Week One...

I can't believe that it has already been a week. But then again I have no idea what day it is because all time seems to run together...so I guess that may be why. Here are some of the events of the little guy's first week...

Coming home...

Meeting Chia...

Mimi (the great-grandmother)...



The Cousins (on my side)...

First Bath...


A gift for Dad...

Introducing....

Caden Ford C.

August 8, 2007

3:16 am

7 lbs 4 oz

20 1/4 inches long

The Events...

I was sent straight over to Labor & Delivery after my regular appointment. It made me a little nervous!

Didn't have much pain for most of the labor.R helping me breathe. At least he keeps things light!

Fresh out of the oven.

Waiting for his first bath.
...and the adventure begins...

The Room

We are still waiting...and should know more on Tuesday (if not sooner). In the meantime I think I have finally finished his room. So here you go...

The quilt was made by my mom and Linda. It is really cute!! And I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time in that chair - that is why we went with the comfy leather.

This is the little man dresser from earlier, just with the mirror attached. Notice the super cute lamp that we found at Target! Man I love Target!


This, of course, is his bed. I made the letters for his name, but I couldn't get them to show up very well!

Just Waiting

Well, I went to the doctor today and we are making progress! Nothing to put me in the hospital just yet, but it could be any day now!! I think I must really be ready since I keep having these wonderful dreams that I can wear regular clothes again!

The Days of Our Lives

It has been a while...which has nothing to do with the possibility that things are dull around my house...because in fact they are so far from dull that I am pretty sure my head is going to explode by the end of every day. So here is the scoop:

Last Thursday: My sister and her two boys came to stay.

Friday: Cleaned house getting ready for the shower on Saturday.

Saturday: Last Baby Shower and hanging out with family.

Saturday Afternoon: Realize the AC on the bedroom side has stopped working.

Late Saturday night: All plumbing backed up - no toilets or baths.

Early Sunday: Company leaves because of lack of toilets and baths.

Sunday Afternoon: Plumber can't find clean out cap to fix plumbing.

Sunday Night: Stayed in Hilton for the use of toilets and showers.

Monday: Plumbing fixed temporarily until they replace the pipe on the next Monday. Find out AC has to be replaced. Hubby cleans bathrooms since my fat belly doesn't reach over the bathtub!

Tuesday: Childbirth class, watch birth videos, laugh at the guy next to me freaking out about placentas.

Wednesday: AC replacement begins. Slam dog's tail in the door...feel like the worst person in the world while cleaning up massive amounts of blood...get dirty looks from dog all evening.

Thursday: AC replacement continues. Continue to get dirty looks from dog.

Well, you get the point! We hope to have a relatively calm weekend and do as little as possible! But, hopefully I will get some updated pics of the nursery posted soon! Have a great weekend!

More Little Old Lady Adventures

The youth group is having a missions week here at the church. They will be traveling around the area performing "Acts of Random Kindness" in the community (this all comes from Evan Almighty and Ark Almighty in case you were wondering). Anyway, we have been trying to line up meals for the kids during that week so that we could keep the cost of the week way down. One of the other office ladies has been calling Bible Fellowship class leaders to see if their classes would take a night. One of the leaders was another of our Little Old Ladies (LOL) and she missed the original call, so our office lady left her a message stating who she was and what she wanted. This is the conversation when the LOL called back:

LOL: Somebody called me from there and I don't know who it was.

Me: Did they leave you a message?

LOL: Yes, but she didn't say who she was. Was it Doug?

Doug is a man...she heard the message and knew that it was from a woman...but here she is asking if it was a man that called her. Somebody forgot to take her pills!!

Last night I worked and worked to steam clean the carpet in our living room.

This morning I walked out to see how wonderful it looked.

My dog had puked all over it.

I hate Mondays.

Terrible Thing to say to a Pregnant Woman #678

Let me just start by saying that this week is VBS here at work and we all wear matching shirts...which I decided not to wear one day.

Lady with no tact: "The only shirts we have left for VBS are 3XL....I bet those would fit you."

Me (stunned): "Well, I could put one on but that certainly doesn't mean it will fit me."

Then I thought what I really should have said is "No, that is too big for me. My large fits just fine. But there are plenty for you if you need it.

Blessings...

On March 22nd of this year R and I set out for the hospital to have our big ultra sound. We were very excited to see our baby and very anxious to find out whether we should focus on girl names or boy names (of course, we already had our girl name picked out - so he was destined to be a boy from the beginning). And he is a boy.

The ultra sound lasted for an hour and a half because we live in a town with a teaching hospital and the first 45 minutes were spent with the resident trying to figure out where everything was...the last 45 minutes were with the doctor telling us what everything was and taking measurements. At the very end of the ultra sound he scanned through all the pictures - stopping at one of Caden's brain. We really didn't know what we were looking at, but the doctor soon filled us in. It seemed that they found a cyst on his brain. He went on to explain that it was possible this cyst was nothing at all, but it also could be a marker for a disease called Trisomy 18. All I knew about Trisomy 18 was that babies born with this disease don't live, at least not long. The doctor felt that we had a pretty small risk for having a baby with this disease, but this one marker increased our chances - Caden was 3 times more likely to have T18.

We had to quickly make a couple of decisions about what we wanted our next step to be and we decided to start with a follow-up ultra sound - nothing more invasive. We figured we would know enough at that point to make a better decision. And we knew that we would not terminate no matter what.

We were pretty dazed when we left the hospital that day. At least I know I was. I also knew that if I had to talk about it too much I would break down (hormones - they get you every time). So, then we had to make all the calls to our family and friends (who were anxiously waiting) to let them know we were having a boy...and we had to act happy and pretend that everything was great. We had not yet decided what we were going to tell everyone.

We talked about it a lot that night and decided that we were not going to share the news with everyone, just a few people that we knew would pray their hearts out for our baby. We didn't want things to get blown out of proportion or for people to over-react since we knew very little about what was going on at that point. We also did not want to be faced with constant questions.

So we waited. We have waited for 12 weeks to know if our baby is sick. In the meantime we worked on coming to terms with the good and the bad. We felt like God gave us this challenge for a reason and no matter what happened...whether he lived or died...this was our son. God really gave us peace during these long weeks.

And now we know. We know that his cyst has gone away...no trace of it to be found. We know that his body is the exact size that it should be (just with a slightly larger head...runs in the family), his organs have developed perfectly, and he has no markers of this disease at all. He even has a "beautiful" heart according to Dr. Alan. I hope it stays beautiful.

So to everyone who has been praying for our baby - whether you knew any of this or not - we just want to thank you. God has blessed us and we are grateful.

Oh, For Cryin' Outloud

Last weekend I woke up to the wonderful feeling of both arms being asleep. I shook them, I squeezed my hands into fists, I rubbed them...all in hopes of getting the blood flowing again. It didn't really work. So throughout the day I continued to try to get them to "wake up". Eventually my upper arms regained feeling and the majority of the time I could feel the lower arms, but the hands just wouldn't cooperate. Finally, after about 4 days of mostly numb hands, I thought I might should call the doctor. Thinking maybe Caden was cutting off some circulation with his ginormous self, I called my OB to see what I should do. Eventually I talked with the nurse and she said that it was carpal tunnel and that this was very common in pregnancy...unfortunately. She informed me that I should go directly to the pharmacy and purchase a brace for each arm...wear them for several days...then once they started feeling better I could just sleep in them...oh, and prop up my arms at night.

So imagine with me if you will...my nightly process of trying to get comfortable enough to fall asleep.
...I usually have really bad indigestion so I have to prop my head and chest up
...I sleep with a pillow between my knees to reduce back pain
...and some days when my feet swell some I have to prop them up
...I lay on my left side...mostly
...And NOW...I have to prop up my arms.
I still haven't figured out exactly how that is going to work. The husband says that if I have to prop up one more thing then I will be level again, just at a higher elevation than before. Pretty sure this little guy is going to need a spankin' when he is born for all this trouble. Okay, maybe not...maybe just a stern look.

The Belly These Days

Several people have been asking to see my growing belly lately - so against my better judgement I am posting a picture. I have had to cut out my head because I look very annoyed in all the pics - which I am not saying this is exactly why, but it may have something to do with the way my hubby takes pics. He tries to go for the spontaneous look (which he calls "natural") and so my expression varies quite a bit...mostly between annoyed and rolling my eyes. But I am NOT saying that was the problem.

And by the way...if you think I look huge just keep it to yourself...trust me, I feel huge...here is what I have to say about it:

- If I don't make it past 37 weeks I am so okay with that (however, I would like to at least make it to 37).

- I can't really do anything about how big the belly is getting. I try, but he grows when he grows.

- I am more than happy to have a very healthy sized baby! I would rather he not be 9 lbs or more, but if he is healthy...the daddy and I are happy! Well, if he is 9+ lbs it may be a while before I am really happy again, but you know what I mean!

Reasons I Love Being Pregnant #2

No more pesky zippers on your pants! Elastic-stretchy-band pants are not so bad after all!! Although, when I do start wearing real pants again - I wonder how many times I will forget to zip up! Oh, well - it is tons of fun for now.

Preparing the Nursery Part #2

Here it is!!!!

I finally convinced the husband to put the crib together last night.

This is the little man dresser...it is really cute and will be the perfect size for him as a little boy. It has a mirror too, but I think R had reached his maximum frustration level by the time the crib was finished.

This is just a look at the wall...

It is all very cute! He also now has a name to go with his fancy-pants new room, but we will let you know all that info soon enough!

Preparing the Nursery - Part #1

So here are some pics of the nursery at this point. Well, actually this was mostly from last week, and we have come MUCH further in the process. I hope to finish all the painting this weekend - but we are having company so I make no promises!!

Yes, well it doesn't look like much... and I didn't forget to paint the bottom. Randy has now finished hanging the bead board along the bottom. The hold-up is me trying to paint all the little nooks that come as part of the bead board package!

I had gotten in trouble - shortly before this picture was taken - for having the music WAY too loud and not properly ventilating the room (from the husband). Parenting skills are already kicking in for the dad-to-be! (love you honey)

Mother's Day

This is what I got for Mother's Day...

Several people asked on Monday if the husband got me anything. They all stated that they had considered calling him to make sure that he knew that even though I had not yet given birth...I was still a mother. But never fear guys - he did a very good job. This will be the boy's birthstone...unless he is born a bit early...then we are in trouble.

A Bit of Wisdom from the Husband...

Monday was a very action packed day of kicking for our little boy baby. He seemed to be moving constantly - most of the movements being pretty hard little kicks. But I was telling the husband that yesterday he was very calm (he must have worn himself out). He was calm until about 9:45 last night that is. At that point he started soccer practice again.

So the husband says "Well, does he usually move around much during the day?"

"Not as much as he does at night."

And (here is where the wisdom thing comes in) R says "Well, you need to get him on a schedule! Keep him up during the days so that he will sleep at night. And while you're at it - go ahead and start on the potty training too."

The Man with the Dirty Pants

This past weekend I did not want to stay at home and do the things I needed to do (like laundry, dishes, etc). So I decided to go to Lowe's to pick out some paint color samples for the baby's room. I really also wanted to pick out some pretty flowers and other fun plants to landscape my front yard with. BUT, since I have the world's worst allergies I knew I would pay (for the next 24hrs) for even 5 minutes in the garden department...so, I stuck to paint samples and other odds and ends for the nursery. My Lowe's adventure did not last me long enough though. I had looked at everything I could think to look at...but I wasn't ready to go back home...so I went next door to the mall.

After shopping for a birthday present for my niece...and of course looking at the incredibly cute baby things...and picking out a cute monkey outfit for the boy...and looking at men's clothes for the hubby...and purses for me...I finally made my way to the checkout. The only checkout I could find with a cashier.

There was a man standing in front of me returning a pair of sunglasses and it was taking FOREVER! So I waited patiently...with my back killing me...while thinking seriously about getting something very unhealthy to eat as a snack once I left the mall...maybe a milkshake...or a giant cookie...no a milkshake sounds better.

So while I am contemplating my unhealthy snack options I notice that the guy in front of me has something on his pants. They were dark pants...so I couldn't tell exactly what it was. I stared a little more intently...nope...still couldn't tell what it was. So I gave up and glanced at the cashier just in time to see that there was a mirror directly behind the cashier and the man with dirty pants was watching me stare at his rear.

I really, really wanted to tell him that I did not find his hind quarters attractive in any way and that in fact there was something on his pants...and that I was only looking so hard to try to figure out what it was...and wasn't it my business to know what was on his pants? But I finally decided - who cares - I am pregnant... my back was killing me... I wanted something to eat... so dirty-pants-man can just think what he wants. Maybe it boosted his ego a bit to have some pregnant woman intensely check out his rear. And hey, everyone needs a boost now and then.

Reasons I Love Being Pregnant #1

While on your way to pee in a cup (at the doctor's office), you run into a woman coming out of the restroom in front of you. With one hand she is opening the door and in the other hand she holds her cup 'o pee and a Hawaiian Punch...and all you can think is "Man that Hawaiian Punch looks good."

Don't try this at home...

Try not to say things like this to the pregnant women near you:

"Do you know what it is?" Hope it's a baby or my husband will be really mad!

"Oh, it's a boy...your husband must be so happy." I guess there is an unwritten rule that men only want boys. Oh and I guess women only like girls.

"I think you are starting to really be pregnant!" Hmmm...been pregnant for a while now...that might explain it.

"You look really tired...pregnancy will do that to you!" Well, you are really annoying...stupidity will do that to you.

You

You may recognize these words from my quote on the side - I just love NOOMA!

Backoff girls, he's all mine...

Last week when we went for the ultra sound I had back to back appointments. The first (at 3:00) was to see the nurse practitioner and listen to the heartbeat...which I foolishly thought would only take 10 minutes or so. The second appointment (at 3:45) was to have the ultra sound. Well, since the nurse didn't get in to see me until 3:30 (and she had about a billion questions and was in no particular hurry to do anything) I informed her that I had another appointment and was going to be late. So she ran out of the room to inform the other doctor I wasn't ready yet and would be a few minutes late.

So after she was done listening to the heart and stuff... she whisked me out of the room and down the hall to the check-in desk. Then she had R check me out at the OB/Gyn desk. Here is his account of the events.

So he steps up to the desk with all my paperwork and all three ladies just look at him. Finally one brave soul says "Can I help you?" Kind of like "Surely you have taken a major wrong turn somewhere because why would you be at this desk with your paperwork??"

My dear husband, always on the prowl for the chance to give someone a hard time, says "Yeah, I need to check out and schedule my next appointment!"

She asks "Well, who did you see?"

He says "Jan, the nurse. And let me tell you that is was really uncomfortable and very awkward!"

All the ladies laugh. He hands her the papers and she starts looking for a new appointment date. She names a couple of times and dates and he agrees to one then asks if she will write this all down.

"Well, can I trust you?" she asks.

"Of course you can. Well, actually the last girl I said that to is down the hall having an ultra sound... so maybe not."

At least there is never a dull moment in my house. Can't wait to see what kind of crap my son will pull on me. He will have a good teacher.

The Boy

Here are the photos of the little man:

This is his little body. Not real fond of this picture seeing as how he looks like Skeletor and all, but he does actually have flesh on his face - we saw it. In this pic you are seeing head, elbow, part of a hand and knees.

Here is his manhood. I told R that I would block it out to keep this family friendly - but when I did that you really couldn't tell what was going on in the photo - so I left it. I guess this post will have to be rated R (or maybe worse). This picture is actually from the inside of his body looking down (so that isn't his you-know hole). Then his legs are out to either side.

This is by far my favoritist pic - I tried to brighten it a little so it would be more obvious. But this is his hand (far left) holding his foot. Behind the foot is his other foot. I think this photo is very sweet!

It's Statler and Waldorf

So, I went to a funeral the other day. I realize that this shouldn't really be an entertaining activity - it was a very nice service - but it was also pretty funny.

It was a service for an elderly lady- so most of all of the attendees were also elderly. As we are waiting for the service to start I realized that the 2 old men on the row in front of me are talking pretty loudly. The longer we wait...the louder they talk. Then the organ starts playing...and they continue to talk...only louder...and at this point they are drawing stares from all the people in the surrounding rows. And at this point you can clearly hear what they are saying. Critiquing this...commenting on that...comparing wives...etc. It is almost time for the service to start and I am really starting to worry that they won't shut-up. And then it hits me...they think they are whispering to each other because they are both so deaf. Each one taking turns shouting into the other's "good ear" but neither of them know that they are shouting.

I started to wonder what to do if they didn't stop "whispering" by the time the service started. Tap them on the shoulder, pinch them like mom used to do, yell "sshhhhhhh" into the good ears? I could only imagine that any of those would result in a "whispered" response...and would draw attention to me.

I was really starting to get tickled by the two of them. All I could picture was Waldorf and Statler from the Muppets - completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

They did stop talking. I don't know if they could hear what was going on in the service or not, but at least they didn't continue to critique every part of the service. On second thought, that probably would have been pretty funny too.

The Pregnant Mind

This morning I got into my car and went through my mental checklist (as I put everything into the passenger seat) to make sure I had everything I needed for the day.

keys - check
purse - check
sunglasses - check
jacket for when I freeze to death in the office - check
remote for the t.v. - check
head back into the house to return remote to the coffee table - check

The sad thing is that I had not even used the remote this morning - so I have no idea when I picked it up. It is amazing I make it through the day at all.

The Gender Issue

There just isn't much happening in my world these days. Well, things are happening, but not anything really very interesting. I kind of feel like my life is on hold until next week when we will hopefully find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I feel like I can actually get some things accomplished at that point. I will know what furniture we are getting for the nursery, I will know what color to paint the walls, I will know what bedding I will want to use, and so on.

Oh, and we will know which name we will be using for our little peanut...Emmaline Cinderella (family name) or Maximus Octavius (like the Gladiator). If you do not like our name choices...well, that's just too bad...and since we have made our decision you can also stop making suggestions! Max and Emma aren't so bad! Except that my sister has a dog named Max...but he won't live forever!

But if we don't have a successful ultra sound next week, then we are going to get the 3D ultra sound at a place in Austin. I am hoping we don't have to do this - because quite frankly the pictures can be a little frightening! Plus we would like a little bit of a surprise at the end - and not already know what he or she might look like!

By the way...these may or may not be the actual names that we use...but seriously guys we have the book of 100,001 names...if we can't find something out of there to name our baby then we shouldn't be parents in the first place. But we appreciate the thought...and you are more than welcome to suggest...but if you get a fake smile and an insincere "Thank you" then don't take it too personally...it just really gets exhausting.

The Reward

I have a little girl...not a biological one (and NO we don't know if the peanut is a boy or girl yet!). I adopted her as my F.A.N.S. kid through church. As you can see she is beautiful on the outside - and just as beautiful on the inside. It has been so much fun to do things for her and watch the pure joy and excitement she gets from it. It can just be a card in the mail, or a hug when I see her - and because she so thoroughly loves everything it makes me want to do more and more for her. I like to pick out cute little pencil sets or purses and then watch her face light up when she realizes that I actually care enough about her to get her these little (useless) trinkets.

She has a rough family life. Living with grandma, Auntie and some cousins while mom is in prison.

But... because one day some youth at this church decided to do some local missions work in the neighborhood... and because that one event turned into a monthly event... and that turned into bringing these underprivileged kids to the church for some special events... and that turned into them coming to Wednesday night activities... and that experience was so positive for her... and because she has encountered key people who show her Christ's love - she made a decision.

She asked Jesus to live in her heart.

So now, I get to be the excited one.

And relieved.

I am relieved and happy to know that after all the hard work and frustration that we have put in to this ministry...it was worth every minute. It was worth every frustrating moment, every scramble to get things done, every moment of uncertainty, every noisy bus trip to pick these kids up and take them home again. It was worth listening to every negative comment by all the "haters" who felt like we should just give up on these unruly kids, it was worth hearing some of my very own friends bash this program, and it was even worth every night that I went home feeling totally defeated and wondering if there was any hope for these kids.

So for anyone out there who wouldn't believe, or participate, or try because it was hard work and uncomfortable at times - I just want to say how sorry I am, because the reward in the end is so much bigger than the journey...and it was worth every single minute.

Updated

Some very funny (though a little misguided) things that my husband has said since we found out I am pregnant:

1. "I want us to have an old-fashioned delivery. The kind where I sit out in the waiting room."

2. "…and so I said 'I don't have a problem with dirty diapers…I don't do diapers so why would I have a problem with them?'"

3. "But the baby likes it when I tickle your feet."

4. "If it is twin boys let's name them Anakin and Eragon!"

5. One night (after a long day of "morning sickness") he asked if I was okay to which I replied NO...so he said "Well, you only have 7 more months."

6. "Here, just get a to-go box… you'll be hungry again in an hour."

7. "Did you poot? Do you need to? Can I video the delivery so I can catch you pooting?"

8. "I think I am gaining sympathy weight."

9. The husband and Dave went to pick up the crib we purchased a few days ago. On the way he said to Dave "This is kind of exciting...it's like going to get your first dog house for your first puppy!" To which Dave replied "...it is NOT like getting a puppy!"

10. After we both suffered from a stomach virus a couple of weeks he said "I think I can handle the sympathy weight...but this sympathy puking really sucks."

11. When trying to pose for the belly shot below, I told him that I wanted to look pregnant but not fat...to which he replied "I can't do both here." It is really a good thing that I love him. A really, really, really good thing.

Just imagine a huge eye-rolling on my part after each of the above statements!

Pregnant Belly 1

So here it is, for my mom and sister, since they want to see what my belly is looking like! This was a week or so ago (I haven't grown anymore since). And I have not gained but about 8 lbs. so it seems everything is just shifting forward (or clinging to my back).





I got to hear the heartbeat yesterday, and so far everything is looking good. And by the way, they can't tell from the heartbeat if it is a boy or girl because it was right at 140 (and the doctor said that is an old wives tale anyway)!

Updated w/ Pics! Fabulous Las Vegas

Well, we have finally taken our "last trip before I get too fat - I mean pregnant - to do anything" trip...which was in Vegas... and oh-so-fun! I was - and actually still am - totally exhausted! I have hit that part of pregnancy where all you want to do is sleep and take a nap and then sleep again, after eating of course!

Anyhoo, our trip included a classic car exhibition, dinner at a crazy expensive but yum restaurant, the Bodies exhibit (which wasn't anything dirty), the Shark Reef, a little shopping and of course some gambling - which I assume isn't a sin if you are winning.

But probably the funniest thing about our trip was at the airport on the way home. Our plane was running late so everyone was just hanging out watching tv or reading. I was reading a book and the husband was reading Money magazine (of course), when this guy walked up and sat across from us (facing the tv). We both looked up... then at each other... and I said "Is that..." and he said "Ron Jeremy!" Now, not many people know who Ron Jeremy is but for those who do, please allow me to explain how we know who he is! A few years ago we watched this show The Surreal Life - which is a reality show on washed-up has-been celebrities. He was one of the celebs along with Tammy Baker, Vanilla Ice - you get the point. Let's just say that Ron has acted in some movies that hopefully no one who reads this blog has ever seen - not family type movies for sure.

So there he was... sitting across from us... and he is pretty gross looking in real life. If I hadn't known who he was I would have found him to be very creepy! Well, okay... he is really creepy looking whether I know who he is or not! He slept most of time (with his chin on his chest) and I suggested to the husband that we take is bag, but then I decided I would rather NOT know what was in the bag... if you know what I mean. And the funniest thing is that the husband took some pictures with both of us and Mr. Jeremy in them without the guy even knowing what we were doing!

Cool Slideshows

What time is noon?

On the 2nd Thursday of each month we have a LLL (triple L) meeting which stands for Live Long and Like It - it is for the senior citizens of our area. They get together and play dominoes all morning, then have lunch followed by a program such as "How to not be taken advantage of by salesmen" or something like that. Well, you know old people, it doesn't really start until noon, but they get here at 9:00 am to get a good parking spot and play dominoes.

So anyway, this morning I get a phone call from one of the LLL ladies, here is how it went:

Me: "FBC, this is Kacole."

LLL Lady: "Uh, yes honey, what time does the program at noon start?"

Me: Is this a trick question? "What time does the meeting at noon start?"

LLL Lady: "Yes... today... what time does it start?"

Me: "Uh, it starts at noon. The noon meeting will start at noon today." As though we would start it at 1:00 pm or something...just to throw them all off.

LLL Lady: "Oh, okay. I wasn't sure if it started at 11:00 or not."

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I usually want to pull my hair out at the end of the day!

Just some random things...

This weekend was quite the adventure at my house. It started off with a nice stomach virus that my husband caught...then politely shared with me. Let me just say that a stomach virus...while pregnant...and not totally past the morning sickness/ nausea thing...really not cool. It just seems like a cruel joke...if you eat you'll puke...if you don't eat...you'll puke. I mean...what the heck!

So yesterday, when I was finally back among the semi-living...I was watching the Learning Channel and A Baby Story came on. Since I have now joined the pregnancy ranks, I thought I would watch it. So it was this story about a woman named Trina and how she and her husband had just gotten married when she found out she had breast cancer and that the chemo treatments would make her sterile. Then after the first round of chemo she finds out that she is pregnant. So she has to stop the chemo and take pain meds to make it through the pregnancy. The dad is so excited to be having a baby, but both are worried about the cancer. At this point I have quite the lump in my throat.

Fast forward to the delivery...which goes pretty well...then they run tests on her to see about the cancer...it has now spread to the bones...I begin the light sob. Then it goes to their first few days at home with the sweet new baby and shows the dad saying that he doesn't want to lose his wife and the mom saying she doesn't want to leave her baby (little heavier sob). Then...at the end...the screen fades to black...and reads IN LOVING MEMORY...
Oh that's it...it's on now...there is no controlling the tears at this point...what the heck kind of crap show is that anyway? I thought is was supposed to be some and-they-all-live-happily-ever-after-feel-good-about-childbirth kind of show! See if I ever watch that crap again, I can't handle it!

THEN, did anybody see the TODAY show this morning? OH.MY.GOSH!!! The cute little segment on moms drinking during play dates...go to the website and watch if you have a chance...really. So they have some doctor and some crackpot woman who wrote a book about it...I think...as the panel. And the question comes up (via an email that Meredith reads) that basically asks if there is a gender bias on drinking around kids since nobody seems to care when the men are standing around downing beers while the kids trick-or-treat. And...I kid you not...the crackpot woman says "Well, I was drinking at Halloween too. What if mom and dad are both drinking? We are both the primary care takers. Do you have to have a designated parent?"

WHAT?

As a responsible adult do you really have to ask that question?

I am all about having a drink now and then...as a matter of fact I am eagerly awaiting the day when I can have a nice glass of wine or a big ol' margarita...eagerly. But give me a break...designated parent...you have to have a designated driver...aren't your kids a little more important? Ugh! I have to go now...all this anger may induce the vomiting again!

Ta Da! The Peanut Picture

Well, after I had my first sonogram the doctor told me that I could not make photocopies of it because the paper was heat sensitive. So after thinking about it, I started wondering if that meant that I couldn't scan it in either since I would assume that the picture would receive the same amount light and heat as it would from the copier. So I didn't do anything with the picture all this time for fear that I would ruin it. But the doctor gave me two pics, one not so clear, so I decided that if I ruined the bad one I would still have the other...so I tried...and it worked just fine!

So here he or she is...

This is the only pose we could get because apparently it was nap time for the little peanut and it was not the least bit interested in moving. I assume you can tell what it is...the head is to the right with the arms directly below then the body. This angle doesn't really show the legs. He/ She is lying on his/ her back...much like our dog does when she sleeps...I guess it runs in the family!

Ellen Calls Gladys

Oh, the things they will say...

One of the first things my sister warned me about (when I told her I was pregnant) was all the "useful" advice everyone would have for me including all of their morning sickness and labor stories. I could see that this may be a problem, especially since I work at a church and have so many "friends" to give me the advice (which translates to mean all the little old ladies that share too much info anyway).

So far the morning sickness stories haven't been too bad since most of them have come from people I know a little better. I have enjoyed hearing their funny memories of those exciting first several weeks of hurling and eating. But I was a little shocked the other day when someone said "at least now you look healthy."

I have been thinking about that statement today. Hmmmm....now I look healthy. Why is that? Is it that pale green look I have much of the day from nausea, maybe it makes me look more tan. Or is it the fact that my chest is beginning to pop out of my clothes, boob jobs always make you look healthier. Or is it the little pudge in my gut that popped up overnight and makes my pants too tight thus causing me to have to do the rubber band trick just so that I have something to wear. Maybe it is the fact that since I have such a hard time with nausea in the mornings I just don't care what my hair looks like and so I go through much of the day (okay, all day) all frizzy and stringy and pitiful looking (it matches the green skin pretty well I think!).

So I have come to the conclusion that either this person was coming up with the best comment that they could think of to make me feel good (in which case they failed miserably and should have just stuck with "Congrats" or something)...or they had no idea that I am all emotional and sensitive right now with all the hormones raging and that one little off-handed remark would have me in such deep contemplation for so long.

Well, at any rate, if you want to look healthy it seems that all you have to do is get pregnant! Good news, huh?

A Year In Review

Well, I'm back! I know that everyone is just SO excited! Anyway, we had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year...so far! I did have to come back to work today, so the jury is still out on the Happy New Year part! :)

I just wanted to share my Year in Review letter with everyone. I know...yawn...but you may actually find this one somewhat exciting...I do at least!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We hope that this year has been a good one for your family. For us, 2006 has been busy, sometimes stressful, and uncertain at times but in the long run it has been good.

In July we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and were able to take a trip to Colorado. Randy fished to his heart's content while I just enjoyed relaxing & sight seeing. The trip was a lot of fun (well, except for the time when Randy "caught" me in the back with his fishing hook... that hurt a little) But the trip came at the perfect time since we were in the big middle of our move to a new house.

This brings us to the next major event...The Move!

We had planned to put our house on the market in the summer since we were so sick of our pool and wanted more space. But as it happens we ended up selling the house before we even listed it! This was both great and a huge nightmare (since we had no house to move to)! So after some very stressful and serious house hunting…we finally got our new home. And it was just in time too, since we were about to have to end the search and find a rent house! Since then I have been busy painting and decorating! I only have a few rooms left and it is really starting to feel like home.

But our greatest accomplishment this year was still yet to come! We recently found out the happy news that we will be having our first baby in summer 2007. Just the finding out has been a little adventure in itself - we weren't quite expecting it yet! We were able to tell our parents with special Christmas gifts... which was too much fun! We don't know much more about the happy news, but we will be sure to let you know as time goes by!

We hope this New Year will bring many blessings to your family. We look forward to all that 2007 holds for our growing family!

Randy & Kara

Deck Those Halls!

So, I am running incredibly late with this, but oh well!
Better late than never...or whatever!





The Front Door

The Fireplace

And...the tree!

I didn't get a picture of it, but my favorite ornament on our tree this year was the Laffy Taffy ball from Wal-Mart (filled with Laffy Taffy no less) that my husband put up there as a special treat for me! He's so sweet!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To Butch...

Okay, so I didn't get around to posting Christmas decoration pictures Friday...I am a terrible person! But now that our bazillion Christmas parties are over...I actually have time to do important things again (like blogging).

Anyway, I thought I would share this with you 2 or 3 readers out there. I got this Christmas card over the weekend (hand delivered) from a sweet church lady and this is what the envelope says:

Kara& cute husband (Butch, I think)

Ah-hem. My husband's name is not Butch...not even close! More like Randy. Sorry honey!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, this week has been one big exciting blur at my house! We have Christmas party after Christmas party...and no end in sight! Tonight we are the hosts at our house for the Youth Leaders party.

So, all that to say...sorry for the lack of updates (Marci!) but I am working on it!! I hope to be part of Boomama's Christmas Tour of Homes...but I forgot to get pics before I left the house! I'll put them up ASAP...which won't be until after 3.

Stay tuned...

Vote DCB!!

If anyone out there is a David Crowder fan...be sure to go here and vote for him to be artist of the year on MSN. They are up against INXS, Prince (gimme a break), Christina Aguilera, and Kenny Chesney. I would say they are hands-down the best choice out of that group.

Did you know?

Did you know that after Thanksgiving it is impossible to find yard stakes for your Christmas lights?

Me either.

Stupid me...I only bought 50 back when I decided that I wantd to run lights down the sidewalk...I needed 100. So on Saturday afternoon when I finally had time to work on it, I started putting out the lights and realized we were not going to have enough stakes.

No biggie...I thought.

So the husband and I lock up the house and make a dash to Wal-Mart (which I thought was going to be the worst part of our outing...Wal-Mart on Saturday).

Well, just as I expected, the Christmas section was so jam packed with people you couldn't even drive a shopping cart through it (not that people weren't trying to anyway). And low and behold...no stakes...and none expected in any time soon. We were told to try to think of an alternative.

So we head off to Lowe's. No stakes. Now keep in mind that I have half of the sidewalk done.

So, after a couple of other stores, we decide we are going to have to rig it ourselves. Here is our solution.

Wire hangers & Zip ties

The husband cut and shaped the hangers while I zip tied my little heart out. But I think it turned out okay!

Half the time I was out there... zip tying each and every light on... the lady down the street was standing there watching me. Like "Ha, I got my stakes in plenty of time...LOSER." I almost went and asked her if she wanted to help, but I thought that would not be very Christmas spirity!

Oh and thanks hubby for making the make shift yard stakes... even though you would have been more than happy to not have any outside lights at all!

No Snow Day Here

Well, it got below 40 degrees yesterday...so we shut down the office! You gotta love Texas! It starts to get cold and people freak out about the possible ice! Now, in all fairness it was 32 and very wet outside...and the bridges did ice over. And, let's face it, I am not the least bit upset over leaving work 2 hours early (and still getting paid for it)!

But at 5:00 pm yesterday evening it was as dry as can be outside and the sun was shining away! No snow, no sleet...just cold! Bummer!

There is just no accounting for taste...

Well, it's that time of year...time to pull out the Christmas music and decorate the Christmas tree. Since this is the 1st Christmas in our new house I am very excited about decorating. I have found out that all the decorations we used to cram in our small-ish house now get lost in our large-ish house. It looks kind of sad.



But anyway, this being our 1st year in this neighborhood also means that this is the first time we have seen the decorations of our neighbors. Now, we live in a pretty nice area...we aren't talking Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous here, but nice enough. I was pretty excited Saturday when I saw the icicle lights and the luminaries going up on our street...I love, LOVE luminaries. And to me, you just can't go wrong with white lights! Then THEY decorated their yard. Yes, them...the ones with the yard decorations from...well...you know where!



Say it with me...



PICK.A.THEME.PEOPLE!!!!



That's right, they have quite a collection of Christmas decor. The Nativity scene, moose, deer, snowmen, Santa (the plastic light up one and a stuffed one), candy canes, lights thrown here and there and a MERRY CHRISTMAS sign to end all signs. It is the type of yard that makes you cringe a little thinking that you will be having Christmas parties at your home...and your friends will see their yard...in all it's misguided holiday glory.



But hey, it will give us something to laugh about. Maybe we can even have a contest to see who can guess how many light up candy canes there actually are!

The Elderly

Let's just take a moment to talk about our education system...not for children...but for the elderly. In working at the church I have learned several things about how the elderly mind works and I really think that there should be several classes offered at the community center based on the following things:

1. Phone Etiquette 101
Class Description: When calling a business please do not skip to the middle of the conversation because you just assume the other person knows what the holy crap you are talking about!!!!!!! For example: nobody knows who you spoke to on the phone last week, or who "what's his name" is. When you start the conversation with " I just got the thing in the mail and it says that the check is from 2003 and I just want to know where it came from" ...you are really leaving a LOT of things up in the air...and DON'T get pissy when we try to decipher what you are thinking but not saying outloud!!!!

2. Voicemail is Your Friend
Class Description: When calling for a person (whose name you actually know by some miracle) and said person is unavailable, please leave a voicemail. Voicemail does not steal your soul; it is not some form of identity theft; it will not kill you (though the receptionist might if you do not leave one); and people actually DO check it.

3. How to Leave a Message on Voicemail
Class Description: When leaving a message on voicemail, simply state your name, number and a BRIEF description of your question/ concern. You do not have to ask all the questions on your list (that can wait until they call you back).

4. Have Patience
Class Description: When calling a business and asking for someone in particular, please do not blame the receptionist if they are already on the phone. This class is for you if you have had the following conversation:

Receptionist: FBC, how can I help you?

Old Person: I need to talk to ____.

R: She is on the phone right now. Would you like to leave a voicemail?

OP: No, I need to talk to her.

R: Ok, well she is on the phone. You can leave a message or call back later.

OP: NO, I need to talk to her. How much longer will she be on the phone?

R: Well, in order to know that I would have to have telepathic powers...and if I had telepathic powers I could shoot her a mind beam that said you were on the phone in the first place and we wouldn't be having this conversation...but since I wasn't given the power of telepathy...then I DON'T KNOW! Would you like to leave a freakin' voicemail?

(Ok, so just ignore the last part)

5. Driving
Class Description: Do you really need one?

So, let's pick up the slack in our education system...call your local government office and petition better education for our elderly...they aren't our future, but they could be the death of us.

Gone with the Wind

Today it is VERY windy outside...and this was the phone call I got earlier this morning at work...

Little Elderly Lady: "I, auhhh, just wanted you to auhhh know that the auhhh wind is gusting up to 45 miles an hour right now."

Me: "Oh really?" (Sighing to myself)

LEL: "Auhhhh, yes."

(long pause...because I thought this would be where she would get to the point)

Me: "It is pretty windy out there!"

LEL: "Well, auhhh don't stand under any trees becuase you know auhhh old what's his name that I was friends with auhhhh was standing under a tree when a auhhh branch broke off and landed on his head. Auhhh...killed him. Auhhhh yeah, so be careful out there."

Me: "Oh my goodness." (laughing to myself...not because the man died, but because this is why she called...to tell me this)

LEL: "Well, maybe I auhhh will see you tonight...if I make it out in this wind."

Oh to have nothing else to worry about but the wind.

(and in case you wanted to know...it was the boob lady)

Faux Paint

So...last Friday night my husband and I made a dash to Lowe's to pick out a new paint color for the dining room...something better than Institutional Gray.

...an hour later we were still trying to figure out what to do. Finally, we decided to do a two-tone technique that used a special roller...so we go in search of the roller in the "Faux Paint" section. Then we decided to do a stippling technique instead...so we gathered up the supplies for that.

Let me just recap for you:
-we run into Lowe's to buy a gallon of paint (before we go out to eat)
-after an hour we are still looking
-we leave with one gallon of paint, one pint of glaze, one stipple brush, one pounce brush, one package of cheesecloth and two paint trays...for a grand total of $75

Yeah...In the check-out line when she told us the total my husband said "All we came for was a gallon of paint...what happened?"

I guess we were victims of the pretty brochures and fancy displays that made faux painting techniques look so wonderful.

Well...Saturday night when I had been faux painting for four...yes FOUR...hours and still hadn't finished the first wall...I didn't think it was so wonderful anymore! I was pretty sure that if I had to "stipple" for one more minute, my hand was going to snap right off my arm at the wrist. I FINALLY finished sometime Sunday afternoon...at a grand total of about 9 hours worth of painting!

Needless to say...I will not be stippling anything else for quite some time...but man, it does look great!

This bottom picture is a more accurate view of the color...the other picture makes it look more red.

She's a lady...

...well, maybe not!
This is our dog...and this is how she sleeps. We really get a kick out of the amount of time she spends sleeping like a person. It seems that sleeping on her back is the most comfortable position for her.





She isn't very modest either.

Ugh!

It has been one of those days

...well, more like one of those weeks

...ok, let's just get real...we're going on a month now.

I am tired

I am frustrated

And I am burned out.

Work is frustrating (this would be the source of the burn-out)...but I won't go there - I mean who really cares about that. Except I wish that I were better at leaving the work frustration at work and not letting it spill over into the rest of my life.

Then, I was awakened at 3:15 this morning only to find that my husband had to traipsing all over town because one of his former employees had been caught trying to break in to one of his stores. Then we found out he had already stolen from another (allegedly). And of course, after getting frustrating news like that...I couldn't get back to sleep.

Then for some reason I can't and I mean CAN'T pick out the right paint colors to save my ever-lovin' life. I mean, they look great on those little one inch swatches. I fantasize about how it will look on my walls and with my furniture (I know - I am strange)...I imagine what art I will hang to accent the color...etc.

So, I go to Lowe's and buy a gallon and then...

...and THEN I put it on my walls and merciful heavens if it isn't ANYTHING like what I imagined. For the love of all that is holy could someone please start making 8 X 10 paint swatches?

Right now my dining room is splattered with Institutional Gray (as my hubs likes to call it). I swear to you guys that it looked tan on the swatch...I mean the name of it was Ashlar Gray...but it really seemed to lean more toward the brown end of the spectrum than the black end.

So now I get to go back to Lowe's and get ANOTHER gallon of paint...but first I have to find another microscopic swatch of tan that I think will work!

Thank the sweet Lord above that today is Friday...I just don't think I could take it if it were any other day!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Grant!!
Don't eat too much candy and cake!
Love you!