9 Weeks to Go and 1 Trip Down Memory Lane

Since nothing too exciting has happened this week, I bring to you the post I mentioned last time.
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I have been asking myself recently, "Do I live in Fargo, ND?"  Since the time I've lived in the Kansas City metro, I've never experienced snow and cold like this.  Wednesday we had snow that stretched my commute from 30 minutes to just under 3 hours.  Needless to say, I took Thursday off!

When I'd finally decided I wasn't going to try driving to work, I lay on the couch and slept a good 3 hours longer than I normally would.  I suppose my body is trying to tell me I need to slow down, that the human in there needs more rest than I'm giving her.  I finally decided it was time to be productive and chose to go through boxes of things we'd packed up from my parent's house and I hadn't touched since it landed in our big spare bedroom.  Thus began my roadtrip down memory lane and wondering if my child or children will be as lucky as I have been in the friends department.

The bulk of the boxes I worked through contained pictures from my entire life.  I started by looking through a scrapbook my mom put together for me when I graduated high school.  There were so many people in there that were important to me and most of whom are still very much in my thoughts on a daily basis.  I don't see any of them often enough but I sure do hope they're all doing well.  I followed the scrapbook up by going through tubs of photos that were just in envelopes after developing.  For those of you who don't remember, developing photos means they're in hard copies with negatives.  I spent hours looking through them and want to share with you who I saw and what I hope my kids will get to experience as I did.

The Aalbers Girls
I have to start here because much of my life was spent with and around the Aalbers girls.  I think I've mentioned them at least once before.  My "Aunt Dawn" babysat me off and on my entire life.  She isn't really my aunt but that's what we always called her and that's what she'll always be to me.  She and her husband, Mikey (I called him that too), had 6 girls.  I repeat, 6 girls!  When we fit me and my sister into their family lineup, we almost fill all 8 years, with one or two exceptions.  It goes something like this:  Michelle, Kathy, Beth, Brooke, Me, Megan, Kimberly, and My Sister.  There was never a lack of someone to play with and always something entertaining going on.  Each girl had something interesting to bring to the table.  Michelle was the oldest and she sometimes came to our house to babysit for a week during the summer.  My favorite year she brought a suitcase full of dress up clothes and we dressed up and sang silly songs on our front deck.  Kathy was second and she was probably the most quiet.  She was also a very good musician and I remember her playing multiple instruments, mainly trumpet, when we were at her house.  Beth was next and you would remember her if you met her.  Her laugh is contagious!  I can't forget that sound!  Brooke was a year older than me and my closest friend.  Brooke hated it when you "got into her bubble" which made me try to hug her all the time of course.  We spent a lot of time together and I can't even tell you how many memories I have of her in my life.  From pushing boys out of her treehouse to sharing chicken pox to walking the gravel roads around her house...the list just goes on and on!  Megan was next and she was mother hen to my sister.  She took care of Sarah nearly all the time.  I don't know what it was but Sarah listened to Megan...and Sarah didn't listen to anyone!  And a year older than Sarah was Kimberly who was one of Sarah's closest friends.  Kimberly was and still is unique and Sarah was much like her.  They got along fabulously so you'd usually find Megan, Kimberly, and Sarah together whenever we were all together.

I found post cards from Michelle when she was traveling the world.  I found pictures of all of the girls at my birthday parties.  I found Beth's wedding invitation and photos from the trip I took with her family by car to Colorado for the big day.  I found countless pictures of Brooke and I doing all sorts of things, mostly outdoors, and Sarah's room at home still has pictures of Megan and Kimberly hanging on her boards.  I guess what I hope for my kids is that there is one family or a set of friends that they find in their memories and pictures, that they can look back on and remember how lucky they were to get to know that family.  I hope that they remain good friends, even though they may not see eachother enough.  The Aalbers family is that family for me.  Many of my childhood up through high school memories involved the girls.

Peter and Alex
Every year, my family has gone and still goes to a resort in Minnesota called Cozy Cove Resort.  We started when I was 9 and over the years, other families have come with us.  The most predominant of these was Amber Scearcy (Kain) and her family, sometimes extended family.  We always went the same week from year to year and low and behold who was always there?  Peter and Alex.  Peter is 3 years older than me exactly; we share a birthday!  Alex is my age as well as Amber's.  Though we often only saw the boys when we were on vacation, we always stayed in touch via letters and later via emails.  I had a box FULL of letters from Peter and Alex only.  Alex even went to the same college as I did and Amber was there for a semester too.  Peter, on the other hand, ended up in Iowa not too far from my house.  I found so many pictures of our times in Minnesota and of the boys that I just couldn't help but include them here. 

The funny thing about the four of us is that I was always head over heals for Peter and Amber was the same with Alex.  When we all outgrew that phase, we were still great friends.  I haven't talked to Peter in quite some time as he went into the Peace Corps, got married, and is now living in DC but I still wonder about him and think about him this time of year, given our birthday is coming in just a few days.  Alex is living here in the KC Metro with his wife but again, I don't talk to him too much either.  Amber lives in Seoul, South Korea with her husband and son.  I talk to her now and again via Facebook but I haven't seen her in a couple of years.  Still, she's one of my oldest and closest friends so of course I wonder about her now and again.  Every year when the first weekend in August rolls around, I think of the three of them and wonder if they'll be there or if they're wishing they were like me.  My hope is that my kids have long distance friends like this, people they'd do anything for and always wish the best for.  Some of my best memories are vacation memories with Peter, Alex, and Amber.  I just hope my kids find a couple of friends and they feel the same.

Mike and Sarah
I met a lot of really important people in college but two of them probably saved me.  I say "saved me" because they're the two that made me see the light, so to speak, in relationships and helped me out of my shell.  I met Mike the first weekend I was in college.  Amber had met him and his roommate and we, along with Amber's roommate, decided to go to a college party.  I was nervous.  I didn't know these guys and I had never been the partying type.  However, Mike and I hit it off from the get go.  I spent the majority of my freshman year in Mike's dorm room, watching tv, talking, etc.  After classes, that's the first place I'd go, and if we were gone for a weekend, I'd always stop by to see him when I got back or when he got back.  I spent a lot of long nights talking to Mike about life, relationships, etc. and to this day, I consider him one of my very best friends.  I couldn't have been happier when he met and married his wife, Anne.  I wouldn't have picked anyone better!  And that, I think, is one of the marks of really great opposite sex friendship.

Sarah was, is, and always will be my best friend.  We met my sophomore year during sorority activities.  I don't really know how we got so close but over time, I was never anywhere unless Sarah was there.  While talking, we discovered that her older half sisters babysat me when I was little too.  Sarah is the person who got me out of my shell.  We were "bad" together which was so good!  Even today if we get together, we know some sort of shenanigans are going to happen.  Sarah is the one person that I can get into a fight with and we know that we'll still be best friends anyway.  She's the one that I listen to the most, too.  I remember a specific instance when Sarah said to me, "Renee', what are you doing??"  I didn't like it, but she was right and all that did was reinforce our friendship more.  She was my Maid of Honor at my wedding and even my husband considers her family.  We don't talk too much because we hate phones but that doesn't matter much either.  I have a picture of the two of us on my nightstand so she's the first thing I see when I go to bed and the last thing I see before I go to bed.  She's still my best friend, no matter what!

I hope that my kids have people who tell them what they think and it only solidifies their relationships.  I hope that my daughter knows she can have a friend who is a guy without anyone assuming they're anything more.  It's good for a girl to have a guy's perspective, especially on other guys.  And I hope that she has that one best friend who can say anything to her, even the things she doesn't like, and she remembers that her friend only wants the best for her.  Friends like these are rare and priceless.

I'm sure I've skipped people along the way but in my picture sorting adventures, these are the people that showed up the most and the friendships that I hope that my children are blessed enough to have themselves.
***
So that's the post.  Below is my Week 31 picture.  My body is now sore a lot of the time but I have no big complaints.  At the end of the day, I know I waddle but I just don't care.  My back and feet hurt nearly constantly in the evenings so I just can't bring myself to walk all that normal.  My wedding rings are also a little too snug.  I took them off this afternoon and I still have red rings where they were.  I guess I might have to take them off for a while which will make me very uneasy.  Otherwise, I'm good.  Still all belly and haven't gained a pound in 4 weeks!  Don't worry, the doctor says that's fine and I'm right on track!

Week 31, Only 9 Weeks to Go!!!

I wouldn't be myself if I didn't screw around a little bit, too!

The Best Early Birthday Present!

I had an entirely new entry written but I think I'll save it for later given a lot of new and exciting things have happened this week.  This entry will be short but hopefully you will enjoy!

I think I'll start with my 30 week picture.  Now, you have to forgive me here.  We almost forgot to take the picture yet again so by this time at night, I was in my Pooh maternity pajamas looking extra fine.  Looking at pictures like these, I find it hard to believe my husband would be even remotely excited to see me in "that" way.  There is zero sexy going on here!

30 Weeks and I'm ready for bed!!

Starting this week we will be extremely busy from day to day, week to week.  It began with Robin and our friend, Chris, hanging drywall in our basement.  I feel like this project has been going on for YEARS rather than months.  Robin has been doing almost all of the work himself so it's no wonder it is taking some time.  I have to admit I was somewhat nervous when he said he could surely finish this basement himself but he has once again proven just how handy he can be!  We now have framing, electrical (by a professional), lighting (same said professional), and insulation done, not to mention plumbing for the new half bath (another professional job).  Soon enough the boys will have the drywall up and that's where our budget stops for a while.  We'll have to do some saving to really finish it off.

We also started birthing prep classes which we'll have for the next 3 weeks.  I don't know if I've mentioned it or not but I'm pretty nervous about giving birth.  I've told some people I pretend it doesn't even have to happen, except that I only have 10 weeks left and little time to prepare now.  Our class was great and I think it's going to help put me at ease.  I really like our instructor, Karmen, and we were lucky enough to sit with a group of fun couples too.  We spent a lot of the time laughing and as usual, Robin was class clown.  The part I hope to remember to tell my daughter is that when we were to try relaxation breathing (not the hee, hee, ho stuff...more visualization), Daddy decided it would be funny to breathe like Darth Vader.  This made me laugh extremely hard while everyone else attempted to be serious.  I don't know that Robin has much of a serious bone in his body!

Friday night Robin prepared the nursery for paint and I prepared the baseboards.  Basically all I had to do was fill holes while he did the rough stuff like priming the trim in the room.  Saturday morning, Leah dropped Kevin off and he helped Robin paint the nursery.  It is a beautiful purple/lilac color.  It's not light like you might think, more of a deep, cheery color during the day that fades to dark and soothing at night.  I'll share a picture with you as soon as we have all the trim and furniture in its place.  However, this also began some real excitement.

While the boys painted, I spent the morning downstairs cleaning and organizing.  I've mentioned before that the nesting instinct has come on strong for me and I took full advantage on Saturday.  I cleaned out two closets, reorganized them, cleaned and disinfected the kitchen, dusted the entire living room, and even cleaned our oven.  As soon as the projects upstairs are complete, I'll move on to working on those.  Leah came back over around 2 in the afternoon and said something seemed different.  I won't go into details; those aren't mine to share!  But I will tell you that I encouraged her to call the hospital who then told her she should come in to determine if she was in labor.  By now the boys were working on a second coat of paint in the nursery and each had cracked one beer.  Kevin's reaction was to know if he had time to finish his beer and the second coat or if they should go.  After a bit of chatting, I finally told them both they needed to go, Kevin could shower, Leah could get her suitcases, and they'd both be on their way to the hospital.  A couple of hours later, we got a text from Kevin that Leah was in fact admitted and in labor.  I cannot explain how excited we were!

Yesterday was baby Monroe's birthday!  She was born just after midnight and is completely adorable.  We went to the hospital to visit yesterday and I have to say she is probably one of the cutest newborns I have ever seen!  I could be biased.  Leah and I agree that our girls will likely be great friends since they'll only be a few months apart and we all spend a lot of time together.  Plus, Monroe was born a day before my birthday.  Who wouldn't want such a great birthday present!?  Robin took some great pictures and I'll post a few here so you can see just what I mean by how cute she is!

Me meeting Baby Sol's bestie for the first time!  1/23/11

Itty bitty feet!  I love how wrinkly they are and Robin is getting really good with the camera!

Off in dream land on day one of her life!

So that brings me to today, 1/24/11, my birthday.  I think a pleasant feeling I have today is I don't feel old.  I still feel fairly young even though I'm 30 weeks pregnant, many pounds heavier than usual, and pretty tired most of the time.  I think most people think about their lives more when their birthdays roll around and I have very little to complain about, if anything at all.  I have a great husband who I feel extremely lucky to have found, I have a great house, the best family, and lots of friends.  There's nothing I really need right now which is a good feeling to have as well.  I have a baby to look forward to, too!  This year has been a full one but I'm thankful that I made it through mostly on the positive side rather than the other way around!  My mom even reminded me that next year on my birthday, I'll get hugs and kisses from my daughter and that that will be a better gift than anyone could ever give me.  I really look forward to things like that!

I received three cards in the mail today, one from each Grandma and my Grandpa, and one from my Mom and Dad.  I still love getting cards.  It just makes the day seem different somehow.  My Dad called sometime during the day but I must've missed it.  He left me a special message...him signing Happy Birthday!  It was so funny, I can't bring myself to delete it!  Robin gave me a new phone which is extremely newfangled and fancy.  Having internet and things on the phone seems frivolous...which is probably why it's special to me.  I don't do frivolous very often!  And speaking of that topic, we had a fabulously expensive dinner at Plaza III in my honor too.  We had great conversation and excellent food!  I really appreciate having the chance to do things like this from time to time and I especially loved that it really felt like a date.  I still love sitting at a table for two with my husband.  I am so lucky to have him!  Anywho, I'm finally another year older and looking forward to the next couple months of my pregnancy.  Stay tuned!

Once upon a snowy day...

Kansas City is having it's first big snow of the year as I sit here writing this post.  We had heard warnings for days that it might snow, blizzard even, but if you're like me, you take the weather reports with a grain of salt.  In the midwest, the weather changes as fast as a pregnant woman's emotions!  (Good analogy, eh?)  I woke up a few times in the night thinking it was awfully light outside and at some point realized it was so light because the street lights were reflecting off the falling snow.  My first thought was "Please, oh please, let there be a snow day at work!  I'm non-essential!  You don't need me!"  Unfortunately, this prayer wasn't answered and after a 2 hour drive that generally takes 20 to 30 minutes, I'm here at work.

View of our backyard on 1/10/11.

Our patio furniture on 1/11/10.

Since my last post, we've had some excitement here at work.  My coworker, Savannah, gave birth to twins on 1/1/11!!  The twins were quite a bit early as Savannah was only at 28 weeks and are currently at Children's Mercy in the NICU.  Savannah keeps a blog and lets us all know that the babies are progressing well.  The pictures I've seen are adorable too!  Here at work, we've been brainstorming ways we can help Savannah and her husband while they are busy seeing the girls in the hospital everyday.  I won't mention them here since she may read the post, but I will say that she would never ask us to do any of this which makes it even more fun to do!  We're all pulling for the babies to go home as soon as they possibly can!

As of yesterday, I am 28 weeks and beginning the dreaded third trimester!  The nesting phenomena has officially hit me and is driving me more than a little insane.  Over and over in my head swirls the phrase, "What else do we need for the baby's nursery??"  Have I mentioned we don't even have the room painted, let alone set up?  We did replace the horrible dresser I told you about with a nice new one that I think will be a great piece for her to use as she gets older.  We have a rocker/recliner too but now I'm focused on ambiance.  How can we make that room cozy and happy?  My husband probably thinks I've lost my mind!  Thankfully baby showers are coming up in the next month or so and I won't have to keep bothering Robin...until I figure out what we don't have and need.

28 Weeks.  This might be the least flattering picture I've seen in a while...

I'm feeling great these days.  My feet are hurting quite a bit so I stay off them as much as possible when at home.  I tried a bath in our gimundus (I've been trying to fit that word into a blog for a while...it's Marsha's favorite) bath tub but it's so big, the hot water ran out, and I couldn't stay there too long.  Plus, laying back to wash my hair is possible but sitting back up is not.  I probably looked like a beached whale!  One issue a lot of pregnant ladies experience is heart burn.  I've been blessed in that I don't have it very often and not so bad at all (knock on wood).  Usually mine comes if I haven't eaten and normally around 4 or 5 p.m.  If the old wives tales are true, I guess our baby will be a baldy when she's born!  Don't curse me for not having the heart burn issue if you're experiencing it.  Need I remind you of how sick I was in the first trimester?  That was my body paying it forward!

I feel like I am all belly now.  If I look at me from the front, sure, I notice I'm a little rounder in the face, softer in the arms, bigger in the chest, but not much else has changed.  When I turn to the side, though, I feel like I'm looking at a stranger.  I find myself watching my belly dance from side to side quite a bit and thinking how strange it is to have a human in there.  I haven't experienced her having hiccups but if she doesn't like how I'm sitting or laying down, she sure lets me know!  Everyday I wonder what she will be like, who she will take after more, and what habits of ours she will develop.  Mostly, I would say pregnancy has done me a world of good and has been a great experience.  Count me in for at least one more baby down the road!

New Year's Post - Posted a bit late!

Today is New Year's Day and boy do I have a story for you!  First off, here's a short recap of our 2010.

1)  Decided we would finally start trying for kids.  I cried...I was very unsure this was something I could do or handle but look at me now!  I am very excited!
2)  Went to a Roller Derby on Feb. 14th which was also the first day that I had my first flare up.  3 months later, I finally got a diagnosis of non-specific inflammatory bowel disease and meds that seemed to help. 
3)  GOT A NEW JOB!  Thank goodness for small miracles!  I had been in a job that was stressful, long hours, unfulfilling, and overall toxic.  It's no wonder I couldn't get pregnant and my doctor said that the job was the best explanation for what happened with my health.  Excessive stress is BAD!
4)  A few trips in 2010.  Went to Las Vegas with Mary Kate, Nick, Lindsey, and Chad.  Had a great time...except for #2 being an issue the entire time.  That was before the specialist and meds.  Went to St. Louis with Kevin and Leah.  On the way, Leah told us she was expecting and I nearly cried.  We had been trying with no success.  This was the first time I knew I was ready! Toured the Budweiser brewery which was fantastic, a must see, and saw a baseball game in excessive heat.  #2 was an issue now and then but getting better!  Went to Colorado in August to visit Chad and Lindsey and attend a wedding for Andy Johnson.  Had a great time!  #2 was only an issue once..and realized something wasn't quite right with my cycle...
5)  Day after we returned to Kansas City, took pregnancy test #1 and it immediately read "pregnant."  I went to work, took a half day, and told Robin that night!  Extreme excitement!  Confirmed 2 days later and now I'm knocking on 27 weeks' doorstep!
6)  Got closer with a lot of friends and family.  I feel more a part of Robin's family now and wouldn't have a problem calling any of them if we ever needed something or just to say hello.  While big changes have happened in my family, I feel closer to my Uncle than I ever have.  I've also always been a Grandpa's girl, but scares with his health this year brought me closer to all of my Grandparents.  Got close to Kevin and Leah which has been an extreme blessing as she's exactly 10 weeks ahead of me pregnancy wise.  I also feel closer to Phil and Marsha as they have entrusted us to be God parents to their daughter.  Many others that I can't mention here.

2010 was full of challenges, big decisions, big changes, and many highs and lows.  I guess what I can say most is I'm looking forward to 2011, praying that my health issue does not return post pregnancy, and that we're blessed with a healthy and happy baby!

Now, let me tell you about my most recent doctor's appointment.  I contemplated not saying anything because this isn't something that most females wish to discuss.  But I guess I feel that maybe my experience can help those of you who haven't experienced this and who may in the future.  I had an appointment yesterday, 12/31/10.  Since I had the day off and it was my glucose clearance test day, it was the perfect time to kill two birds with one stone.  I had heard nothing good about the glucose test and about the concoction they make you drink but honestly I thought it was just extra sweet fruit punch.  I only had to be there an hour and since they built in my checkup, time flew.  I even had an excellent phlebotomist and before I knew it, the two vials she needed to complete the test were drawn and I was done.

The part of the visit that wasn't so good was, surprisingly, the visit with my midwife.  The first thing they always do is get my weight and while I'm not normally very sensitive to that process, I knew that I had eaten more this Christmas than I had in the past.  I knew and was prepared for the fact that I'd likely gained more at this appointment than at previous appointments.  So, the nurse took my weight, took my blood pressure, and got my urine analysed without issue.  When my midwife came in for the exam, I asked her how much I had gained.  I won't tell you but I will say it was a shock.  She launched into not worrying about it, that I needed to walk more and move my body, that I just needed to watch what I ate a little better now.  The whole time she was talking, I was fighting tears.  I had never in my life been told I was too big or gained too much or even had someone tell me, an exercise physiologist, that I needed to exercise more.  After this discussion, she had me lay back and she examined my belly, listened to the baby, and talked but I couldn't tell you anything she said other than "the baby is doing great!"  The entire time, I was staring at the ceiling, counting tiles, counting dots, anything to keep myself from a full out breakdown.  Finally the appointment was over and I was told to come back in two weeks, they'd call Monday about the glucose test, and have a nice New Year's.  By the way, I now have to go in every two weeks.  This pregnancy is really flying by!

There are two things about women that not one of them wishes to discuss.  The first is their age, unless of course they've aged well and are proud of their progress.  The second is their weight.  Under almost no circumstance do women enjoy discussing their weight.  I have always had trouble keeping weight off.  I'm a champion at putting it on, especially when I don't exercise to compensate for my love of food.  I know I've been a lazy pregnant mom, that if anyone really knew I was an exercise physiologist they might be shocked at my lack of movement during this time.  But I controlled my eating well and to this point had done a good job. 

When I got to my car, I was okay though I turned off the radio (I never do that) and started to make my way home.  I didn't break down until I got into the garage and I sat there, trying to use up the tears before I had to face my husband and pretend everything was fine.  The thing is, I can't hide a thing from him.  I never have been able to, I hope I never can really, so when I walked in the door and he said, "Hey baby, how'd it go!?", I couldn't speak, started to cry, and shook my head "no" when he asked what was wrong.  He was alarmed immediately and I think I probably scared him that something happend with the baby so the first thing I managed to say was "it's not the baby.  She's fine."  I finally blubbered out what had happened, to which I don't think he was sure what to say.  Eventually he sat by me on the couch, rubbed my back, and reminded me that he didn't think I looked like I'd gained that much at all and that he wondered if the measurement was even right.  Afterall, they measure me on a different scale almost everytime.

Finally I decided I should take a shower and calm down.  The best I could do was exercise more, eat better, and try to remember that this is my baby we're talking about and if anyone can get the weight off, it better be an exercise physiologist who works with some of the best dieticians in Kansas City.  As I was stripping off my clothes, I wondered if maybe Robin was right.  Maybe their scale was wrong.  I pulled out my own scale and believe it or not, my scale was 6 lbs. less than theirs.  That would mean I gained only an average amount and am still right where I should be.

One of the first things you'll learn if you ever work in weight management or research for that matter is that your instruments need to be accurate and as precise as possible.  That means they have to be calibrated and that measurements such as weight have to be taken in the same clothing and around the same time of day everytime.  Unfortunately, doctor's offices do not have the luxury of any of these, though they could calibrate their scales.  None of them do, to my knowlege, which means more often than not, you're going to run into a scale or two at your office that is not at all correct.  The best any of us can do is buy our own scale, weigh ourselves in the morning, in no clothes or in the same clothes everytime.  That is a more accurate and precise weight, even if your scale isn't new or calibrated.  SO, the short of it is I honestly do not take the doctor's weight seriously.  How could it  be grossly heavier on theirs than on mine, with only a difference of a pair of light pants, shoes, t-shirt and about 20 minutes?  It's not possible.

I guess this is why I'm writing this to all of you.  I could easily have let this tear me appart for days or weeks or the remainder of my pregnancy.  I am already terrified that I will have trouble getting back to my pre-pregnancy, let alone my goal, weight.  But with a lot of my education and a good nudge from my husband, I rechecked what the doctor said and found it to be unlikely that it was even close to correct.  Robin did a great job in this situation too.  He didn't make me feel like I'm huge, he made me feel that I was doing a great job being pregnant, and reminded me in a gentle way that I could check the doctor's measurement.  All of this doesn't mean I won't exercies more or that I won't eat better.  It just means that I'm still on track with my weight and this scare can maybe help some of you who may go through this in the future.  Pregnancy is hard enough.  Why stress about a number that sometimes isn't even right?  Do your homework.  Track your own progress on your own scale, at the same time of day, preferrably in the nude.  (No ladies, you don't have to have a mirror nearby!)

I hope that all of you had a great New Year's and that maybe this post will help you take your pregnancy weight with a grain of salt.  Doctor's are smart and very helpful, but they're not always right!

****

Unfortunately, Robin and I forgot to take my 27 week picture for you but in the next post, I'll have 28 weeks instead!

Christmas 2010

Christmas has come and gone which means it's now time to pack up the decorations and pray that this short week goes just as quickly as 2010!  Robin and I had some very great Christmases with my family and with his.  We received many gifts that were both useful and meaningful and thankfully most of the gifts we gave were welcomed and needed as well.  I suppose I should not focus on what we received as that isn't the real reason for Christmas but I'm not feeling as though I should go into deeper meanings and will just stick with the superficial ones.  Hopefully that is good with you, reader!

We left Kansas City after work on Tuesday of last week.  We took our time getting home and spent a lot of the drive talking.  I almost always enjoy car trips with Robin because he has finally gotten the hint that now and then he needs to be awake and interactive rather than fall victim to what we kindly refer to as "carcolepsy."  It's a nasty case of "I can't stay awake in the car" syndrome and Robin's got it bad.  But this trip was an exception and we had some good conversation on the 3.5 hour drive home. 

We had plans to see a movie on Wednesday but my parents live in a small town that is about 20 minutes from the nearest theatre.  That theatre wasn't showing the movie we wanted to see and another wasn't showing it until 3:00 p.m.  Unfortunately we had dinner plans that night so we chose to stay home.  Robin worked a half day from his computer and phone while I did a whole lot of nothing except watch tv, read magazines, etc.  We ate lunch at the local cafe, Goldies, which used to be an ice cream joint only but now serves pretty darned good food.  We were even served by Goldie who had to give Robin a hard time about being such a picky eater.  I'm glad we went!  That night the four of us (Mom, Dad, Robin and I) went to Altoona (local city) to have dinner.  It was an interesting time.  Robin was of course absorbed in football.  Dad was his usual clumsy self and spilled an entire beer, barely missing Mom's lap.  Mom and I attempted conversation...until the food came!  What can I say?  My family knows how to eat!

Thursday Mom, Robin, and I went to Pella to meet my Grandma Mac and Uncle Rod for lunch.  First, Pella is this completely Dutch city about 20-30 minutes from our house.  It's really unique...and we love to make fun of it!  It's so weird!  It has some amazing attractions though...okay, make that a bakery and a restaurant but I do like the little town.  Anywho, we couldn't go to my Grandma's for Christmas so we chose to do lunch.  We had Chinese which was wonderful and exchanged gifts there.  My Uncle brought us a dish set for the baby.  We're pretty excited to have thsoe for her!  After lunch, we walked the streets and visited many of the local shops.  Our first stop was Smokey Row, my favorite coffee shop of all time.  While standing in line, my Grandma slipped me a folded up Kleenex and said to "unwrap it carefully."  As I unwrapped it, I found a ring but not just any ring.  It was my Great Grandma's ruby ring.  I think I was in shock!  I still can't believe it!  I'm going to get it sized for my fingers so that I can wear it but I'm so happy to have it.  Shopping was a lot of fun as Grandma said she hadn't gotten to do that for a long time and we found some unique items you can't get just anywhere.  I have to admit I love little towns like this that have shops that aren't chains.  If you're ever in the area, check this little town out or make a special trip to Tulip Time.  It's a good one for locals and for one timers.  http://www.pella.org/.  My favorite places to stop are Jaarsma Bakery (better than the one just a few doors down, if you ask me), Smokey Row, and a fantastic little kitchen store that I can't quite recall but it's right on the main square.

We woke up on Friday morning to snow and lots of it!  Dad was already outside with the snow blower then graduated to a bigger piece of machinery to help the neighbors.  One thing you can never say about my Dad is that he's not willing to help his friends.  He spent the first half of the day on snow duty, even catching my Grandpa out attempting to scoop snow.  Remember, my Grandpa just had both knees replaced a few months back.  Naughty, naughty!  Meanwhile, Mom, Robin, and I stayed cozy inside and watched some movies from home rather than our traditional trek to the theatre.  We were a little worried about the weather and none of us felt that adventurous!  I made some hot cocoa and we snacked on Mom's goodies most of the day.  That evening we had Christmas at my Grandma and Grandpa's house which was a lot of fun too.  Grandma made quite a spread of food this year and we took some leftovers home.  Grandma gave me a really beautiful blue scarf and a robe that'll fit my ever growing belly, plus can stick around after the baby is born.  The dogs even got toys which they had to fight over, of course!

I hate snow but it's hard when it's this pretty!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Wicker's house, 12/24/10.

Finally, Christmas morning arrived and I awoke to Robin and my Mom singing a few lines of Christmas carols in the kitchen.  They are two peas in a pod!  We ate a great breakfast of our traditional pepperoni bread and eggs, mimosas for the non-preggers, OJ for me.  Then it was time for presents.  Everyone received amazing gifts this year and there were even tears, as we knew there might be.  My Dad was the big winner in the giving department.  He and my sister worked together to get Mom airfare from Des Moines to Taos, NM in February.  That's where Sarah and Ben, her fiancee, live now so we don't see them as often as we'd like.  Mom cried and hugged Dad and I'm pretty sure there was a smooch in there too.  I cried because she was crying...and Robin lied and said there was something in his eyes.  LOL!  I gave Robin the router he wanted and Mom and I both gave him tool bags, a commical mistake on our parts.  Robin hit it out of the ballpark by giving me several bags of loose leaf teas (mostly decaf, of course), a travel tea cup that can even go in the microwave when I'm at work, chocolate, and a book.  Mom and Dad gave me a couple really great gifts too like a tea pot to heat water up at home, maternity pajamas which I sorely needed,
It's slipping my mind what my Dad received though I know we got Mom and Dad a Shark Steam mop and Cranium so they can play with friends.  I would say we had a very successful giving and receiving year!



Mom was SO excited to get airfare to see Sarah in New Mexico!



I got a super cool cup that has a built in tea diffuser.  Hubby done good!

Robin and I had to leave around noon so that we could go back home, clean, and prepare for his family Christmas at our house on Sunday.  Robin even took time to grout and clean up the new tile in the spare full bath upstairs.  I got all of the cooking done, just in the nick of time, and all of the family was able to come.  We haven't gotten to see Robin's Mom, sister, or neice in a while as they live in Arizona but hopefully they got their gifts and enjoyed them.  I'm just hoping they can come up when the baby is born!  Back to the Simms - Sol family Christmas.  We had lots of food and all of it was good!  The kids each got a gift from one of the families and we even did a gift exchange with the adults this year.  Next year, Robin will need to be smarter with the rules!  We took family photos which I must say is quite a fiasco with so many family members.  I'm crossing my fingers we get another good one as we did have a great one last year.  It'll be hard to beat that one!  The kids ran around like wild ones in the basement and the adults had time to talk...while yelling at kids.  Ahhh...the sounds of Christmas in our home!  Everyone left by 9 p.m. at which point Robin took my picture for Week 26 and I went directly upstairs and collapsed.  I could barely move by the time I crawled under the covers.

The Simms-Sol Christmas.  It would not be complete without feeling cross eyed (LOL)!

Week 26, after the Simms-Sol Christmas, 12/26/2010

Which brings me to today and the fact that I'm back at work.  The office is quiet with only a few of us here and my boss has come in only a few times just to ask a question now and then.  I have nothing on my "to do" list so I'm sitting here writting this and sipping on some peppermint hot tea, thinking about how blessed we are to have such great families.  Our Christmas card holder has overflowed with all of our friends' cards and we're also thankful that we have so many to share our time with.  I hope that all of you had a very Merry Christmas, no matter how you spent it or what you gave or received.  My favorite parts, in recap, were these:

1)  Spending Wednesday cooped up with Robin because we almost never just stay home these days.

2)  Lunch with Grandma Mac and Uncle Rod Thursday followed by shopping with Grandma, Mom, and Robin.  I wish we could do that more often!

3)  Receiving my Great Grandma's ring.  I am a traditional kind of girl and I love having heirlooms that my little girl will receive someday.
4)  Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa!
5)  Christmas morning with Mom and Dad.  Specifically, Mom's excitement at getting the airfare to go see Sarah!
6)  Sarah's texts to say she loved the watch I got her.  I was so worried she'd hate it!
7)  Christmas with Robin's family at our home.  It's work but well worth it!

Next update...New Year's!!

'Tis the Season!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I finally eased into the holiday spirit and now that we're just a week away, I am feeling 100% festive!  I have caught myself staring at our beautiful Christmas tree more than a dozen times and when I go to bed, I shut the lights off and just look at how it sparkles.  We have our lights on a timer so don't worry, Earth savers!  It's only on for a few hours every night.  I have also been known to stand at one of our front windows (we have a lot of windows) and look at the neighbor's lights or our lights.  I am proud to say I love our light display.  We like the simplicity of white lights so we hang a line of white "ice cycle" lights along the top of the first story and for a little flair, we have red and white lights around the two "mini Christmas trees" that line our walkway.  The red really sets off our red front door, if I do say so myself.

Honestly, it isn't any of these things that really gets me excited about Christmas.  I grew up in a house with a Mom who is a Christmas fanatic.  Not the weird, Clark W. Griswold, kind.  No, my Mom just perked up around Christmas.  She has always told/called/emailed us 6 months out; "Only 6 more months to CHRISTMAS!"  Mom has always had a way with traditions, things I hope that we can do for our kids and add a few of our own to the mix.

The first tradition begins on Thanksgiving.  Christmas movies are reserved for Christmas in our family.  That means you don't watch the movies until Thanksgiving is over, or that night sometimes.  When Christmas day has come and gone, you put them away with the rest of the decorations and look forward to them next year.  My favorite Christmas movie, "A Muppet's Christmas Carol," was often the first one to make it to the VCR on Thanksgiving, probably because it's my sister's favorite too.  I have most of the movie memorized but I truly love it.  This makes sense.  I never missed the Muppet's on Saturday mornings, either.

A few traditions are strung in there before Christmas in no particular order.  My Mom is one of the best cooks around (if you ask me).  She bakes and creates all kinds of Christmas goodies.  You can almost always stop in and find something sweet or delicious to have with your coffee, or hot tea like me.  Some of the regulars are fudge (now peanut butter fudge for my husband...it's his favorite!), peanut clusters (my personal favorite), chocolate peanut clusters, caramels (sometimes), butter spritz cookies, kiss cookies (my other favorite), and any number of other creation she chose.  I'm telling you, this lady knows how to make some good stuff!  There's also the decorations to think about.  Our Christmas tree is fake, always has been, always will be.  Honestly, I prefer it that way.  No mess and reusable from year to year.  But it's not the tree that's special at Mom and Dad's.  It's the ornaments.  Mom still uses our ornaments we made as kids or one of a huge long line of ornaments that my Grandma gets her every year, a tradition that started when my parents were married.  There are also our first ornaments.  Mine is a bulb that's gold with a scene on it and Sarah's is a pair of porcelain booties.  This year, Mom made the mistake of saying her decorations were "out dated."  I think she's gone a little nuts.  I love the feel of our house during Christmas!

Then comes the days leading up to Christmas.  For our family, Christmas begins on Christmas Eve.  Mom would take the day off from work and take Sarah and me to a movie.  She said it was the only way she could keep us entertained and out of her hair.  What she thinks we didn't know is that she loves the movies and she really would have taken us anyway.  Excuses, excuses!  At the movie, we'd get popcorn and a snack, find our seat, and the few hours we were there seemed to fly by.  Some of the most memorable movies we saw on Christmas Eve were "Fantasia", "A Muppet's Christmas Carol", and "The Lord of the Rings 1".  Now, sometimes we don't plan ahead very well.  For example, Fantasia was a 3 way pick but turned out to be REALLY long, and fairly boring.  We were little and it was all music.  Then there was the year of "The Lord of the Rings 1."  We didn't plan ahead and we let Sarah choose.  Nothing else rang a bell, including this movie.  Some 3 hours later, Mom and I were not so awake and Sarah was SO excited.  She LOVED it!  Not my thing or Mom's but Sarah sure had a good time!  We still joke about the year we saw "that Lord of the Rings movie."

Christmas Eve night, we go to my Grandma and Grandpa Wicker's for their Christmas with us.  My Dad is an only child and I think I've mentioned before I have a very small family.  When we were little, our Aunt Hazel would join us or sometimes Joyce Kholer, a family friend.  Sometimes boyfriends would come along and now there's my husband and Sarah's fiancee, when they can make it up.  Grandma cooks a great dinner and now that we're older, there is always wine.  I never knew Grandma liked wine but she sure does!  Grandma's tree is a sight to see.  It is one of my favorites!  It too is fake but that's not the deal.  She uses white lights and mostly white decorations.  The decorations she collects are these ornaments shaped like shells and made to look like various angels.  They are so beautiful!  I love to look at them as each one is a little different from the year before.  A comical part of Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's is that she never (ever) remembers which stocking is whose and sometimes, you'll open a gift inside it that is actually meant for someone else.  While she seems frustrated, to me, it just adds to the fun!

After we are finished there, we usually go home and Mom used to give us new pajamas to wear that night.  She said it was so that her Christmas morning pictures wouldn't look horrible with us in our worn PJs or me in my basketball shorts and a t-shirt.  Our pictures still looked pretty crappy, if you ask me.  Who looks GOOD that early in the morning?  Still, this is yet another tradition that was a lot of fun for us.  We all love our cozy PJs!  Then Mom would read us "Twas the Night Before Christmas," we'd put out cookies and milk, and then off to bed we went with the tree still lit up all night.  These days, we don't do the PJs or the story and we usually skip the cookies and milk.  My parents don't drink milk; they both hate it!  Why waste?  Instead, I usually go back to Grandma Wicker's and take her to midnight service at Church.  I do love midnight service.  The church she goes to has dark wood, red carpet, and red poinsettia's all over.  They keep the lights low and there are good songs and usually a short but good sermon.

Finally, it's Christmas morning!  We wake up and there were always a TON of presents under our tree.  Let me back track, we wake up and it's barely light outside, sometimes it's still dark.  Finally Mom put a stop to this.  "You can only come wake us up when it's past such and such time."  No worries.  Sarah and I just cuddled together after waking each other up and as soon as that clock hit the correct time, we were up and in my parent's room!  These days, the roles are reversed.  My MOM wakes US up!  My parents have always been amazing with Christmas gifts.  Big or small, there were always a lot of presents, plenty more than we probably needed.  As I got older, Mom told me her secret.  Put aside money year round into a savings account, then use it only for Christmas, unless there's an emergency.  If it's a harder year, put less in but still get good, worthwhile gifts.  If it's a better year, go all out!  No matter what kind of year they had financially, our Christmas mornings were always AMAZING! 

We also have a traditional breakfast that morning; pepperoni bread.  I know what you're thinking.  "Pepperoni...for breakfast....on Christmas???"  I say to you, don't knock it until you've tried it!  One year, Mom got this recipe and ever since, it's been our request!  Simply put, you take frozen bread dough, thaw, roll it out, put an egg/spice mixture on it, put cheese and pepperonis on it, roll it up, form into a loaf, and let it rise.  Then bake while opening gifts.  Voila!  Best Christmas breakfast ever!

After gifts are opened and we've messed with them a bit, it's time to get ready to go to Grandma Mac's house.  My Grandma Mac used to live on a farm outside of Eddyville, Iowa.  Now she lives in Oskaloosa.  Both places are about 45 minutes away.  The farm was fun because it's Christmas and you get to have a real, down on the farm, Christmas experience.  Either way, walking in the door, the first smell that hits you is baking pies!  Grandma makes her own pies, from scratch, dough and all.  With the extra dough, she makes these small cinnamon and sugar bites which are so good, I crave them (like right now).  We always have something different for dinner but it's always excellent and each family contributes something.  After dinner, the men watch football and talk farming or hunting.  The women sit around the table chatting like women do.  Uncle Warren, however, falls asleep on the couch and snores.  Now my cousin, RJ, has also begun this tradition.  It's quite comical to see!  We open gifts at Grandma's too and the most traditional thing there is that we all get a scratcher ticket for the lottery.  Sometimes we win but most of the time we lose.  Still, it's fun!

We trek back home later in the evening, stuffed to the brim with lunch, coffee, and pie and usually find something to watch on tv while messing with our gifts.  After Christmas day, it's time for things to get back to normal in our home.  The tree gets put away (sometimes sooner than later, sometimes later than sooner) and the movies go with it.  We go to bed early, tired from excitement and the food coma.

On December 26th, the countdown for next year begins!

Baby Bonanza Begins!

I still can't believe December is here and that Christmas is just a few weeks away.  Our house is all decorated and feels cozy most of the time (assuming the heat is turned to a "human" temp).  We got snow and a lot of wind last night but thankfully we didn't get a lot and no ice.  We had Robin's company Christmas party on Friday and walked away with one tipsy husband, one Keurig coffee maker, and lots of candy!  The season is definitely here!

The last few weeks have been fairly uneventful but the last week alone brought the best of things to tell you about.  Baby Kimber Payton Elo was born on Tuesday evening and that marks the first of the babies to come in each of the next 6 months!  Kimber's mommy, Nikki, is one of my sorority sisters so a few of us drove up to visit on Thursday night.  Though Mommy and Daddy seemed elated, both were pretty worn out and I hope we didn't stay too long for them.  Kimber is adorable and I think she looks like her Daddy, though her Grandma thinks she looks like Nikki.  Funny how everyone perceives babies looks differently.  I have to admit that all of my friends having babies has been really great practice for me as I've noticed they've stopped instantly screaming when I hold them.  My Mommy confidence is growing!


DZ Girls!  Courtney, Danay, Nikki, Kimber, Kristin, and Me

Up to this point, I've been fairly "bah-humbug" about Christmas.  I have had a lot of trouble feeling the spirit and no matter what I tried, very little seemed to help.  Slowly I feel the fun of the season, though I think I'm a lot more excited about Christmases from here on out when our baby will be here too.  My mom has always said Christmas is nothing until you've experienced it with kids and that is something we can't wait to see firsthand.  We finally took our picture for our Christmas card and I have to say, it turned out decent but only took all of 10 minutes.  We were pretty no-fuss over it this year and I'm lucky that it happened at all.  I think Robin felt it unnecessary but I really love receiving the cards so I feel I should return that favor.

Christmas 2010 - In front of our fireplace

Today I got up and purchased Robin's Christmas presents.  I'm not a good present buyer at all, for anyone, so I just hope that he likes what he got and doesn't automatically know what it is.  I wouldn't be surprised though.  He likes to guess what he's getting which in turn pisses me off to no end.  I'm much more of a PLEASE surprise me type of person.  Robin spent most of the day working on new shower and tub hardware in our spare bathroom so that we could raise the height of the shower head and re tile.  I spent most of my day curled up on the couch with a blanket, drinking hot cider, and watching movies or reading.  Gosh it was such a rough day...  You can probably see just how hot I looked all day in this fantastic picture of me at 24 weeks.

My day of laziness equated to looking super hot for my 24 week pic!

This leads me to a thought.  I will never understand why everyone, well almost everyone, feels it necessary to remind new or soon to be parents how "horrible" their lives will be when the kids arrive.  Some of the most irritating statements I hear repeatedly:
"Sleep in while you can.  That won't happen when you have kids."
"You won't have lazy Sundays anymore."
"Spend time with your husband while you can.  You'll be busy with kids later."
"Do this or that before the kids come because you won't have time."
The list goes on and I just do not get it.  If life is so horrible with kids, why on Earth do you think so many of us do it?  And if the only advice you have for us newbies is heed for how bad it will get, don't you think that makes your opinion of family life look pretty bleak?  I respect parents and that they surely know more than me but for once, could you please tell me something useful or good rather than following up your negative advice with, "But it's all worth it"?

Anywho, my pregnancy is going great.  I have stayed right on track with my weight gain and though it's hard to resist the treats that have come around for the holidays, I'd say I'm still doing better than I thought I would.  I have some aches and pains now, namely in my feet, lower back, and an issue with my sciatic nerve and left leg.  The two are not friends right now!  Baby Sol spends a lot of time rolling around and kicking me, mostly after I've eaten.  Give it 30 minutes to an hour and she is super excited to show Mommy how much she loved whatever I ate!  Earlier this week the girls in the office saw her kicking for the first time on the outside.  I really think that has been my favorite development.  It's just really cool to see.  Robin can feel her just fine now and sometimes he just lays his hand on my belly to feel her.  Overall, things are going great.  I can't complain!