More Cute Pics

These are about a week old. You can see how his clothes are already too small (0-3 months). And now his clothes are too big (3-6 months). At some point, they'll fit just right!

SOOO Cute!

Just had to share...

These are from this morning. He's 1 Month, 1 week old.

And now he's waking up. Enjoy!

Next generation of movie posters!

Very cool stuff... basically, it's a 3D hologram... or something.

Ya gotta see it to get it. So check this out:

http://www.xyzrgb.com/holos/soccer.html

Here's the article that 'splains it all:

http://www.posterwire.com/

There are more examples floating around... I'll hafta check YouTube and see if someone posted it there, since the XYZ-RGB site had a bandwidth surge and pulled it.

He slept through the night!

Well... kinda. Almost! We went to church last night, stopped at the grocery store, and then came home. Watched the news a bit, and Jeremiah fell asleep around 11. So we went to bed.

When he started crying in the night, I woke up to take care of him and thought, "Wow, I'm not dead tired... weird." The sun wasn't coming up, though, so I knew it couldn't be too late. However, when I checked my phone, it was almost 5 am! Wow! And then he slept 'til 8:30 or so (he actually woke up at 7:30, and since Jeremy's alarm had been going off, I tried to let Jeremy take that shift, but no amount of hitting or kicking would get him out of bed... apparently, Jeremiah could wait, because he fell back asleep.)

I won't call it officially, but that's the longest he's slept yet! Ah, things are getting better... :-)

New Swing

So we bought Jeremiah a swing. It's pretty neat, in that the seat is just his car seat--it snaps into the swing, and off ya go!

Only thing is... I can't tell if he likes it or not... What do you think?

"Check me out, ladies!"

"I am LARGE and IN CHARGE! You know you want soma dis!" :-)

My Big Boy!

Went to the doctor's today for his one month check-up. He weighed in at 12 lbs, 2 oz, up 13 oz from the last time he was weighed (only 5 days ago!), and has lengthened out 1.25 inches since he was born. Look at that belly! :-)

Everything else is going well. He's still nursing "part-time" and getting formula the rest, but obviously it's not doing him any harm--the kid's a weed! There's a lot more to that for another time... It's complicated. I'm hoping to get some good news soon...... keeping fingers crossed!

Hopefully, birth announcements will be in the mail this week! Keep any eye out!

Super Bowl Sunday... Jeremiah is 4 weeks old!

Well folks, it's Super Bowl Sunday... I'm not really sure which team I want to win - guess I don't care as much since the Steelers aren't playing. Interesting that this year's teams include two black coaches (first time a black coach has made it to the Super Bowl) and both coaches are Christians. I saw an interview this morning on the NFL Network with Herm Edwards interviewing both coaches. They mentioned their Christian faith -- speaking of which -- did anyone watch the live interviews of the Hall of Fame inductees yesterday? No? Well, I did... The best was probably Michael Irvin, former WR for the Dallas Cowboys talking about his faith -- and thanking my man T.D. Jakes down there in Dallas for being his spiritual advisor. He really wrapped his faith into much of his 30 minute Q&A. Bet it didn't make Sports Center last night, but oh well.

Now let's talk about how cute my kid is? :) He's been smiling since the day he was born and I tried to capture that a little bit this morning in bed at the 4-week mark! We'll find out how much he weighs tomorrow. I won't be there -- I'm flying out to California in the morning and then over to Denver Tuesday evening before coming back to DC on Thursday. I put off meetings last quarter for work since I didn't want to risk being away for Jeremiah's birth. My guess is that he weighs in at 11lbs, 10ozs tomorrow (he weighed in at 11-5 last Wednesday). Remember, he weighed 10-11 at birth, dropped to 9-5 the first week and then started gaining.

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Jeremy

Three Weeks Old!

He doesn't look a day over three months! :)

More mobile!

We bought two strollers this week--I took Jeremiah to the mall with Katharine (my first outing without Jeremy!) for lunch, and we wanted to shop a bit, but I had to carry his car seat.... That thing is heavy! But we're all good now. We got a stroller frame, which folds up to hardly anything, and you just snap your car seat into it and go; And we also got a full size stroller from Target, for those family outings (it's pretty heavy and bulky, so I'll let Jeremy handle that until he gets older).

I was actually very surprised to find the Target one. Y'see, Babies R Us was the only store to carry the stroller that matches our car seat--and it was discontinued! I was pretty sad about that, because nothing else really matched (or was even appealing to me)... Hence, the stroller frame purchase. But then I was at Target with Jeremiah, trying to find deals (heard they'd been clearancing out all their older model strollers and car seats--hoping to find a good buy!) and what did I find....? This! It's not exactly the same pattern, but pretty gosh darn close! Not as fancy as the one we'd registered for, but better than something totally different! So I'm happy about it.

Now, we're waiting for Jeremiah to wake up so that we can go for a walk. He's been stirring for a bit... probably waking up very soon. And later, we're going out to Chantilly to see my Uncle and his family--my cousin's gonna be 8 on Monday, so it's a birthday party of sorts, I think. It will also be a good chance for everyone to meet Jeremiah.

Oh, he's up. That's all for now!

Mohel.

No comment!

Jeremiah seems to be doing alright. A bit fussy... a bit cry-ey... My poor baby.

And the stupid cat is back.

What a great night.

Just Chillin'

He's been up for about two hours now! Guess he's trying to make it to kick-off.

Trip to Grandma's!

She really wore him out, huh?

Same page??

Seriously, I don't understand why there's such a disconnect in the medical field, when it comes to breastfeeding. I have heard SO MANY conflicting theories/reports/suggestions on how to do it, what to do, when to do it, so on and so forth. One minute I think everything is okay, the next I find out it's not, and then I find out that while not ideal, it's normal, and AHHHHH!

I've received much Godly and encouraging words, though, from women I trust (nothing against our Pediatrician, but I'll take the word of a woman who's done it before over his professional medical opinion) which have helped me tremendously. We're still struggling, but I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is HOPE! I'll be so glad when we get the hang of this--I just hope that's before Jeremy goes out of town in a week... I would love to have him off the bottle by then. Oh Lord, please let him--us!--get the hang of this in the next week!

We're gonna go at this gung ho this weekend and see what happens. If we're struggling on Monday, I'm gonna go see a lactation consultant in person, even if I hafta pay outta pocket--it'll be cheaper than buying formula in the long run!

So thank you to everyone who's been encouraging/praying for me/us. It means so much! We'll keep you up to date on our progress.

Daddy and son...

Well that looks awfully cozy, now doesn't it!

Feeling better!

We took Jeremiah to the pediatrician today to check up on his weight--wanted to make sure he was getting enough to eat (he's a big baby... we've had to supplement a bit to make him full, but hopefully we'll be able to cut back on that as my milk comes in.) And the report was good--he's up to 9lbs 13oz, a half pound gain in 6 days! That's pretty good. So we don't have to go back now until his one month visit, which will be the beginning of February. Everything else is looking really good, which was a huge relief. Not that I expected there to be any problems, but y'know, as a Mom (so weird...) I worry (not too much, though.)

I told him of my frustrations with having to supplement with so much formula, and he simply said, "He's a 10 lb baby! The average baby is 7 lbs 10 oz, Jeremiah is the equivalent of a one-month old--you can't expect to have enough milk at this point to satisfy him!" While I'm sure there are women out there who have done it (my MIL nursed twins successfully, after all!), it's just not happening yet with me. So for now I pump and hope that soon I won't need to anymore. I'm gonna talk to our midwife about it, too, on Thursday at my appointment, and hope she has some good suggestions for me.

Otherwise, all is well with us! I tried getting some more cute shots to put on the blog, but Jeremiah wasn't feeling very photogenic. Oh well. Perhaps tomorrow. :-)

Too Cute!

He's even got a little bit of an Alfala hair thing going, huh?

I love my son soooo much!

I really do! He's just so wonderful, I'm the luckiest gal in the world. Between him and Jeremy, I am just abundantly blessed!

That being said, I will be glad when this week is over. (Highlight below to find out why--will bore our casual readers/most guys...)

I read somewhere today, in my quest for answers to my breastfeeding issues, that the first two weeks are simply "survival mode", and the worst to deal with. Both Mom and Baby are learning things, recovering from the delivery/birth, and if anyone is going to quit, it's during these first two weeks.

I really thought things were getting better... I thought when my milk came in on Wednesday/Thursday that we would just work on getting the hang of this nursing thing, and everyone would be happy.

Not so.

Starting Saturday night, we've had to supplement his feedings in order to satisfy him... It seems like no matter how long he nurses, he's still hungry, whether for 20 minutes or over 2 hours. He could be going through his first growth spurt, which supposedly happens at 7-10 days, but I'm pretty sure there have been plenty of women who have been able to successfully breastfeed a 10+lb baby without the use of formula.

Basically, right now I feel like a failure as a mother. And this may be TMI for the casual readers of our blog, but gosh darnit, I'm just really frustrated right now. I'm usually the optimistic one of our family, but I gotta tell ya, right now, it's really hard. Really hard. I'll deal with the pain... I'll deal with soreness, scabbing, cracking, dryness, painful breastfeeding sessions--just let him get what he needs without formula! I don't understand why that's asking so much.

We're going back to the pediatrician in the morning to see how well he's gaining. Since we have been seeing plenty of wet diapers, I'm guessing he's finally getting the nutritian he needs. I just hope we're not sabotaging our "quest to breast"-feed by supplementing as much as we have. I really hope this ends soon...

I should probably call a lactation consultant or a La Leche League Leader for help, but I'm hesitant because it's something I can't talk about without sobbing... I doubt I'd be able to get passed my name without crying into the phone.

My friend Sunny is coming over tomorrow--she successfully breastfed her daughter for 9 or 10 months. I'm hoping she has some helpful tips for me. And I emailed the gal I took a Mom's class with at Mclean Bible with my questions--she used to be a lactation consulant (or still is... not sure), so I figured she'd be a good resource to tap. Hopefully she writes me back soon.

In the mean time, I'm gonna just hang in there... We're going to get the fancy Medela pump (Charity got us a hand pump for Christmas, which works great, but I'm gonna start pumping after every feeding, even at night, and it's just easier to have the pump do all the work--at least I can sleep for 15 minutes while the machine does its thing... The hand pump will come in handy for travelling, which we'll be doing quite a bit of this year--Hawaii, Mexico and probably Portugal in the summer!) and hope that that helps boost production. I need to get out of the house, anyways... I've been home since Wednesday. Thank God for the internets--keeps me sane.

So please continue to pray for us. I can use all the help I can get right now! 5 more days....

One Week Old

And already quite the handful. But so worth it! Isn't he just the cutest?!

A Name & a Belly Button!

Busy day for Jeremy Jr...

Or should I say...........

JEREMIAH ZACHARY!

That's his name. We finally settled on something. It's probably a good thing we're going to Mexico in March, because we have to get him a passport before we can go. We can't get him a passport without a birth certificate--we can't get him a birth certificate without giving him a name!!! So there ya have it. May we present, our son, Jeremiah Zachary! Jeremy is still calling him Jeremy Jr, which kinda works. I'm calling him "Jermy" or just Jeremiah. It's taking some getting used to, because he's been Jeremy Jr/baby for so long, but hey, we're learning!

And in other news, he now has a belly button! His 'stump' fell off today (yay!) and he now has a real belly button. SOOOO CUTE!! We thought about saving his stump for his baby book (on the same page as his placenta.... kidding, of course--we threw that in the dumpster. Hee hee hee...)

Awww... he's got the hiccups. Have you seen a 5 day old with the hiccups?? So cute!

Five Days Old

Opps... little bit of red eye in that one. Oh well.

So here we are, now 5 days old... Pretty crazy. Days don't seem to exist anymore--they kinda just bleed into one another. And nights aren't very long; Probably because it gets dark so eary now, and we usually don't 'go to bed' until midnight or so. By the time we're--well, I'm--getting up for a second or third feeding, the sun's about to come up! And then we sleep 'til noon or two or something. Overall, all is well.

And that's all I get to write for now--he's waking up, which means he's hungry. Oi vey...

Okay, I'm back. I must say, though, out of everything I needed to ready myself for, in regards to his arrival, breastfeeding was probably the biggest surprise. Sure, I'd read up on it, I've got La Leche Legue's book, but I was pretty naive to think that I would be exempt from 'issues'. I can totally understand now why some women don't even want to try--it's very frustrating. And very painful. I was prepared for labor and birth pain, but this... This is almost worse, because it doesn't have an end... I must be doing something wrong, though, because according to the gal we rented the Aqua Doula from (who's a La Leche Legue Leader), breastfeeding shouldn't hurt. And labor is also supposed to be an orgasmic experience (according to some...) I dunno... Everyone else I talk to say, "Yes, you're gonna be sore for a while, but you'll get through it." Well, hopefully that happens sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, pray for us??

Four days old!

We did take his picture on Wednesday at the ped's office, but that's on the camera, not my phone. He hasn't changed much, though. Still super cute! (That's my arm, by the way... he's cradled in it...)

2 Days Old

Just a few more for ya... Don't have time to format nicely--baby's hungry.

Close up!

Baby burritos are so cute!

One day old...

And already watching football with his Daddy...

Baby Wilcox has arrived!

All that needs to be said is, I'm awesome! Four hour labor, twelve minutes of pushing, 10lbs 11oz, 22in. I ROCK!

This is it!!!

Just wanted to drop a note to say....


MY WATER BROKE!!


We were at my parents house and I was watching Jeremy and my brother Stephin play Singstar tonight (kinda like a karaoke game...) and they were watching their playback (it records what you sing... they sang a duet to "Every Breath You Take" by The Police)

..................*contraction*............................

and one of the options the game gives you is to playback with a baby voice. Okay, you have to see it for yourself, but it's HYSTERICAL! I was laughing sooooo hard, I was LITERALY SOBBING!

.......................*contraction*...........................

Yeah, so, that's when I felt 'the gush'. Went to the bathroom, and well, things were pretty much soaked. It's all downhill from there! Right now, I'm home, sitting through contractions, waiting for them to get intense enough to call our midwife back for her to come and DELIVER THIS BABY! FINALLY!

Had I known he was going to be so punctual (today is his due date), I would have planned my holidays differently.

.............................................*contraction*..................................................

Okay, can't do this anymore... Gotta run. Will keep you posted!

Jeremy Jr Game, Part 2

Oooooohkay!

So, here we are, three days before our due date, and no baby...

For some reason, everyone thought he would be early (I dunno where they got that idea from... ;-)
So now, only a few people are still in the running (a co-worker, our Bradley instructor, my brother and my Uncle). And I think we're still no closer to seeing baby anytime soon.

So FOR FUN (no prize in this one), we're letting folks vote again at our new game page. Click the link above to get there--it should work! :-) I'm not voting this time, because I think I jinxed myself the last time... And I don't want anyone to follow my trend. :-)

And if for some reason he comes before you have a chance to vote, then great! Either way, it's a win-win situation! :-)

Happy voting!

Your face... It's perfect..

...for me to poop on!

New Diapers!

I'm so easily excited nowadays... :-)

We received our new cloth diapers today (and what d'ya know... they beat Jeremy Jr here... crazy...) and they are so cool! Well, I think they're cool. The only thing I'm disappointed about is the color selection. I guess they were outta the blue and the green, so I've got 24 (maybe 25... I think they sent me an extra...) white and 12 "butternut" (yellow). I guess it's okay, as those'll be great colors to have on hand if we have a "Jess Jr" anytime soon.

They're sooooo soft, too... I'm sure Jeremy Jr will appreciate them WAY more than disposables (no rough plastic or paper against his baby soft, sensitive skin). These definitely do NOT feel like the cloth diapers you're probably used to seeing--those seem very rough and coarse. These are niiiiiiiiiice... I wish you could put texture in digitals photos (so you could feel it), but ya can't, so you'll just hafta stop by and visit and check them out then!

Now we just need a baby to put in them! C'mon Jeremy Jr! Don't keep Mommy and Daddy waiting any longer! Be a good boy, and come out already! :-)

Hopefully, we get some word from the midwives today, like, "Oh, you're in labor! Go home, we'll see you in a few hours to deliver your baby!" lol I don't expect that, but it would be pretty cool. I would take, "Wow, I can't feel the baby's head anymore, he must be wayyy down there!" (Katharine's pretty sure I 'look lower' than I did before, so hopefully he's getting into position...)

We'll keep you posted!!

Still no news...

And another woman from our Mom's class has had her baby.

Woot, I'm still pregnant.

:-P

In other news, the fancy schmancy cloth diapers I ordered have shipped and should be here... probably way before Jeremy Jr! Not that we'll be using them right away. Not gonna try to wash meconium outta cloth... ewwwww.... But they'll be here whenever he's done with that nastiness.

They're the bumGenius 2.0 One-size diaper! No need to buy different sizes down the road--these'll fit him 'til he's 35lbs! Check 'em out, I think they're pretty cool. And make sure you watch the video--shows ya how easy they are to use.

Our Christmas tree is still up. It's so pretty... I may take it down tomorrow, though, just so the cleanin' crew can vacuum up all the needles and such on Thursday. But it's so pretty...

And that's all I've got for ya today. :-)

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to say that. :-)

We had a pretty low key new years. Ordered some Chinese food ("Herro, tank you fo cawwin China 'Spress, can a take your ordah?"), watched some Jackass Vol. 2 with the inlaws, went to Allison & Kevin's New Year's party for a bit, and then returned home a little after 11 to watch the ball drop. Then I got sick, so I had to retire downstairs while Jeremy returned his parents to Ben's house. I soaked in the AquaDoula for a bit, but then figured I should get out, as I was falling asleep while in it (so cozy and warm.... mmmm....) and crashed on the bed.

A really cool twist now would be to say, "And then I woke up and I was in labor!"

But that didn't happen.

At this point, there's no reason to rush him anymore, as the grandparents are heading back to work/back home (Jeremy's Mom is flying to visit her Dad for a bit, and then will be back for a few days at the end of the week before returning to Canada to re-start her last semester of school), we've passed the window of opportunity for a tax break, and I'm done with work regardless of when he comes! So, I'm trying to forget about it until we reach the 41 week mark. That's when we start to be proactive again. But until then, I'm gonna schedule outtings with my friends, plan on putting up curtains and shelves, plan on making it to things like church and small group, and just try to stay busy in general.

And that's 'bout all I can do.

Anyone wanna hang out this week??? :-)

Car Hits Gas Meter, Causing Explosion

Don't worry, we're okay... This happened at the other side of our apartment complex--people who rent townhomes don't let their cars 'mysteriously' go out of control and into gas meters.

Pretty exciting stuff, though. We got home around 9 pm last night, and the block of Westpark behind our complex was all blocked off. Jeremy went to investigate, as there were many MANY firetrucks and cruisers sitting on the street.

But like I said, all is fine with us, and that's all that really matters, right? :-) I'm sure the folks that aren't being allowed to return to their homes temporarily (like two days) will be put up in some posh Tyson's hotel.

Schmidt said the car, a Mini Cooper, was in the parking lot of the apartment development when it went out of control and headed toward the gas meter, which was about 40 feet away. It was not known why the vehicle went out of control.

The car jumped a curb, struck the meter and came to rest adjacent to the building.

I wonder who the chick is that caused the wreck.... (Seriously, though, how does your car just "go out of control", drive 40 ft, jump a curb, and still have enough omph to take out a gas meter???) Hope she has insurance!!!

:-(

Well, tomorrow is the 31st.... The last day of the year.... And no sign of Jeremy Jr yet.

:-(

I'm trying to stay optimistic. I'm trying to convince myself that he's gonna come when he's good and ready to come, and that it's foolish to try and rush him--that is, after all, one of the main reasons we went with a midwife vs. an OB. I have no doubt in my mind that I would have been induced by now if I were still with my Dr. I bet the hospitals see a spike in inductions right before the new year; Gotta get that tax credit, after all.

But here we are, approaching 2007, and Jeremy Jr is still contently sitting pretty where he is. And as our due date nears, and I hear stories from various women from the "Soon To Be Moms'" class that I took in the fall, and how they've had their babies (one of them was delivered by c-section at 38 weeks because of suspicions of a big baby, and that vaginal delivery would be difficult [because his chest was bigger than his head or something]) and I can't help but be a bit sad. Of course, I'm very anxious, and trying to be patient, but y'know what??? I'VE HAD ENOUGH ALREADY!

I feel bad for Ted, as he's only here another day and a half (goes back to the frigid north Monday). There's a good chance (at least the way things are lookin' right now) that he won't meet his grandson before he leaves. What would suck even more is if Charity didn't get to meet him--she's been here since the 17th! Of course, Jeremy Jr. operates solely on HIS schedule--not mine, Jeremy's, Dr's, Grandparents, midwives, no ones but his. I know it's not my fault he's not here yet. Obviously, I'm doing something right, or else he'd be out by now.

It still sux, though.

And that's why I'm :-(

To cloth or not to cloth?

I'm so confused.

We've decided that we'd like to try cloth diapers for Jeremy Jr when he shows up (minus the first few weeks, as we received a bunch of disposables, which will make those tired nights a little less busy, at least as far as diaper changes go...) What I was not expecting, however, was the endless amount of choices and options, and other things to consider! All-in-ones, all-in-twos, prefolds, fitted vs contour, hemp vs. cotton, cotton vs. all-natural unbleached cotton, and so on. It's far more complicated than Pampers vs. Huggies vs. Store Brand. And there are pros and cons to each--AIO's (all-in-ones) are used just like you would use a disposable--however, you need to purchase MORE of them, since you can't just toss the liner in the pail. Therefore, they can be the most expensive choice ($8-$12/each). In the long run, though, they're still cheaper than disposables, especially if you plan on using them for multiple children (that's the plan! Hopefully, we pay for diapers now, and the rest of our children are diapered, basically, for free! Well, plus laundering costs).

Decisions, decisions...

Still preggers!

Just thought I'd let y'all know. :-)

Seriously, though, this child ought to consider speeding things up a bit, if only for Daddy's sake (he'll start two weeks of vacation once he comes). I've resigned myself to the fact that his arrival is COMPLETELY out of my hands, regardless of how much I want it. He's gonna come when he wants to come, when he's ready to come, and when we're ready for him to come. So I'll use this extra time at home to run some errands, rest, relax, and continue to prepare!

Katharine and I are heading to the store this afternoon. Gotta return some things (none of them gifts!) and see if anyone's got any good post-Christmas deals (wrapping paper's the big one for me... and ribbon! My presents looked so pretty this year, all under the tree... they actually looked kinda fake, because the wrapping paper matched the color scheme of the tree...) Hope to get some really good deals!

Jeremy Jr's been pretty active, still, which means he's in good shape. He's actually been a pretty good baby in utero--with the exception of a few weeks in the 2nd trimester, he hasn't actually done anything himself to make me uncomfortable (no kicking my ribs, or continuously laying on my bladder--occasionally, but that's to be expected!) I've been very blessed thus far--hope he behaves this well during his exit and afterwards! :-)

And that's all I've got for ya'z today. Have a great week!

No More Christmas...

Whew. What a weekend! It was fun, but I'm glad it's over--now I get to relax, finally! Hopefully, that will encourage Jeremy Jr to make his grand appearance in the world. Would be pretty nice. :-)

So yesterday was Christmas day, and it was a whirlwind of activities. I woke up shortly before 8 to make sure the turkey got in the oven on time (it did, but took longer than it should have, probably because we were trying to cook 5 other things at once!) and was pretty non-stop until my parents finally left around 8:30/9 pm last night. But I would say it was pretty successful. We had the turkey, baked sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, stuffing and roasted butternut squash for dinner (I had also meant to make zucchini casserole, but forgot about it). It was yummy. Nothing fancy, weird or over the top. Just good "traditional" (for me at least) Christmas dinner.

Made out pretty well, present wise, too. Jeremy got me a laptop (couldn't believe that! They're not cheap, but I believe him when he says he got a good deal), which is pretty sweet (it's bigger than I'm used to, but I'm getting the hang of it... and it has Windows Media Center, which is pretty neat, too). My grandmother sent us a check that was wayyyyyyyy generous, as we will be having her first Great-grandchild soon. My parents got us a Tassimo hot beverage maker type thingie... it's neat, but requires the purchase of these special "T-Disc"s to use. Once I find somewhere reasonable to buy these things, I'll probably be more excited about it (otherwise, it's about $1/cup for a cappuccino... cheaper than Starbucks, I guess... We'll see...) Ted & Charity got me a tea kettle, which will come in handy, as I've been trying to drink more tea (Red Raspberry Leaf tea to help be in 'better shape' for labor). I haven't opened it up yet, but will probably do so later today. Ben & Emilia got me some bath stuff, which is always welcomed. :-) All in all, pretty good haul. :-)

Jeremy made out pretty well, too. He got a Harmony remote so we can go from 4 or 5 remotes down to 1 or 2, a garmet bag for his fancy business trips, some Steelers glasses from James, a 3-d etched glass picture thing (will take a picture once it's done), and some other do-daddy type things (I didn't keep track of everything he got...)

Even Jeremy Jr got a bunch of stuff, and he's not even here yet! A Baby Einstein activity center type thingie, a breastpump ('kay, I guess I'm the one that'll be using that, but it's for him/Jeremy... After all, I can feed Jeremy Jr perfectly fine without it. :-) We registered for it so that Jeremy would have a chance to share that bonding time with the baby, and down the road, when we need to go out, Jeremy Jr will have a way to eat. :) But that won't be for at least two months [any earlier, you risk nipple confusion, which is not helpful when breastfeeding exclusively]), a caterpillar thing that laughs and moves around from his Uncle James, Legos from the Wilcox side, Baby Einstein DVD's (for down the road) from his Great-Uncle Paul, and a few other random things that have yet to arrive.

Wow. We were truly blessed this year, huh? :-)

And I would have traded all of it to have Jeremy Jr here by now! :-) At this point, all we can do is wait. I'll be sad if I make it to my 38 week appointment. Unfortunately, the whole waiting thing is making me very.... irritable? I guess that's the best way to describe it. I'm just kinda bitter right now. Uncomfortable, big, tired, and just feelin' whiny, whimpery, blah-ish. I think some of my family (and Jeremy's) have felt the brunt of that lately. It's nothing personal, I'm just kinda miserable right now, and so I'm not myself. Stupid stuff is making me cry, and sad (like this robe that Jeremy got me for Christmas--it's super soft, which is very nice, but when I saw that the tag said "2x", I wanted to cry.... Right now, that's great, but after Jeremy Jr comes, I really don't want to be wearing anything 2x.... I'll just feel fat and frumpy, like some old lady in a mu-mu. But otherwise, it's very nice... Jeremy Jr will appreciate the softness. Just an example of how silly I'm feeling right now.) So for my own sanity, please, JEREMY JR, SHOW UP ALREADY!

And don't worry! We will post on here/send out an email/make phone calls once we know what's going on! Everyone who needs to know will know (may take a bit longer for those who want to know, but don't necessarily need to know, but rest assured, we'll get the word out in some way/shape/form.)

At least we've got lots of leftovers! Always a plus to hosting Christmas dinner.

Uh huh.... Uh huh... Oh yeah? That's nice...

I guess I should be used to this by now: the endless offerings of parenting information. And I'm sure it will only get worse, as the years go by. Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate being told the "what no one told me"'s, but what I don't want is the, "Oh you think you're tired now???" (Yeah, no duh I'm gonna be tired when the baby comes... I've already been told by the midwives I'll hafta wake him up every two hours to nurse for at least the first week or two...) or the, "You're going to need this, and you're going to need that, and you HAVE to get this..." (most of these things require extra space in the house, which we don't really have, and I've known plenty of people who have raised their children perfectly well without them.) Stuff like that.

Anyways, just had to vent a bit. :-) I just don't enjoy being told what my child will be like when he hasn't even been born yet (Jeremy and I were similar, but pretty opposite, personality wise, as children, so it's a mixed bag when it comes to assuming what Jeremy Jr will be like--and assuming he will be exactly like Jeremy simply because he's a boy doesn't hold well in my book. I have three VERY different brothers who are all like my father in some ways, but none EXACTLY like him.)

/rant

Tomorrow's Christmas. I kinda wish I could still get excited about Christmas the way I used to when I was a kid. But that's okay. It's easier for me to fall asleep these days, not anxiously waiting to wake the next morning and tear into gifts. I'm hoping the day goes well (we're hosting Christmas lunch), and everyone enjoys their gifts. :-)

Merry Christmas!

No news is not necessarily good news...

So, last night, I had yet another "hopeful" experience. I fell asleep on the couch while Jeremy and Stephin played the vi-day-yo games, and woke up really crampy. They felt like they could have been contractions, and I was really uncomfortable, so I thought, "This is it! It's about time!"

Well, I went to bed because it was really late, and I certainly didn't want to be starting my labor off half asleep and exhausted. After snoozin' for a few hours, I woke up, again feeling crampy, and decided to try and time them. A few of them managed to make themselves apparent as 5 minutes apart, but they were so mild, I had a feeling that wouldn't hold.

Sure enough, they kinda went away. I was wide awake by then, and remembered from my Bradley class that you need to "keep busy!" during early labor--try to do stuff, walk, nap, shower, whatever. Just do something!

I needed to do something, so I got dressed and went to the mall. Maybe walking around there will help get things going? Well, wouldn't you know that the stupid mall doesn't open until 9?!?! It's the busiest shopping day of the year, and they don't open 'til 9?!?!?!?!

I was not happy. :-(

Got myself a Starbucks, went to CVS, went to Best Buy (they had opened at 8), chatted with one of the guys I knew there (from my Sony days), and then returned to the mall at 8:50. Wouldn't you know that the ONE store I had really wanted to go to had been open since 8?! Grrr.... I could have stayed at the mall instead of having to go back. Oh well.

So anyways, I returned home at 9:30-ish, and it doesn't look like Jeremy Jr's comin' my way today. :-( Oh well. Ohhhhhhhhhh well. I guess now I will have to take it easy, because my Birth Assistant has forbidden me to go into labor until after 3 pm on Christmas day--she's worked the past two Christmas Eves/Christmases, and would like to be able to spend this one with her family. I don't blame her. You hear that, Jeremy Jr????? You can either come today, or forever (until Monday evening) hold your peace! No funny business!

I guess I will take it easy the next day and a half.

The Jeremy Jr. Game is now LOCKED!

I hope you had a chance to cast your vote! As our due date approaches, and we have already passed several guesses on the poll, we thought it only fair to remove duplicate votes and lock the game. So if you didn't get a chance to vote, SORRY! But you've had plenty of time. :-)

So now we wait and see who was right, who was wrong, and who was wayyyyyy off (I'd be very surprised if we went 5 days past our due date and ended up with a 7lb-er who was only 18 inches long.... Especially since everyone thinks I'm having twins as it is! Nope... we're pretty sure there's only one....)

As an update, we had our 37 week appt yesterday. No news to report. The midwives think he's a LITTLE further down than before, but not much--definitely not enough to be considered "ready". I, on the other hand, am getting more and more uncomfortable. Between back aches, pelvic aches, and swollen hands and feet, I'm soooooo ready for him to make his appearance already!

Anyways.

We're gonna go brave Target now... I'm hoping it's not too crazy (wishful thinking, I know...) Wish us luck!

Epidurals Linked to Breastfeeding Problems

See? Yet another reason to go "AU NATURAL!" :-) It's not very surprising, though, considering that babies are born with a 'sucking' reflex that peaks at usually 30 minutes old. If the baby's drugged up (yes, when you have an epidural, it drugs the baby, too) then the baby's natural ability to suck may become impeded, and create problems down the road.

Of course, if you don't plan on breastfeeding, drug on! :-) Not all women will experience problems, though. Looks like they do, however, want to consider this "an adverse side effect".

Something to think about.

Finally!

Last night, I went to bed around 11:30, and didn't wake up until almost 10 am today.

YAY!!!

Aw, it felt sooooo good to sleep. And sleep I did! Hopefully that trend continues.

Just wanted to tell someone! :-)

Can't Sleep...

Seriously, this is kind of annoying... I've been up for a good hour now, just thinking about things, and it's keeping me up. So long days of 14 hour 'naps'. Booooo... Stupid brain can't shut down. It did for a bit there, and then I had weird dreams, and so now I'm up.

I think I'm just really anxious... It's like subconsciously I think I'm gonna go into labor at any second, like if I fall asleep I'll miss it or something, or my water will break, and so on and so forth. I just can't 'be still'. Grrr... very annoying.

So, I'm trying to tire myself out by blogging (not working), checking slickdeals for last minute Christmas gifts (don't need 'em), email (done), whatever I can do to try to fall back asleep. Jeremy gave me the dead laptop, though.. I've only got a few minutes left on the charge, so that's not gonna help. I may just give in and get up, go to the grocery store, and just hope I crash late enough in the day that I'm not missing anything (like lunch with friends).

And that's that. I'll let ya know how it goes.

He (the baby) represents the feelings of 60% of Americans.

At least I know there are many Democrats (and probably some Republicans) that can relate to the baby. I'm not saying I'm one of those (I love Bush... Don't agree with everything he's done, but y'know what? We, the US of A, voted him into office, not once, but twice... there's a reason for that, so to wander around now wearing pins and bumper stickers that say, "Impeach Him" is just ridiculous... He's done nothing 'wrong'. We may not agree with everything he does, but he's still Commander in Chief, and unless that's the title you hold yourself, he deserves your respect, whether you want to give it or not. /rant) :-)

I don't know what's more funny... the fact that the baby's crying (lots of babies don't like strangers, even if they are the President of the United States), or the expression on Bush's face.

I just thought it was a cute pic. :-)

Any day now!

Today, we are 37 weeks, which means, Jeremy Jr is now considered "full term" and could come at anytime.

Woah.

I'm excited/nervous/impatient/restless/hoping he comes soon/hoping he waits 'til after Christmas. :-) As much as I want to meet this child o mine, I don't really want to spend Christmas held up in my bed. Now that I'm not working, it's easier for me to wait a little longer (before I was so anxious for him to come, I was trying to rationalize pre-term labor... not that you can just turn labor on and off, but I was tellin' myself, "Well, he's probably fine, if we went into labor tonight, he'd be okay..." and stuff, but God knows what He's doing!) This week, I'm kinda busy getting ready for the holidays, along with numerous appointments throughout. Next week, though, the craziness will be over, and I'll be able to just relax and..... wait. Hopefully he doesn't make me wait TOO long (like, he'd better stay away from January.... Stay away, Jeremy jr! It's baaaaaad.... don't do it!!!)

Oh, and we still don't have a name picked out. I guarantee you, this child will be born, and we won't have a name for him for a couple of days... Eventually, we'll figure it out, but right now, he's still "Jeremy Jr". I think I'm starting to regret calling him that for the past 9 months. Now, everything just doesn't sound right.... Uh oh...

On a different note, we went to Laurence and Katharine's Christmas party last night, and had a great time! Met some folks from their trip to Israel (how cool is that, huh? Maybe someday we'll go) that were really neat (Dave & Judy, and Judy is ranked 28th in the world on XB Live for Zuma! Wow... that's pretty impressive... If you're not impressed, you should be.)

Katharine had lots of great food there, too! I was very impressed with the spread she put out (she had told me bits and pieces of it, but once it was actually all out.... yum!) Luckily (for me) she still had a bunch of stuff leftover, so hopefully she'll be bringing that along to our Mom's lunch tomorrow!

Oh, I almost forgot! Big Fella's leaving today!!! Woot! :-) He's gonna go hang out with Laurence and Katharine for a few weeks (until Jeremy Jr is two weeks old, about...) That'll be a nice break. :-) And I know Laurence is really looking forward to it--he loves Big Fella (I really don't know what people see in this animal... whatever... to each his own, I guess... :) They'd better not spoil him too much, or he won't want to come back (aww, darn...) ;) I guess I say that more for Jeremy than for me.

Okay, time to wake Jeremy up so we can start our day! Need to head to Home Depot and get a hose to fill up the Aqua Doula (this thing is pretty big... takes up almost as much space in our room as our bed!) and try to get the stupid paint out of the carpet before we pick up Charity at the airport. Enjoy your last Sunday before Christmas!

Just an observation...

I'm one of those people who will open the fridge to find something to eat, find nothing, close it, only to return shortly thereafter to open it again, even though I know the results will be the same. "Well, maybe something else will catch my eye this time..." Usually, the answer is no. Though yesterday, i was disappointed because I actually did finally see something I wanted (cottage cheese and fruit) but then couldn't find any fruit in the pantry (I do the same thing with the pantry after I leave the fridge...) Grr...

I just mention this because I'm the same way about looking at peoples' blogs... I'll click on it during the day, then again at night, then again first thing in the morning, expecting/hoping for something to be different, only to find it usually isn't. Eventually, folks'll post new stuff, but it's usually not between the hours of 12 a.m. and 8 a.m. Most people don't randomly blog in the middle of the night (like I do, I guess). What's wrong with you people?! I need fresh content everytime I click on the link for your blog!! :-)

Just thought I'd throw that out there, in case anyone is getting ready for work right now, and needs to see some fresh content on my blog. :-)

Thursday

Why Thursday sucked:

~Stupid cat knocked blue paint over onto our white carpet.
~Spent an hour scrubbing said carpet.
~Paint is still there.
~Had to do blood work at my appointment today (don't.... like... needles....)
~Didn't have time to get real food for lunch, so I ate leftover pizza, and now have massive heartburn--no more tums in the house....

Why Thursday was GREAT!:

~Had my 36 week appointment, at which the midwives said they would fill out the paperwork so I don't have to work anymore while pregnant (yay!)
~Cleaning crew showed up and CLEANED MY HOUSE! (double YAY!)
~Called Aqua Doula rental gal, and she said she could drop it off tomorrow! (Triple YAY!!)
~I didn't have to work. (Always a good thing)

Just thought I'd share. :-)

Play our game!

As most of you know, we are approaching the end of our pregnancy (yay!) but still have anywhere from 2 days to 5 weeks left (booo...) However, there is still plenty of time for you to cast your vote on when you think Jeremy Jr will arrive, how long he'll be and how much he'll weigh. The winner gets a prize from us, and a pat on the back for their excellent divining skills.

So cast your vote, and have fun! We'll be sure to let everyone know when he actually comes, and the site will automatically calculate your score, based on what you got right (so even if you don't get the date right, you could get the weight and length correct...)

Couple of clues for you:
~We're 99.9% sure he's a boy (unless our daughter's growing a third leg.... unlikely...)
~At my appt. today, we were a fingertip dilated, about 50% effaced, and he is waaaaaay high up there (doesn't really mean much, but normally babies settle into a better position before Mom goes into labor...)
~I was born about 10 days early.
~My brother (next after me) was about 10 days late.
~Stephin (the youngest in the family) almost made it to his due date (scheduled c-section changed that).
~I've been having some mild contractions, though sporadically (again, doesn't really mean anything, but if it helps you, go for it!)
~I don't normally eat a lot of spicy food, but plan on starting to learn to like it this weekend (I'm done bein' pregnant... want to meet this child of mine already!)
~Ultrasound at 21 weeks showed him growing about 9 days ahead of schedule.
~Original due date (based on ultrasound at 9 weeks) was Jan. 3rd.
~Due date based on LMP is Jan. 5th.

Let's have some fun! I already put in my $.02. :-)

P.S. Use the ticker on this blog to help figure out how far along we are at any given time. So if you think he'll be born at 39 weeks and 5 days, you would know that that would be three weeks from tomorrow (if you're reading this on 12/14, that is...) and so on...

All Done!

Yesterday, I had my annual review with my boss at the super-posh Sheraton Premiere hotel here in Tyson's. It went pretty well... I was actually quite surprised on how I did. And not only did I manage to max out the "merit increase" %, I also maxed out my bonus (which I was not expecting...) Both very good things! Guess I was doin' alright after all.

We also talked about my pregnancy, and how increasingly difficult it is to complete quality store calls right now. Let's face it, stores are BUSY, I'm BIG, and in PAIN (though the Chiropractor has definitely been helping... right now, it sucks, but I'm hoping the same thing that happened earlier in the week will happen now, and this afternoon, I'll see significant improvement). It's not a very good combination for getting people to pay attention to Playstation products. So he decided that it doesn't sound like I should be working anymore.

Sounds good to me!

Seriously, though, working quality shifts has been tough... It takes me longer to manuever through the stores, wears me out, and puts me in a sour mood. So now, I just need to get the midwives to sign off on me not working anymore, and I can start my maternity leave on Monday. Yay!

I'm very glad, although it is definitely getting more difficult to "relax" and "take it easy" right now. I just can't get comfortable! And last night, I got up FOUR TIMES! to go to the bathroom.... That's like every two hours. Guess it's my body's way of saying, "Get used to it."

How to Interact with Preggers

Borrowed from Laurence & Katharine's blog. Thought it had some good information that warranted repeating. :-)

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice.

1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an a$$.

2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby".

3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in ..2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it.

4) The body of a pregnant women should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5) Likewise, no women wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about to pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!".

6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.

7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, mother in law, or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional
moment to be shared only by the parents.

8) Like everything else is life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be
asked for it.

9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

We'll start with the Ugly:

And then the Bad:

I went to the chiropractor yesterday. I'm so glad I did! She had this special table just for preggers--Jeremy Jr really liked just being able to hang and move. And she was able to help my back so that I don't have so much back pain all the time. Ohhhh, very nice. However, my biggest complaint was the pelvic pain I've been experiencing for a couple of months. Apparently, it is normal in pregnant women, especially those on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc child. Chiropractic care can help about 50% of them. I must be in the other 50% because when I came out of there, I was in more pain (down there) than I was going in. I have to walk reeeeeeeally slooooooooowly now.

It was kinda funny, because Katharine and I were gonna get together and make goodies for her party yesterday, and we both decided against it, so got lunch instead. Well, everytime we had to walk somewhere, Katharine would "run" on ahead and I'd be stuck shuffling along behind. Normally, she'll try to pick up the pace, since she's shorter than me, but yesterday, she had to keep waiting for me to catch up. So even though the chiropractor helped my back, the main reason I went to see her is unresolved, and making it nearly impossible for me to work. Add to that I've been having contractions for the past couple of days, and yeah, work isn't really happening for me right now.

And now the Good.

We got to hang out with Laurence & Katharine (and Katharine's Mom) last night. It was a nice, relaxing time. I sat on the couch the whole time (which I haven't been able to do comfortably for some time now!) and talked with Katharine and her Mom. The boys joined us later in the evening, and we ate yummy pizza and talked some more. Eventually, it was dueling laptops on the loveseat (ooooooooo..... ;) Aren't they cute?!

36/28

Wow... We're getting closer! 36 weeks! This is the last week where it'd be bad for Jeremy Jr to try to make an appearance (although I'm sure at this point, he'd be fine and wouldn't require any kind of extensive hospitalization). Starting this coming weekend, we can move into the "any day now!" phase of our pregnancy.

Scary...

We still have quite a bit to do. Nothing major--we have a little co-sleeper crib for him (Thanks Andie!), plenty of clothes, diapers (Thanks Uncles!), etc. I am definitely ready for his arrival. Well, in the "I've had enough fun being pregnant" sense. I don't think I will ever reach the point where I'm truly "ready". I still have rooms to clean, thank you cards to write, meals to cook and freeze, curtains to put up, goody baskets to prepare, so on and so forth. Luckily, Jeremy's Mom is comin' down in a week, so as long as Jeremy Jr doesn't get overly excited to meet his grandmother and decide to arrive the first day she's here (none of that, now, Jeremy Jr... be a good boy and let Grandma get settled in first...), she'll be helping get a lot of those things done.

Wow.

This week should go by fairly quickly--busy weeks usually do. Tomorrow, (Monday) I have an appointment with a Chiropractor first thing in the morning. I'm hoping she can 'realign' me so I don't have so much pain when I walk and do simple things like getting dressed, and putting shoes on (that's a complicated enough process nowadays... certainly don't need the added stress of pain to make it even moreso...). Tuesday is work day, and then small group Tuesday night; Wednesday is work day and a Christmas party at night; Thursday is mid-wife appt day, I don't think anything at night (except for homework from the midwives); Friday we have a home visit with our birth assistant (she's gonna make sure everything is set up correctly, all the supplies are in one place, etc); Saturday is a work day (blaaaaaaaaaah....) and another party day (woot! Katharine & Laurence's party!) and then Sunday, brunch with Andie & Ruben mid-morning, then Jeremy's Mom comes in the afternoon...

Phew. I'm tired just thinkin' about it all.

And all through this, I get to deal with contractions (some of them can get pretty painful, but they're sporadic so nothing comes from them... yet....) and a very active baby who just LOVES to move around WHILE I'm having a contraction (he's such a sweetie already, isn't he... taking after his daddy, even in the womb... ;-) He's alredy getting me ready for sleepless nights, too. While I do manage to get my sleep in, it's usually very uncomfortable, and interrupted multiple times by bathroom runs or... who knows?!

To be able to roll over painlessly with little effort again... That's what I want for Christmas!

I'll be glad when it's Christmas! At least I've completed almost all of my Christmas shopping. Families are pretty much done, just need to get a few friendly presents and I'm DONE! Oh, and I bought it all online. Woo hoo! It's cheaper and it comes right to my door--no fighting mall traffic, crazy customers, long lines, disgruntled employees, and haulin' it all back in. Ah yes, it's a beautiful thing.

Well, be checking here for updates! I will be posting SOMETHING (if I can) once we are in labor, just to let you know the ball is in motion.

Have a great week!

Nine months?!

Holy crap... I just checked on our blog, and was NOT expecting to see our ticker move us into the 9th month window.... But, it looks like we are! Only 31 days to go (hopefully less!)

So... it really seems like this is gonna happen then... In a few weeks, Jeremy and I are gonna be parents... We're going to be responsible for another human being's... everything!

Wow... it's so surreal.

Tonight we have our "Birthday Planning Meeting" at Birthcare. We get to meet our birth assistant, probably all the midwives, and, I guess, plan for the big day!

I'm gonna cry.. :`)

Anyways, what that really does is make me even less motivated to work. Heck, I'm NINE MONTHS PREGNANT after all! Do I really need to be running around busy stores during Christmas time, trying to sell people Playstation stuff, when I just form obstacles for people to manuever around?! I think not!

Okay... time to get ready for work. :-P

NY BANS most trans fats from restaurants.

Wow.... That's all I can say.

Maybe the worriers should call up their restaurant friends in Europe, where many countries already outlaw trans fats. They seem to have adjusted well.

And I hope this spreads to the rest of the country! It certainly can't hurt--if it makes foods more expensive, then we won't buy them.... Or maybe we still will, and then just complain about it, like the whole gas thing...

"Meh, stupid government is letting the oil companies make millions of dollars while I have to pay $2.50/gallon of gas in my fancy new SUV. MEEEEEHHHHH! WAAAAAHHHHH! It's a conspiracy, a conspiracy, I say!"

Guess it's just a different kind of oil that's under scrutiny now.

Flatulence forces plane to land

Maybe it's a good idea "the boyz" (my two younger brothers) aren't getting on a plane this holiday season.

Then again, they've always been pretty proud of their gas, and would probably start clapping for each other, rather than trying to cover it up with a match......

.......much to the horror of my parents......

..............and the other passengers........

Eh... Se la vie.

35/35

35 weeks/35 days to go... That's pretty cool.

He could be here in as little as two weeks! Omigosh, we still have so much to do....

On a related sad/kinda good note, my parents have cancelled their trip to Portugal over the holidays, due to silly people at the Portuguese Consulate's office who haven't processed my Mom's paper work for a new passport or green card or something... Whatever it is, she wouldn't be able to re-enter the country with what she has now, if she left. So they've decided to postpone the trip until next summer, maybe. It stinks for them, but it's not a terrible thing--now we don't have to hope Jeremy Jr comes too early, or has to wait too long after the new year! Not that he would listen to "Pawpa" and "Grandma?" anyways... He's gonna do what he wants to do when he wants to do it!

That's my boy...

Okay, there's more...

So I was looking around that church's website to see what else they had on there, and found some more amusing articles.

For your enjoyment:

Accpt Jesus as your Lord and Savior, get a free PS2! (Updated now for free PS3!)

What Would Jesus Do? Thongs

Kwanzaa: Ghetto slang for Murder!

So... I'm confused... Apparently this site is not meant for readers under the age of 18... This site is www.landoverbaptist.org... I dunno. Proceed at your own risk. Seems kinda... shady.

I'm not sure what it is, but it does make for some amusing reads (stay away from the lewd ones... there are plenty...)

Ah! I found something!

The Landover Baptist Church is a complete work of fiction. It is a satire/parody.

So there ya have it.

This is kinda scary....

I'm pretty sure it's a joke... But you never know with those crazy Baptists! :-)

Some exerpts:

A number of panicked Christian ladies across America are scheduled to give birth on June 6th, 2006. This date raises concern among church members since the numbers of that day also identify the son of Satan, the "Beast" from the book of Revelation. No decent, Christian family wants the little red bottom of the devil's spawn perched on a limb of their family tree, taking a dump on the branches below, much less sitting in a high-chair at the dinner table listening in on family prayers while quietly finalizing plans to sodomize mommy with the family vacuum. As such, Landover Baptist Creation Scientists have put together a checklist of recommended actions one should take if their baby is being born or was born on 06-06-06.

It then proceeds to explain what mothers-to-be should do, should their due date fall dangerously close to the dreaded 6-6-06 date.

Luckily, the most we'd have to worry about are two sixes, like 12-06-06, or 12-16-06 or 12-26-06, none of which are very scary... So, I think we're safe. :-)

I just thought I'd share. :-)

Ahead of schedule or just a big baby?

We had our 34 week appt yesterday with the midwives. It went just fine, though I'm still measuring big (your 'fundal height' should roughly correspond with the number of weeks you are--34 weeks should measure about 34 cm, etc.) I measured around 39 weeks, which means he's either big, ahead of schedule, sitting high, or our dates are off (like, maybe we're 36 or 37 weeks, instead of 34). I'm pretty sure my math is right, as far as when we got preggers, so I think he's just a big boy. Hopefully not too big... That won't make for good times when it comes time to push. But, eh, whatever.

What got me thinkin' a bit about this more than what I usually do was when another midwife asked when we were due. I told her Jan 7, and her eyes got pretty big... I guess I'm, as my Dad would say, 'Yuge!' :-) Hey, as long as he's happy and healthy in there... I guess I'll endure. I have a feelin', though, if I were to go into labor sometime around 36 weeks, they would let me go with it.

Should be an interesting next couple of weeks.... :-)

James is my hero.

After my last store call yesterday, I got back into my car only to discover that it wouldn't start....

.......

Why the heck it didn't start is beyond me, but it's been having some issues lately... Just doesn't want to turn over right away, sometimes. So I first called Jeremy, who called our insurance company (we have roadside assistance through them, though they make ya call a tow truck, and then reimburse you for the fees), and then I called James.

I think James leaps at any opportunity to "save the day", so he came on out all the way to Manassas, with his buddies Matt and Eric, and jumped my car. He then proudly proclaimed, "I saved your day." :-)

Thank you, James, for saving my day! (And saving Jeremy a trip all the way out to Manassas!) I give you two snaps. **snap snap**

Nintendo's first commercial

Wow... this is old school... I don't remember my system coming with all that. And do ya know how much it cost when the NES launched back in '85--for this bundle, $250. In 2005 dollars, that's $470! Or about the price of a 20 gig PS3... (or a premium 360 with an extra controller and platinum hit game)

Colbert and the Wii

Hee hee hee...

Seriously... this is getting out of control...

First the stupid cat is straddling my husband and now this...

I don't know what's worse... the fact that the stupid cat was licking my husband's head, or the fact that Jeremy let him do it!

Sick...

It's our Christmas tree!

Awww... so pretty.... Doncha luv it! :-)

Couldn't get a good shot with no flash on... Don't know what the camera was thinkin', but you get the idea.

Pregger's Pics

Okay! Here they are! I know they're a bit late, but hey, better late then never... And I must say, looking back, there are some, ahem, BIG differences in the pics.

So, without further ado....

The original pic I posted back in September, at about 20 weeks, in Las Vegas.

About a month later, 24-25 weeks.

At my 'surprise' shower! About 28 weeks.

At our shower, about 33 weeks.

And it just keeps on getting bigger! Personally, I've had enough, but Jeremy Jr seems to be content right where he is... Hopefully, that grows old for him, too, in a few weeks (only need 2.5 more to be in the clear! Crazy, huh?)

Is it just me, or does my belly make my butt look smaller?? Or is it that my butt makes my belly look bigger????? Hmm....