love the opportunity of travel that we have. Although, I do miss our families every.single.day... I'm very thankful to be able to see parts of the world that we may never have otherwise seen. Is the town we're in right now very exciting, NO not at all. But when else would I have ever gone to OKC? Or all the other little towns and places we've visited? I also love meeting new people which will be our life now. I love the fact that we meet other couples, and just being a part of this life, you have an instant connection and respect for each other. Her second question was What do I miss most about civilian life? Easy and simple answer. Being within driving distance of our families.

Kate @ Sometimes Life Is Messy asked: If I could go ANYWHERE in the world, where would it be and why? Easy one for me! Ireland!! Why? One... I have family history there. It's been said that my grandfather's family even had their own bar named McGrane's! (their last name) How cool is that? Two.. because I've just heard it's so stinking beautiful.. I'd jump at the chance to go!!

And last, but not least, Jennifer @ Crazy Shenanigans asked me what is one place I'd love to live and one place I'd never want to live. I'll base this one off of our recent post choices we were given.. or not given I guess. Two places I really really wanted to go were Fort Stewart, GA and Fort Carson, CO. Those choices were on some of our friends list but not ours. I was really hoping we'd get one of those, so I guess I can say for right now, that's where I would love to live! One of our choices was Korea and I DON'T ever want to live there! No thank you!

Thank you so much for participating in my Big 100 celebration.. I see I have a few new followers.. I'll be checking your blogs out soon :) This has already been a super long post.. I'll just finish up by letting you know 2 things: 1. There has been construction going on outside of our apartment for about a week and 1/2 now. Between their blaring radio, saws, and hammers, I am thisclose to going INSANE. 2. A blizzard is a comin' tomorrow!! We're expecting quite a mess! So if you don't hear from me for a while.. it's because our power is out and my laptop is incapable of holding battery power...

This and That

It feels like I haven't been on here in a long long time and I have a lot of catching up to do! I don't know what's been up with me, but blogging has been the LAST thing I have wanted to do lately! *I know.. shame on me*

Not much has been going on around here (part of the reason I haven't been so into blogging). I have been feeling much much better. Thanks for all of your well wishes!! Morning sickness seems to have just been a fleeting feeling *knock on wood* although there is still just a few foods I can stand to eat. Unfortunately, mainly carbs, but I have only gained just under a pound so far so I must be doing something right!

I'm in my 9th week now, but I'm going to skip my weekly report out of part laziness, part it's not really too too interesting this week so I'm going to spare you :) It is very exciting though to almost be in the double digits - as well as in my last month of my first trimester!!

I had a "group" appointment with a nurse last Friday. It was interesting and just a little disappointing. She just went over very general information. We'll go over the disappointing points first. All I know to compare myself with are my friends back home who are or recently have been pregnant. They had ultrasounds a few times throughout their pregnancy, starting as early as 8 or 9 weeks. So I'm thinking I'll be getting one at my first doctor's appointment, right? Not so much says military hospital. I'll get one. At 20 weeks. Plain ol' 2D. Enter sad, pouty face. Hubs did agree with me though, when I suggested we pay for a fun fancy 4D at our county hospital though :) Then, she informs us that it is AGAINST THE LAW to tell us the sex of the baby at that 20 week appointment. IS SHE CRAZY or what??? Has anyone ever heard of that?? I certainly never have, and decided to throw that little piece of info out the window and pretend like I never heard that! Exciting piece of info: I have my 12 week appointment with the doc on Feb 11th. I'll (hopefully we'll) get to hear the heartbeat for the first time!! I'm really hoping Trey will be able to come! Most entertaining part of the day: The nurse we saw does the pregnancy PT for the soldiers so she's like a fitness expert. She tells us that the best exercise we can do is walking and swimming. Seriously, y'all, someone yelled this question out... "that's not gonna make my baby drown?", with a very concerned look on her face. I, of course, burst out with a little giggle, thinking she was joking. Not so much. This chick was serious. Woowwwww!!

My SIL's due date was yesterday... no baby yet!! She is scheduled to be induced TOMORROW though. YAAYYYY!!! She is pretty nervous, but I am beyond excited and I really just wish I could be there.. for her and to meet my presh little niece.. my first one!! Ohhh man do I plan on spoiling her. I have the disadvantage of being the long distance auntie so I have to make up for it in other ways!

Our household is verrry boring here lately. All Trey is doing is study study study, homework, and a little more studying. So far it's paying off. He passed last weeks test (after his second chance.. eeeek) and hopefully he'll continue to do great!

I'll be answering the questions I was asked and will post those either tomorrow or Thursday (just trying to be realistic). There aren't many.. but they are good ones!

Another Post about Oprah

Yesterday, I watched Monday's Oprah episode that I had DVR'd. When I saw the topic: The most dangerous thing you might be doing with your life (something along those lines) I couldn't resist. I had to know how dangerously I've been living.
It turned out to be a really sad - and informative - episode about using your cell phone.. texting particularly... while driving. I admit, I used to do this almost 100% of the time. It was no big deal to me to text away almost the whole time I was driving. I could handle it... I can practically text without looking at the phone.. right? Not so much. One night I watched Seven Pounds.. that night ended my habit. How could I ever live with myself if I did the unthinkable? If I took someones life because that text was sooooo important.
On the show yesterday, or Monday, they showed a few families who have been affected by this. One story that really stuck with me was about a 9 year old little girl who died. Her mom was driving down their street, on the way home from the doctors office, when she saw flashing police and fire truck lights on said street. Then she saw her daughter's mangled bike. Another lady had been driving down the street, texting away, she never saw the little girl. Can you even imagine??

They say that texting while driving is the equivalent of having 4 drinks and getting behind the wheel. Oprah's doing a No Phone Zone Pledge where you can pledge not to do this anymore. All you have to do is click here.

End my public service announcement of the month. Tomorrow's my group nurse appointment.. should be interesting!
Oh yeah.. and don't forget to post any questions you have for me here. I'll answer on Monday :)

Big 100 Celebration

I cannot believe that I have 100 followers... really... i'm floored. It's unreal to me that you all take the time to read about my life and take the time to actually leave me some love on this little blog. I love love love the connections I have made with some of you and consider many of you great friends. For that, I am extremely thankful! To celebrate, I'm going to follow what I've seen many of you do lately. I'm opening up to answer any questions you are just dying to ask. Ask me ANYTHING and I will answer the best I can. I'll keep this open throughout this week and will start answering next Monday!

Something else I thought was pretty neat was this fun little website I found on Amber's page. I've just started reading her blog and already love! Anyways, you can go here to Wordle and it will find the most used words on your blog and make it into a little word picture. I thought it was pretty interesting. It's very easy, so go ahead and give it a try... here is mine!




hmmm... I wish I knew how to make it bigger, but you get the picture! You'll be able to see your own much better.

~8 Weeks~

I googled a picture of what an 8 week fetus looks like and honestly, I thought it was a little disturbing so I decided not to include.. lol

I have had good days and bad days this past week, more good than bad looking back, but man were those bad days bad! I fight slight nausea pretty much throughout the day, but have found ways to calm that. I have A LOT of food aversions. There are not many foods I think of that can make it's way into my mouth without gagging. I found I cannot do yogurt. Eggs make me want to vomit. Chicken made at home? Forget it. Seems to be okay from a restaurant though.. strange. Crackers and cheese put me over the edge. I can't really stomach the thought of anything Mexican, which if you know me, you know I'm pretty distraught over. What have I been loving? I can't get enough apples (or any fruit really, but especially golden delicious apples)! Apple Jacks and a piece of toast every morning. Saltines. Ginger Ale. Sometimes I like a good grilled cheese sammy, but lunch is hard for me. Any form of potato I'm loving (except fries.. those not so much most of the time.. although yesterday I enjoyed them). I used to love broccoli, but now I can't eat it. I am loving edemame though!
I'm ready for a nap every day between 2 and 2:30, never fails. Very few days out of the week do I actually get to take advantage of that though, but when I do... heavenly.
I went dress shopping yesterday with a couple that we've become great friends with. Thank God she was with me because I would have had a mental breakdown. I know by looking at me, no one can tell I am pregnant, but boy do I feel it! In every single inch of my bloated, expanding body. I did not feel good in anything I tried on, except the very last one I tried on that Jess (yes, I've managed to befriend yet another Jessica) pulled off the rack.. that I would have never ever in a millions years picked out. Which also happened to be on sale. Which allowed me to get the most amazing pair of boots ever. Which were originally $110 and I got for $34 with tax. Holla. I'm pretty positive that no boys read this, if there are, I'm sorry... but hello boobs! They wouldn't fit into any of said dresses. If I went big enough to accommodate those puppies, it looked ridiculous every where else on my body. Even the winner needs a little something under to accommodate, but it works perfectly.

Enough about me... here's what our little alien will be up to this week:

• You are still growing up a storm this week, even more so than last. You measure about 1/2 inch in length and you're about the size of a large raspberry.
• You are looking more and more human these days (I'll have to stop calling you an alien I guess), as in your lips, nose, eyelids, legs, and back are continuing to take shape.
• Apparently, you are moving around like crazy in there... wailing around your legs and arms. I cannot wait to actually feel that!

This Friday I go for a group appointment with the nurse. She;ll tell me all about the due date, birthing options, etc. I don't really know what to expect at this one. All I know is that when I leave there, I'll know the date that I'll finally meet with the doctor and hear this little heartbeat. CANNOT WAIT.

Just Another Reason....

.... I love love love my husband. If you'd like to be re-visit my other ode to hubby posts go here and here :)

Ugghhhh yesterday was just NOT a good day for me. If there is any truth in that pregnancy glow, it sure wasn't with me yesterday. More like pregnancy green. As in I'm quite sure my face was green all day. After my traumatic shower experience, it just didn't get much better. I'll spare you from details.
Hubs is going through some pretty strenuous training and hardly gets a moment to himself. Clearly he's gone learning Army stuff all day long with a very short lunch break, but then comes home and is doing homework/studying/paper writing with just a break for dinner, then goes to bed. So imagine my guilt, when yesterday I could barely pull myself together to relieve my ever insistent bladder, never mind cook dinner.
Not only does he not complain a bit about any of this... but yesterday he stops by the store to pick me up all kinds of sick girl goodies. You know... ginger ale, saltines, lemon heads (I heard sucking on a lemon flavored hard candy helps). Then came home and heated up (there's gotta be a better way to say that...grrrr) leftover lasagna from the night before, and even kissed my disgusting self! Plus, he refuses to let me feel a second of guilt, reassuring me of how hard I'm working.
Love. That. Man. And one day, when this nauseousness eases up, he will eat like a king again :)

I swear I'm not looking for sympathy comments, so please don't feel like you have to leave them. Really, there's just nothing else going on in my life at them moment, sooooo guess what you get to here about :) And I really do look forward to blogging about more positive aspects... promise!

Random Tidbits

There hasn't been much going on in my world except baby makin' ... definitely not enough to form a full blog post at least. It's sad, but here's a few note-worthy points from the last few days...

My mum bought her own copy of What To Expect so she can follow along herself with where me and baby are. I thought that was the cutest and sweetest thing ever.

I FINALLY made it to the gym. I walked 2 miles and called it a day, but I did go! I felt very dizzy afterwards so I wonder what that was about. I'm eating enough and brought a bottle of water with me.

After trying to fight off The Bachelor for 2 weeks, I gave in yesterday and am all caught up now and loving it more than ever. My favorite is Ali. I know who wins because of Spoiler Steve. I won't ruin it for anyone unless you want me to... email me.

I learned this morning that it is NOT okay to shower before breakfast. The hot water + an empty stomach will cause a pregnant woman to damn near black out and dry heave for a very uncomfortable amount of time. I'm still disgustingly nauseous 45 minutes later.

I have a social coming up and a cocktail party, both for Trey's unit. What does one wear to a social at 11:00 in the morning? I'm thinking regular ol' every day clothes, but correct me if I'm wrong. Clearly I'm not talking about a long-sleeved tshirt and sweats or anything.

I think that's all for now. I've gotten 2 awards this week, and didn't want you girls to think I forgot about them. I promise I'll get to them soon! For now, it seems I can't even form a decent paragraph!

7 Weeks

Our little alien in 7 weeks today! I feel like everyday that goes by is a huge accomplishment, but I really love these weekly updates. I get so excited to read what's going on in there! So what's happening in my belly this week?

• You are growing so fast! You are 10,000 times bigger today then you were at conception. You're now about the size of a blueberry :)
• New brain cells are being generated at the rate of 100 cells per minute.
• You're mouth and tongue will be forming this week.
• So will your arm and leg buds, that look like paddle-like appendages and they will start dividing into hand, arm, shoulder, leg, knee and foot segments.
• You're kidneys are now in place and are beginning to start working. As What To Expect When You're Expecting pointed out, at least I'm not having to change the diapers yet!

Busy week! Honestly, I have not been to the gym even ONCE. I go to bed so determined that I'll go in the morning and it didn't happen at all last week. It's extremely important to me to continue exercising during my pregnancy, but I'm just SOOOOOO exhausted. I feel like a walking zombie almost constantly. I know my body is busy and I have reason to be tired, but a lot of girls exercise the whole time, so I know I can do it!! I'm going to set short goals and I plan to go 3 times this week. IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. I don't care if I fall asleep on the treadmill :)

As a couple side notes: 1) Can I get an Amen for that Alabama win on Thursday?? 2) The Patriots are playing in the playoffs right now against The Ravens. It hasn't been looking so good so far (we're almost in the 4th quarter), but I did pray for a win in church this morning. God, were you listening? 3) I don't know what is going on, but I'm getting daily Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese (sorry.. don't know how to tell the difference) comments on just one of my older blogs. I find this so strange. Clearly, I have no clue what in the world they are saying. Has this happened to anyone else?

Big Night!

I take a break from the as of late Pregnancy Brain to say this....

Rollllll Tide!!!!!

We'll be heading over a friends house to watch the game with a few other couples. At least until 1/2 time that is. Please, as long as you are not a die hard longhorn fan, please please please send some good Roll Tide juju our way. My husband's favorite team is playing for the National Title. To say his every hope and dream coming true is dependent on tonight would be downplaying how he really feels. Let's just say this - for Bama to win the National Title and for his first child to be born in the same year - he will FOREVER be a content man.

Now imagine his reaction if they lose. Ever seen a grown man cry? (ya know.. besides Tebow?) Sorry, sorry, I had to go there...

How we told our families

After taking two pregnancy tests out of pure hope the 2 weeks prior to our vacation (really, I had no business even taking them.. crazy girl), I decided I wasn't going to buy anymore tests until after(if) I was actually late. Of course it was hard to stick to that rule, but the day before Christmas Eve I decided I definitely wasn't going to because I even felt a little crampy.. like I was getting ready to start. I just couldn't stop thinking about it though, and when my mum sent me out to buy some Christmas cookie platters on Christmas Eve, I just couldn't help myself. Especially with the $2 off coupons I had that expired on the 31st burning a whole in my wallet. Besides, if I was, I wanted to know by Christmas so we could tell our parents in a cutesy way!

I took the test as soon as I got back to my parents house, fully expecting to only see one lonely little line. When that 2nd line came up... I don't even know how to explain how I felt! Shock. Disbelief. An adrenaline rush maybe? I was shaking and had the hugest smile ever on my face when I called Trey to come upstairs. He knew right away from the way I said his name. We did the happy dance and hugged for a bit then went back downstairs and acted like everything was normal for an ENTIRE DAY. How.. I'm not really sure. It was actually kind of fun to have that secret to ourselves for a bit though. We spent the entire day at his parents house and said nothing.

When we got home late that night, my mum was rushing me to put all of my wrapped gifts under the tree so she could bring the Santa gifts out. I made cards for both her and my dad and wrapped them up in a box. The card had a poem on it. I forget exactly what it said, but on the front, the last line said, "blah blah blah... but I hope you can say..." Then they opened the card and it said in big letters all across, "you're happiest to know you have a GRANDCHILD on the way!" and I'm pretty sure I added a smiley face. I had them open this at the same time and made sure they were right on key together. To say they were excited doesn't do their reactions justice.. especially mom's. I believe her first words were, "are you serious???" ( to that, my sarcastic side so badly wanted to respond with "nope.. just kidding.. merry Christmas) followed closely by, "I have to get on Facebook", which I immediately shot down. She then hugged Trey and told him... get this... that she was so glad he had such strong swimmers. Nice mum :) Ohhhhh gotta love her. My dad was a little less vocal, but gave me a huge hug and shook Trey's hand. He later in the day was playing Wii and got a high score with something, darts I believe, and put his name in as Grampy <3 Since my mom was not allowed to tell anyone yet, she told the refrigerator repair man (becuase the it broke in the middle of the night Christmas EVE), the 17 year old male Walmart cashier, and the Walmart greeter. And her sisters without permission ;) I can't blame her.

The next day we went to his parents house. We printed out a picture of my beautiful positive test and put it in a Xmas bag covered with tissue paper. We set it on their kitchen table and waited for them to notice it. I told them Santa must have gotten confused because he left them a gift under our Christmas tree. They opened it together and his step mom (she's more like a plain ol' mom so I'm leaving step out in the future) was a little confused as to what the picture was. His dad said, "I think that's their way of letting us know we have another grandchild on the way". There was more excitement, hugs, and squeals going on there and before I could say anything she had her whole family on the phone as well! It's going to be an interesting Christmas at their house next year, if we get to go, that's for sure! Trey's sister is due in just a few weeks so there will be 2 babies next year! Hopefully and boy and a girl (she's having a girl) :)

Thank you all SO SO much for all of your supportive comments yesterday. Each and every one put a great big smile on my face! I can't wait to share this journey with you!

The Day I Made My Big Announcement

I have been bursting at the seams to come out with this news to you all for a couple weeks now and I CANNOT hold it in any longer. Ready? Are you sure??

















That’s right… I am 6 weeks (and today.. 2 days) pregnant!! I know, I know, it’s so early to make an announcement like this, but Trey and I are just sooo soo soooooooooo excited. Most of our family knows along with most of our friends *ALTHOUGH NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT IT ON FACEBOOK* and because I use this blog as my journal, clearly I’m going to want to look back on this. Yes, I guess I could just write in one for only myself to see, but what fun is that??? I do know the risks that go along with telling people so early, but I refuse to think about that. I’m staying very positive. Plus, if anything did happen, I wouldn’t be able to hide that on here anyways.

So there you have it. I wanted to let it out about 50 times in my 2009 survey I did yesterday. We are so excited to start this new chapter in our lives. Our due date is August 29th and we can’t wait to me him/her.

As a disclaimer, this blog will in all likeliness turn into pregnancy and baby talk for the majority of the next 8 months... who am I kidding.. And for the rest of my child’s life. I hope you don’t mind and hope I don’t lose any readers, but the fact is… this is all that’s on my mind for now!

A Look Back

2009!!

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Let's see where do I even begin? Became an Army Wife for one.. that's new. Took road trips by myself. Checked into and stayed at a hotel by myself. Organized a move. Lived alone. Moved far away from family. Volunteered. It was a big year for me!
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I'm pretty sure my resolution was to lose weight and that I did. I'm not making any this year. I'm on resolution strike.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? One of my best friends did and many more will soon!
4. Did anyone close to you die? Unfortunately yes, my grandmother who I was very very close to passed away in August.
5. What places did you visit? Columbus, GA - Charleston, SC - my home town in Massachusetts - OKC - back home to Columbia, SC for the holidays
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? stability. but with an upcoming move I don't see that happening.. eehhh.. what's the fun in stability anyways right?
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 2nd.. being reunited with my husband after the months of basic training. 4th of July... visiting him at Ft Benning and watching the fireworks together. August 27th... seeing him graduate OCS and attempting to pin his 2LT bar on him. I don't remember the date, but my "first" last day at the office (those people mean more to me than they probably should and it was very hard to leave.. but then they kept bringing me back so we got used to the goodbyes) and finally Sept 26th.. the day I moved away from my family. Traumatic to say the least.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I would have to say driving from SC to OK by myself and making it there with no horror stories.
9. What was your biggest failure? hmm.. there are a few. I slipped a couple times while trying to figure out this new life. But who doesn't. What matters is that I picked myself back up.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No, actually I think it was the healthiest year I've had in a long time.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Nothing is coming to mind! Our new couch?
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Trey's. I've seen him grow so much this year. And volunteering to fight for your country.. that deserves a little celebration I think!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I don't have an answer for this one. Only my own behavior would be able to depress me.
14. Where did most of your money go? Sadly.. probably food and entertainment.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?Seeing Trey for the first time after his BCT was through.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Halo by Beyonce. Say what you will.. I LOVED that song.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:a) happier or sadder? Ohh much much happier!! I was just getting ready to go through a million changes this time last year. Now I've been through them and am enjoying the outcome. b) thinner or fatter? Bad question to ask right now, but thinner thankfully! c) richer or poorer? Richer definitely! I didn't even realize how close we were to dreadfully poor!
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I'd spent more time with my family when I needed to.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worrying!!!
20. How did you spend Christmas in 2009? In SC visiting family and friends
21. Did you fall in love in 2009? As cliche and corny as it sounds - even more so.
22. What was your favorite TV program? hard to chose just one but either Army Wives or Desperate Housewives.
23. What did you do for your birthday in 2009? I was husbandless for my birthday so my wonderful girlfriends came over and we had dinner and watched movies.
24. What was the best book you read? Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult
25. What did you want and get? a single cup coffee maker and *boooyyaaaa* got it for Christmas. Also one other thing.
26. What did you want and not get? to be stationed at Ft. Stewart.
27. What was your favorite film of this year? There aren't even any contenders with this one... The Blind Side. Law Abiding Citizens was pretty cool too but doesn't even compare.
28. Did you make some new friends this year? Thankfully I did meet some great girls out here! I would have been a big ball of depression without them and will be sad to split up this spring/summer.
29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? wine?? Just kidding.. kind of.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Ha.. non existent? I mean I do well for myself but I'm definitely comfortable at all times!
31. What kept you sane? my parents and Bethie and work believe it or not
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Ellen.. love that woman
33. What political issue stirred you the most? it takes a lot to rattle me but I'm going with the Ft. Hood incident (I hate using the word incident for this.. it's so much more.. but couldn't think of what I was trying to say) I don't know if that can be considered a political issue, but that day just really got to me.
34. Who did you miss? My family and friends in SC
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. hmmm.. don't lose focus on the things that matter. Don't worry about things you can't control. Remember that God knows what he's doing with you. Trust Him.

No Place Like Home -Part 2-

The second half of our trip was spent much like the first.. spending as much time possible with as many people as we could.
The day after Christmas we went to a baby shower for our friends Brandon and Emily (you were introduced to them yesterday). They are having a little girl whose name will be Reece and are due on March 17th.. St. Patty's Day! It was a fun night.. very relaxed... the majority of our friends all together again.. and lots of pizza. All factors add up to a good time!

On the 31st, we left to come back home. It was hard leaving my family again. I was already crying as we were driving away, but as we were passing the house, I looked over and saw my dad and brother waving out the window which made the tears flow even more so! It's just not easy at all for me to be away from them! I do have to say though, as we got closer to our home away from home (back here) I got more and more excited. It was good to be back. It felt great to be back in our apartment and sleep in our bed again, and it'll be good to get back in a routine. And I SO have been enjoying our new coffee maker <3 This weekend was full of spending time with our friends here which has helped immensely. I cannot express how much my friends mean to me... on both sides of the country!

Trey and I didn't get to see the ball drop this year, as we were sound asleep 2 hours before. Life is changing.. all for the better! I'm excited about this new year and new decade. I'm not making any resolutions for once. I just plan on taking a lot of time to reflect on the changes I want to make within myself and to carry those changes out. Nothing physical, although I do want to be healthier...not so I can fit into those size 4 jeans... so I can feel wonderful about myself.