It's a Boy!

     I'm so thrilled!  This morning Matt talked to baby and said "don't disappoint daddy, be a boy!"  Oddly enough, I've had this feeling for the past couple weeks that it was a boy.  The thought of a daughter suddenly  seemed foreign to me and a son felt more natural.  I kept thinking of this summer romper I saw with white and blue stripes and a little dog on the side.

Seriously, how cute is this?  

I was in denial though because I had such a pretty idea for a girls nursery; I'll miss my peachy pink wall color I was going to use. Blue will be pretty too though!

     Matt had to go to training for work that he couldn't miss, so my mom came with me to the ultrasound.  As soon as the doctor placed the wand on my belly she said "I know what it is!"  She asked if I could tell.  Baby's bottom was facing us, so it was pretty obvious.  It wasn't the umbilical cord either, so I would say it's a boy for sure.  It was hard to get a good look at him but we saw his foot, hand, and his face.  It was pretty cool.  I would like to see a scale model of how big baby is and what he looks like right now.  I took the day off, so mom did too and we went shopping!  I only went a little crazy, but hey I've been holding back for so long I deserved it.  My mom picked out a onesie that says "Daddy and I agree: Mommy is the boss." I picked one that says "Daddy's little monster"

     So now I'm trying to get Matt to decide on a name.  I know we have 4 months but I'm not that patient.  I have a feeling it will either be Adrian or Leonardo.  I can picture having a Leo.  Leonardo could take some getting used to, but Matt is part Italian so it kind of works.  His family name used to be Palma but they changed it when they got to the states.

     Matt is SO excited.  He is going to have a partner in crime, a "minion".  (Although I always thought Chris was his partner in crime.)   I keep thinking of Matt and our son doing Taekwondo together, having a momma's boy, getting a family picture taken, and I must say: Halloween is going to be epic.

The only bad thing is that one day he will start dating girls, and I won't like any of them.  I'm way too territorial.

   

7 year anniversary

Oh how things have changed.  I tried to find something interesting in my journal to post, but it's not really interesting.  It's pretty short and to the point when it comes to Matt asking me out.  However I looked further back and saw a few interesting things:

*Matt's attempts at impressing me consisted of burping the alphabet backwards, and pretending there was an evil monkey in his locker so I would go with him to protect him.  Don't I know how to pick 'em?

*High school love is embarrassingly dramatic.  Like when Matt was leaving for a Taekwondo tournament all weekend: "Sacre bloody bleu, I might as well be dead"

*"Matt said hi to me today" is apparently worthy of mention several times in my journal.

*Matt actually asked another girl to prom before he asked me.  He was scared to ruin our friendship.  So once he decided he really wanted to go with me, he still had to wait forever for her answer.  Thank goodness she had other plans.  Doesn't sound very romantic though does it? Second choice.

*Journal quote from after our first date "I'm so happy, I feel like skipping or whatever"

     Although I'm glad I have a record of our beginnings, there is no part of me that misses high school.  I'm blessed to still be friends with my closest high school buddies, and now Matt is my husband, Chris is my brother-in-law, Tom is coming to visit this weekend, and Laura and Scott still live in town.  The only difference is a slight increase in maturity and more freedom.  So what's there to miss?

21 weeks/ Matt trying to turn the baby against me

• How far along? 21 weeks
• Total weight gain: Nothing since last week, although I'm hungry every couple of hours so that's kind of surprising.
• Maternity clothes? Finally got some shorts!  And a couple tighter shirts so people can actually see my baby bump.  Some of the clothes I have are pretty loose right now.
• Best moment this week:  When Matt tried to indoctrinate the baby into only trusting Daddy and Jesus.    
• Miss Anything? I kind of miss my figure every now and then, but I was the one that kept saying "give me a baby bump!" so I won't complain.  Plus I like my bump.
• Movement: Still wondering what he's doing, there's tons of movement and it's fun to watch it on the outside.  I'm wondering when it's going to start to hurt.
• Food cravings: Nothing in particular
• Food aversions: Mostly just greasy food.
• Gender: 2 more work days and then we will know, aaaaggggghhhhhh!!!!
• Symptoms: Possibly braxton hicks, possibly caused or made more severe by stress at work.  Lots of stress at work.  I haven't dreaded anything so much since student teaching, ( I'm still getting over the trauma that was student teaching)
• Belly Button in or out? Still in, give it a couple weeks
• Looking forward to: ending the great gender debate on Wednesday and Easter.  

Maybe this wasn't the best shirt to take a picture in.  I feel  like I look bigger than this.

     We went bowling last night and ate dinner at Scott's house for his birthday.  I got a couple strikes at first and started thinking that when the pregnancy changed my center of gravity, maybe it made me normal since it was off in the first place.  Nope, I lost pretty horribly.  The boys wanted to ride go karts but you aren't allowed to drive if you've had any beer, so they were denied.  

     Yesterday we also stopped at Mrs. B's just to see what they had for couches and dining room sets.  There were lots of good deals of course but I got very excited when we found a white crib for $75.  I didn't know anything about the brand though, or if there are specific things to look for when buying a crib so we decided to think about it.  Of course it was gone today, but we found an even better crib with a changing table attached for $100 more in Nebraska Furniture Mart. We haven't gotten it yet since there's no hurry and our storage space is limited.  Oh and Matt's mom is giving us a dresser that used to be one of the boys' for the baby's room.  So we won't be spending too much on the nursery.  Score!

     We also picked out paint colors but all I know for sure is that the living room walls with be gray with white trim and the dining room and kitchen will be yellow.  Matt gets to have a man cave on the first floor, so I'm not giving my opinion on that room too much.  I told him he can do what he wants with that room if I can do what I want with the nursery.  Within reason.  

     Oh and in regards to the comment about Matt indoctrinating the baby: the other morning Matt was talking to the baby and he said "No one is your friend but Jesus" and "you can't trust anyone in this world but your father" and he whispered it like he was conspiring.  He kept repeating it too.  I mean, the Jesus comment is pretty true but he can't turn the kid against me!  Matt told me that when I'm trying to get our kid to bed, and I'm chasing him/her he will say "Don't let her get you! run! freedom!"  We shall see Matthew, we shall see.

A little hypocritical venting

It's getting to the point where I don't want to open facebook up anymore.  I know it's an election year and it's a big deal, but geeze I look at facebook for fun and to keep up with friends; I'm not digging all the political debates.   Honestly I don't think I'm much of a republican anymore, I'm pretty moderate.  I have no idea who should be president. I don't see any legal reason why homosexuals can't get married.  I'm totally for protecting the environment.  I think they need to do real sex-ed in schools because abstinence only education is not doing anyone any favors.

Whatever, rant over.  I feel slightly better but maybe I wont be looking at the newsfeed for awhile.  Baby needs a donut.

Half Baked

I am 20 weeks pregnant!  Baby is half baked, but not in the naughty way. 

I feel constant movement, the other night Matt had his hand on my belly and the baby was so active, he just kept kicking and flipping or something.  I can’t tell what he is doing but it’s getting stronger and more frequent all the time.  To me a lot of the movement feels like muscle twitches.  Those movements can get kind of annoying, I’m ashamed to admit. 

We have had such beautiful weather lately.  I can’t wait until the baby can see the sunshine and smell the rain.  The weather makes me want to open up all my windows and let the fresh air in and get my house sparkly clean. 

I love the pastel colors that come with Easter.  Matt doesn’t like Easter decorations because they take the focus away from Jesus.  So I’ll have to make do with some pretty sweets and maybe a wreath. I’ve seen some yarn wreaths people have been making, so I bought some yarn and felt this weekend to make my own.  Here is some of my inspiration:

 I started my wreath and finished the fabric canvas project I started a couple months ago.  I'm making progress on the blanket too!  

     On Friday we had a surprise birthday dinner for our friend Katie.  It was at a sushi place so we had chinese food first, which was delicious.  Well Katie was mad at her boyfriend all day because he had told her he made plans too late and no one could come.  So she was very happy to see us waiting for her when she walked in.  I'll never go back though, the hostess looked 16 and she was a total snob. Most of the staff seemed stuck up.  After dinner we hung out with Bart and some of his friends.  

     I was a little disappointed that everyone seemed to be going out on saturday and we were "stuck" at home.  I would have been miserable at a crowded bar though, it's not like I was missing anything.  I worked on my wreath while Matt played video games.  Today I went to the park with my mom and Caroline, who got tired after about 15 minutes.  It was hot though, I was glad to sit in the shade at my parents house instead while Coco played.  I really need some summer clothes.

• How far along? 20 weeks
• Total weight gain: We finally got a scale!  I gained 2 pounds since february 28th.  With the way I've been eating, weight gain wont be a problem.
• Maternity clothes?  I need shorts!  I'm wearing mostly maternity clothes or empire waist clothes now.  
• Best moment this week:  Enjoying the gorgeous weather! 
• Miss Anything? Sleeping on my back, not having a backache
• Movement: She's a little mover and shaker.  If only I could identify some of the movements.
• Food cravings: BLTs, pancakes
• Food aversions: Nada!
• Gender: 10 days!  I'm so excited for either gender.
• Symptoms: Just my back, I imagine it will get a lot worse but it's all worth it.
• Belly Button in or out? I imagine it will be out within a month
• Looking forward to: March 28th!  

19 weeks and a busy weekend

• How far along? 19 weeks
• Total weight gain: I must be gaining weight, we went to Ruby Tuesdays with Emilee and Aaron on Saturday and I ate everything on my plate.  I was still eating while everyone else was finished and I was the only one that got a drink refill.  Then I felt like the fat friend.
• Maternity clothes?  I looked for pants at target this weekend and then got bored.  I’m wearing maternity shirts though, and I wore a dress to the symphony on Saturday.
• Best moment this week:  Seeing baby move from the outside.  Then seeing Matt get freaked out that he could see baby move from the outside.     
• Miss Anything? Sleeping on my back/stomach.  Also, did you know Burger King got rid of chicken fries?  Wtf?  Now they have “tenders” which look like their nuggets only bigger and I’m afraid to try them.  Why do people do this to pregnant women? 
• Movement: Getting stronger!  Also I can feel different kinds of movements; I just don’t know what they are yet.
• Food cravings: Slushies and subway   
• Food aversions: I’m afraid to say they went away, but for the most part fried foods just aren’t appealing.  I was able to eat pizza the other day; you should have seen Matt’s face light up when I asked if he wanted to get pizza.
• Gender: 2 weeks!  Give or take a couple days.  It will be nice to settle on a name and know who is in there.
• Symptoms: Back aches, and if you thought I was a klutz before, you should see me now.
• Belly Button in or out? Slowly getting shallower.  I’m scared because I have a sensitive belly button.
• Looking forward to: March 28^th, and Easter!

Maybe it's my posture that makes them look different? or the angle?  I don't know, I just feel like I look bigger in person.

We had a pretty busy weekend.  

     On Saturday I went to my friend Anna’s bridal shower.  I was so glad I knew several other people there and I got to sit with girls from church.  One of the bridesmaids is also pregnant, but I think 3 weeks further along than me.  It’s nice to have someone to relate to; she goes to our church as well so I’m sure we will keep getting to know each other better.  I have some strange obsession with home goods; it must be that domestic goddess inside of me.  So I had fun seeing what Anna got.  I get way too excited about fiesta ware.  They have SO many colors, and so many kinds of dishes to choose from.  Anna registered for a few pretty colors so I had to get one.  My fiesta ware is yellow, red and a lime green.  I let Matt choose because I knew he would be more creative than me.  So our kitchen is red and yellow.  It’s a nice change from all the blue I picked out in the other rooms. 

     After the shower we went to Ruby Tuesdays with Emilee and Aaron who were hanging out in Omaha for the day. I told Emilee that Matt says I’m not allowed to get re-married if he dies, nor am I allowed to be the crazy cat lady with 20 cats.  I’m not sure what my other options are; he took away my top choices.  I asked how he plans to enforce it and he said he will get the help of our children and his parents.  Or he will have a Viking funeral. I think he forgot what country we are in.  Emilee said Aaron isn’t allowed to get re-married either.  So I told Emilee that if Aaron gets remarried I’ll hang out with him and his new wife and talk about Emilee the whole time so no one ever forgets.  

     After dinner we changed and went to see Ronan Tynon and the Omaha symphony at the Holland center.  My parents took us.  He was really funny and had a beautiful voice.  I forgot how much I love the symphony, it’s been so long.  There were lots of old people there, which was nice because that means there were more dressed up people than people wearing jeans.  I hate when people wear jeans to these events.  That’s the biggest downside to Nebraska; no one cares what they look like.  It’s evening; you’re in a theater, put on some dress pants at least.  I’ve seen more dressed up people at bars.  Anyways, it was a fun night and I got to wear my new maternity dress. 

     On Sunday I crocheted and watched the X-files while Matt did his homework; it was a glorious day.  I just love quiet rainy days.

A wedding and a life lesson

    Michelle and Joe got married February 29^th.  We had the ceremony in our living room and mom and Michelle made a pretty background out of flowers, ribbon and tulle.  It was a really small event, just their parents, siblings and children.  Christian walked Michelle to the altar and Caroline walked ahead with a flower in her hand; it was so sweet.  They had their own vows and had already tattooed their rings on.  Michelle made several flowers out of ribbon and lace for her bouquet and it was beautiful.  Caroline wouldn’t cooperate with pictures but Christian did; here are a few pictures from the day:  

I had issues with the lighting, I was under the impression that this looked less dark and more true-to-life.  

Like I said, Coco wouldn't cooperate so she gets a  bad picture online.  Take that. She looked very cute though, it's too bad I couldn't get a good picture.

     After the ceremony they had a champagne toast and everyone chatted while we waited for our dinner reservation at Jaipur, an Indian restaurant.  The food was good; it was my first time eating Indian food. Almost all the appetizers were fried though, and they were huge.  Baby didn’t like that part. 

     Before the wedding I had to go to the social security office to change my last name.  I know, it took 9 months and that’s shameful.  I searched for our marriage certificate forever, and finally found it in my closet.  We need a filing system really bad.  So Matt drove me to the office (thank goodness) and my phone went off in the building.  I didn’t see the sign that said “turn all electronic devices off” or whatever it said so that was the first strike against me.  Then I didn’t hear the first time they called my number.  Then I finally went to counter and handed my application and marriage certificate to her and she said “this is the keepsake, not the legal document.”  Then I banged my head repeatedly on the counter.  Actually I timidly said “oops, I didn’t realize that, I’ll find it” and slinked off.  So we drove all the way back to Papillion, got two copies of our certificate, and successfully changed my name with SS.  But then I realized that I had already filed my taxes, and they would probably get confused and we might not get our whole refund.  That’s what the information sheet says that came with my marriage certificate.

     The moral of the story is: don’t lose your marriage certificate, and change your ss number right away so you don’t screw up your taxes or tick off the IRS. 

Conversations With Dorks (and 18 weeks)

• How far along? 18 weeks
• Total weight gain: 1.67 pounds in the past 4 weeks.  Not too impressive.
• Maternity clothes?  Most of my shirts are starting to get short, so I’ll probably start wearing a lot more soon.  I just have to force myself to go buy maternity jeans.  Jeans shopping is no fun.
• Best moment this week: my sister got married but I didn't get a picture of her so I have to steal one from my parents camera before I post about it. Also, Discovering the mecca that is the Dillards Outlet store in Council Bluffs.  Seriously, we bought Matt 4 pairs of dress pants and a dress shirt for $100.  Normally you can't even get two nice pairs of pants for that amount.  The only thing they lacked was baby and maternity clothes :(                                                 
• Miss Anything? Raging rooster pizza from Extreme Pizza.  MMMM.
• Movement: Lots!  But normally when I try to feel it on the outside it stops. 
• Food aversions: Getting better.
• Gender: We find out March 28^th!  Hopefully baby cooperates, cross your fingers.
• Symptoms: I’m feeling well actually, I just can’t eat too much at one time.
• Looking forward to: March 28^th, and picking out fabric for baby’s curtains and bed skirt.

     We had another appointment on Wednesday and everything looks good.  Baby’s heartbeat was 148 bpm.  These appointments are so short, there’s really nothing to tell.  Although Matt complained of feeling left out afterwards because no one ever asks how he is feeling or if he has any cravings, lol  I told him they will include him when they ask if he wants to cut the umbilical cord.  Poor Matt.

     

     The other day I turned Buffy the Vampire Slayer on and picked a random episode from the last season.  That’s a lie, I chose a really cool episode (where Buffy meets the dudes that created the slayer) in the hopes that Matt would get into it.  Matt was sitting next to me on his laptop computer but got up to move. 

Me: You can’t even sit next to me while Buffy is on?

Matt: Nope.

Me: Why not?

Matt: I don’t like Buffy.

Me: Well you never really gave it a chance; you just decided you hated it from the beginning. 

Matt: That’s not true; I watched it and I didn’t like it.

Me: Didn’t you say it would be a deal breaker if I hated Star Wars?

Matt: Yeah I couldn’t have married you if you didn’t like Star Wars.

Me: Well Buffy is my Star Wars; I love Buffy as much as you love Star Wars.

Matt: Oh, I didn’t know that, I understand now.

Then he sat next to me and put his headphones on. I think I’ll either watch Buffy or Gilmore Girls while I’m in labor all day, I bet Matt would LOVE that. 

I will not apologize for my fanatic loyalty to Buffy.  We all have our issues.