Sunny Days

My Beauty!

2011-06-23T16:25:00.006-04:00

It's hard for me to even believe that this beautiful, beautiful child is mine.

Sophie then and now.

2010-12-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

Change your links, followers!

2009-12-02T22:16:00.000-05:00

I'm movin!

I've had it with this template crap!

Well there I go again...(update on us)

2009-12-02T15:52:00.004-05:00

going a whole week in between posts. I really am becoming quite bad at this. I used to be a good blogger-good Lord, what did I have to talk about? I believe my level of blogging is directly proportional to my level of running, by the way. When I'm running, I think. And when I think, I write in my head. And then when I get back from a run-voila! I've got a blog post all cooked up for you. But, I don't run very much lately-so I don't blog very much lately. Just the way it goes, I guess.

News on The Sweetie:
I cannot believe how quickly she is changing-particularly in the area of language development. I read that girls are often more developed in language and boys develop more quickly in physical skills as babies. I guess I'd see this to be true-Sophie is a huge babbler, understands 10ish signs, and has signed 3 different signs to us. In the past week I'd say she's gone from random baby babble to truly imitating sounds of words that I say. For example, if I say "all done!" she'll say something like "ba nonnn!" with the same intonation. It's cool! Also, she's been saying "Mama" and "Dada" (in equal frequency!)directed at the correct person. It's just awesome to look at her and to think,"hmmm, a week ago you couldn't do that!". It's like every second connections are being made in her brain, so I talk to her constantly and show her as many new things as I can. We got out some little stacking/nesting cups today and those kept her content for a solid half hour. They're brightly colored, different shapes, and obviously delicious to the taste (hehe!).

News on Me:
I'm doing the 30 Day Shred. I don't really have weight to lose but I do have some toning to do-especially in the stomach area! So my workout mantra is: Jillian Michaels never had a baby. Jillian Michaels never had a baby. Haha! It's fun though, and I like the challenge of doing it everyday. I made up a little chart :)

I've also been going to church on Wed. nights for the service. I go to Lenny's for dinner and then go to church alone. I really like these evenings that I have to myself and I think it's great that it gives Kev and Sophie some time to play and bond together without me there.

News on Kev:
Kev's been running every night. He's really dedicated and is losing some pounds :P It's so silly to say because he's been such a skinny runner his whole life, but I know he's been a bit self-conscious about his gain and it's coming off. He's also set a goal of running the Detroit Marathon next October. I'm proud of my man!

Our car broke down on Thanksgiving. It looks like we're facing some major repair bills, which sucks. We have an emergency fund for just such an unfortunate occasion though, and my parents have said that they want to pay for some of it. I'm so grateful to them for their generosity and for Kev who is all about Dave Ramsey and set up our emergency fund. Sophie and I are in good hands.

We had a great Thanksgiving with my grandparents. They were SO excited to see Sophie again and were completely content to spend the day sitting on the couch watching Sophie scoot around on the floor. I had about a 2 HOUR convo with my dad's parents, which was great. I really try to treasure each moment I have with them. All four of my grandparents are overall pretty healthy, but they are all approaching 90. I just don't know how much time I have left with them and I want to make it all count. I love them all and I can't imagine what will happen when they're gone. It makes me very sad to think about losing any of them-they are all such wonderful people. Here's a picture from the day:

Sad thoughts

2009-11-25T14:06:00.003-05:00

How I wish I had skipped The Bump today. Then I would not have read the post about a toddler who died yesterday after having a fever of 105. He had been fine the day before-and now he's dead. I feel completely depressed and heartbroken. I cannot imagine the pain that these parents are going through-I'm crying and I'm close to vomiting I am THAT upset. His mom described him as a kid who knew over 50 signs and found everything funny.

For Thanksgiving this year, I will meditate on how thankful I am that Sophie is healthy. She's smart, she's perfect, she has not been sick a day in her short life. At least for now, she is healthy and safe.

I pray I never know that type of pain.

I know, I know...

2009-11-19T22:33:00.004-05:00

I'm a horrible blogger. I know I've been distant, cold. I know I've let you down with my inconsistency. I promise I'll change-I'll do better, I really will try. Forgive me?

Now that we have that cleared up...

A friend from high school moved to town. Well, Spring Arbor really, but close enough. I saw her at church in the parking lot on the way in. I said, "...Court? Is that you?" and she said "Oh hi! Is this your church???" And then we sat together. She works at Jackson Coffee Company and today I went and visited her right before work (I work right across the street. Kitty corner.) And tomorrow morning we are going running together, and she shall get to know Sophie. I don't know why, but it somehow feels refreshing to have her here. I expect good things.

I saw a bumper sticker last night that made me really angry. It said, "Don't Drink and Drive. You may hit a bump and spill your drink." Have any of you watched Biggest Loser this season? She's voted off now, but there was a woman on there who's husband, 5 yr. old daughter, and 2 WEEK old son were killed by a drunk driver. Her whole family GONE in an instant because of an idiot's selfish decision to drink and drive. Those most precious to her-her children-her NEWBORN-dead. I cannot imagine the pain that she's been through, it practically makes me cry every time I think of it. When I read that bumper sticker I immediately thought of her-how badly would it hurt her heart to see this sticker? It was all I could do not to floor it and rear-end the car with the offending sticker. How can people be so flippant about something so horrible? Makes me feel ill. I need to change the subject ASAP.

God has been working on my heart in my attitude towards WWKids. See, I've been avoiding going into the classrooms for a few months now, just so burned out, sick of begging people to participate, sick of feeling guilty when spots weren't filled. So I prayed that God would speak to me and to change my heart. And he did. We were laying on the floor in Music, listening to Rich Mullins "Step by Step" (total Bible camp song right there!) and next to me the sweetest little girl is singing. Such a little voice, so sincere. In that moment I was reminded of why I began helping Lori out in the first place-I loved the kids! I wanted to help the kids know Jesus. So there you have it. Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me through that child. I doubt she knows what a difference she made just by singing a "cheesy" Bible campfire song.

My sweetie is changing. I can see it everyday. Her hair is longer and more "texturized" each day (I think it may become wavy in the back like mine). Sometimes I look at her body and think "she's getting so long-she's so tall!". Or I'll see how she goes from sitting to crawling, and to me it looks graceful and fluid like a child, not jerky and awkward like a baby. Her personality is blooming too. She's got a great sense of humor-she laughs at everything! She's so social. She's easy-going and laid back. She's very active and can play on her own for quite awhile (quite the independent lady!). She can recognize a few things you say to her. For example, if I say "Sophie, would you like some MILK?" she will make the milk sign. She also will clap (most of the time) when you ask her to. She's just...well, she's great! Here's a pic because I can't resist :)

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Macs?

2009-11-11T14:40:00.004-05:00

I spent time everyday last week on the phone with the help desk, trying to get the computer in the student lounge to work. They switched it out, fixed it, and brought it back today. Come to find out, that it is NOT FIXED. It is not connected to the network (so no internet), it does not have Office on it (so students can't use it to write/print their papers) and it's not hooked up through the network to the printer. I'm so sick of that stupid thing.

At least the copy machine works or else I may just LOSE IT!!!

I can say honestly, from the depths of my soul: I loathe PCs and I love Macs. Simple as that.

A Good Rhythm

2009-11-10T14:39:00.004-05:00

I go through periods in my life (maybe you do too) where I am desperately looking for ways to spice it up, be spontaneous, do things out of the ordinary. Then there are times like these, where I hit a good rhythm and am happy about it.

I feel like Kevin and I have finally found a good rhythm to our life with Sophie. She's changing quickly, that's for sure, but it's not so quickly that our lives are thrown for a loop. Sophie and I spend our mornings together, then she goes to daycare, and I go to work. We all join up at home later, Kevin and I make dinner, watch Wheel and Jeopardy, play with Sophie, Sophie goes to bed, Kev and I finish out the evening chatting, playing on our computers, or playing cards. There's a nice rhythm to our lives, and while some may find it boring I find it very comforting to know that tomorrow holds for me and for us.

It's so exciting watching Sophie change. Eight months ago she was yet to be born, and here she is today, able to clap her hands, laugh and play, and army crawl all the way to her room. It's incredible. I know I've been saying it for awhile but she is SO close to crawling. I watch her and I expect her just to take off at any minute. We've also had some moderate success with drinking from a sippy cup. I got a nuby brand one with a soft spout (almost like a bottle nipple) and she really likes it. She'll drink from it if I help her tip it up. I think she'll get the hang of it on her own in no time.

Here's a few pictures just for fun. Enjoy!

She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen :)

2009-11-05T15:20:00.003-05:00

(Pic by Lori Tate)

Separation Anxiety

2009-10-27T19:16:00.004-04:00

I maintain that being a mom up to this point has been pretty easy because I got lucky. I got a baby that sleeps. I got a baby that has a generally happy temperament. It's easy to make her smile and laugh, easy to engage her in a book or toy. She's content to be taken out in public-she's "portable". Sure, we've had some fussy times and long nights, but overall it's been easy, until now.

The kid is glued to me. She won't let me out of her sight. If I walk away, if only for a second, she cries. If I'm making dinner and Kev is trying to play with her, she cries until I come over. Here's a story two days in the making:

Yesterday she woke up before my shower so I had to put her in her bouncer in the bathroom while I hopped in. She screamed the whole time because I was behind the curtain and she couldn't see me. It was a miserable shower, to say the least. Not like the refreshing wonderful post-Jillian Michael's workout shower that I desperately deserved. Flashforward to this morning. She woke up again, after my workout and before my shower. Great. I put her in her bouncer, preparing myself for a repeat of yesterday when a thought dawned on me. I could bring her in the shower with me. Oh how I wish I had stopped that thought right there, told myself I was stupid, and settled for the fussing and crying for the bouncer. But noooooo, that is not what I chose to do. Being the loving mama that I am, I followed through with that though. Yikes.

I undressed her and we got in. She was okay. I washed my face with one hand. We're doing fine. I go to wash my hair-difficult with one hand, but do-able. I go to rinse my hair. Hmmm. Perhaps if I set her down she'll be fascinated by the drain and I can continue my shower with both hands? I set her down-and for approximately 1.5 seconds all was fine. And then she realized that I was not holding her. And then there was screaming. Loud screaming. In a stand up shower (showers have great acoustics!). I strained to listen above the screaming because I was sure that there would be a knock on our door, some kind neighbor who would be wondering just what the sam-hill was going on in here. So I picked her up again. And had to put her down a few more times in order to rinse and whatnot. Each time she went down there was crying. Loud crying. Suffice to say, this was one of the speediest and suckiest showers of my life.

(Note: Where I set her down there was NOT a bunch of water pouring on her face. I'm not a mean mama!)

Anyway, once we got out I lotioned her up and she was all smiles. Silly girl can't get enough of her Mama.

Which is why, I'm blogging like this:

Thoughts

2009-10-23T13:25:00.003-04:00

These past weeks have gone by so quickly. It seem to me that summer was just here, and then it was gone in a twinkling of an eye. Today is so blustery and rainy that I have kept the blinds closed so I don't have to look at it. Isn't that sad? Sophie and I have spent the morning here in the apartment. My parents are on their way to pick us up, as we're all venturing down to Indiana to see Steph's game vs. Bethel. I'm excited to watch the game and I'm praying that the weather will clear up. My dad told me it was supposed to. Let's hope he's right.

I just got a little crazy in the kitchen. I made lunch, cleaned up the dishes. Normal. Then I decided to make Sophie some baby food. Here's the crazy part. I got out my adorable babycook, and added some broccoli. Then some frozen peas. Then I noticed that we had some frozen mixed veggies in the freezer too. So I added some of those (carrots, corn, peas, green beans). So now that's all steaming away together and will all get pureed when it's done. Let's just say, I hope she likes it! I shall call it Veggie Mash. Another note on the food front: Sophie has been chowing down on applesauce like it's her job. She loves it!

I'm reading my Bible again. I have not consistently read my Bible in over a year. Maybe two. It's been a long time. What happened was this: I used to read my Bible every night before bed. Then I got married and I had a whole other person to incorporate into my routine. We brush our teeth and such, say goodnight. Now I can't very well leave the light on to read while he's trying to sleep. And to read my Bible in another place is silly (in my mind) because in my bed, before I go to sleep is where and when I read my Bible. So, it went unread and truth be told, I didn't miss it. But then all of a sudden I did. So now, I read in my comfy chair while Sophie is napping or Kevin is on the computer at night after Sophie is in bed. A new routine that works for everyone!

In addition to my Bible, I'm also reading John Grisham again. I lurve him. Right now I'm reading The Firm, and it is totally awesome. After all these artsy-smartsy book club books, I fast-paced legal thriller was just what I needed. So, if you are in the market for a good read The Firm is it!

Seven Months

2009-10-15T10:58:00.007-04:00

This girl:

Chewer of Socks,

and of cell phones,

who loves her Daddy,

sweet potatoes,

fine literature,

and did I mention SOCKS?

is SEVEN (count em) seven months old.

Sad sights

2009-10-14T13:20:00.003-04:00

Driving through downtown Jackson each day is eye-opening. Life is really rough for some in this city. REALLY rough. Everyday I see houses that look like the wind blows right through them-sagging porches, peeling paint, broken windows. But that's just the beginning. The people that occupy these houses, as dilapidated as they may be, at least have a place to live.

I saw the guy sleeping on the bench in front of the library. He'll probably be there when I pass by again to go home. I think he lives on that bench.

Today I drove past a house with an eviction notice on the front. As I was thinking about that-what would it feel like to know you can't go inside your home? where would I go?-I passed an apartment complex with furniture, clothes, essentially the entire contents of an apartment out on the grass. There was a guy waiting there with his stuff.I'm assuming he was waiting for someone to come and pick him and his belongings up, take them to where they would be living. At least I hope that he had someone coming. Truth is, he could have no where to go at all.

I love these two!

2009-10-09T17:13:00.001-04:00

Our after-dinner time is so precious. I love that time together-the three of us, our family. It is so sweet, and so simple.

Sorry for the lag in posts!

2009-10-07T15:03:00.003-04:00

Wowzers! It's been over a week, and I completely skipped Wistful Wednesday last week. Oops. I'm probably going to skip it today too, simply because I don't have anything particular in mind, and in my humble opinion Wistful Wednesdays should never be forced. Kind of defeats the purpose.

The past week has flown by. We've had a handful of new programs starting here at work so I've been busy grocery shopping, packet copying, and book distributing. It makes for tiring work days but I'd rather be busy than whiling away my hours here on The Bump. I love me some message board time, but to get home and realize that THAT is how I spent my day is pathetic and lame.

Speaking of pathetic and lame: I'm fed up with the computer in general. Which I realize is a bit ironic, since I'm spending time on it this very minute. It seems that Kev and I both spend so much time on it. Obviously, when I'm here at work I do have things to do requiring its use and Kevin's whole job revolves sitting in front of one. But then I spend my free time here at work on The Bump or Facebook (when I could be reading or doing a relaxing sudoku!) Then at home in the evening, we have the tv on and Kev is on the computer almost the whole time and so therefore I am too. We do play with Sophie, but once she goes to bed (always by 9)it's like we retreat to our own worlds on our own computers. We'll usually play a game of cards before going to bed, but by then the tv has been on for hours and the computer has dominated almost all of our evening together. I long for a power outage.

P.S. We have discussed this issue together and both acknowledge that it's bad news. Yet it continues...every.day. The problem lies equally with both of us, I don't want it to sound like I'm blaming it all on him.

Gosh, I really wasn't planning on talking about that at all. Sorry for the rant!

I started a new book. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I found out after I started it that it is book #1 in a seven book series. Let me just say, I am in no position in my life right now to begin a seven book series. This series is supposed to be "amazing!", "wonderful!", "spell-binding!", "cliff-hanging!", but I'm having trouble getting into it. But if it's as good as everyone says it is, then I don't want to quit prematurely and miss out. What to do?

Kevin and I may take Sophie to the pumpkin patch on Sunday afternoon. Hopefully the weather cooperates with our plans. I can't wait to see my little pumpkin among the pumpkins!

Crockpot time!

2009-09-29T09:53:00.001-04:00

I'm soooooooooo excited because THIS is what's for dinner tonight! I had this recipe on the menu plan for next week, but because of the weather and my post yesterday, I decided to bump it up to today. YUM. Right now I've got the chicken pre-baking and I'm about to go prepare the sweet potatoes and onion....ohhhhh how I love my crockpot.

P.S. The link goes to a wonderful crockpot blog. The author has made seriously EVERYTHING in her crockpot. Check it out!

Weather

2009-09-28T14:44:00.002-04:00

This weather makes me want to:

read in bed
drink soup out of a mug
(actually, it makes me want to do lots of things involving a mug.
like: drinking coffee or drinking tea)
pulling out my crockpot
and coming home to a delicious aroma
go to Flavor Fruit Farms (Kara and Di, we simply must!)
buy squash and pumpkin and apples, so many yummy treats for my baby to try!
snuggle up on the couch with that baby, because she's oh-so-sweet
Get out my warm coat (maybe there will be $5 in the pocket?)

I've realized I'm super judgey.

2009-09-23T15:16:00.004-04:00

There's a new Wistful Wednesday below-don't miss it!

Isn't it just dandy when you realize something bad about yourself? You have a whole strain of similar thoughts about a person, or group of people, and it happens over and over. And then you realize this: Holy WOW-I'm kind of a jerk.

Example: Everyday I drive downtown for work at around the same time. Consequently, I've found that I regularly pass the same people. Maybe not everyday, but usually I'll see a few "regulars" once or twice a week. You have to realize this about Jackson-there are a lot of 1)Smokers and 2)Overweight people that live in the city. A LOT. So, I'll pass these regulars and think to myself (no joke): Ahh, still smoking, I see? Maybe if you didn't smoke you'd be better able to exercise and hence wouldn't be overweight. Then I say to myself: Gosh, you're nice. You don't know why that person is overweight-maybe they have something innocent like a thyroid problem or a genetic propensity to obesity. To which I'll respond to myself: Yea, but AT LEAST they could exercise rather than driving the electric chair down the sidewalk. Those are supposed to be for people who are handicapped, not people who are handicapped by their fat. Then I come back at myself with: GEEZ. WHY DO YOU CARE? YOU ARE SUPER MEAN. IF THAT PERSON WANTS TO SMOKE AND RUIN THEIR LUNGS THAT IS THEIR CHOICE. By this point, I'm like a mile past the person and wondering why I'm still thinking about them and judging them. This is a problem. This is bad. In this country you are allowed to smoke. You are allowed to be overweight. It's the beauty of choices! So why do I care so much to judge?

In the end, I think I do it 1)because I'm a sinner 2)because I actually do care about the health of others and 3)because it makes me sad to see people making bad choices for themselves. Not taking care of your body, whether by smoking or by making poor food choices, is a bad decision. There-I said it. I take care of myself because I value my life, I love being an active person, and I want to live to a ripe old age to enjoy every moment I can with my husband and my daughter. So, really, when people make these bad decisions in how they take care of themselves they are not only effecting themselves. They are robbing their family of time and quality life together.

Nevertheless, the judge-ness needs to stop. Jesus, please help me to see people as you see them. Because when I look at them all I see are people who are making really bad choices. See, the whole plank-in-your-eye, speck-in-your-neighbor's-eye principle is at work here. I don't always make stellar decisions either.

Wistful Wednesday: A Surprise Destination

2009-09-23T15:09:00.001-04:00

Ok so this is something that I think would just be plain awesome. What if someone, (read: my wonderful husband) said to me, out of the blue, "don't plan anything for this week, take it off of work, because we're going on a TRIP!" And then I'd say, "OH WOW! Where are we going, dear?" To which he would reply, "I guess you'll find out when we get on the airplane, won't you?" To which I would enthusiastically cry, "Oh plleeeassse tell me!" But of course he wouldn't, and of course I wouldn't really want him to. Packing would be a challenge. (Would I need a bathing suit? PLEASE SAY YES What about a jacket? A nice outfit? Hiking boots? Sunscreen? Of course I'd need the camera!)

Feels like Fall to Me

2009-09-16T13:09:00.002-04:00

Sophie and I went shopping this morning and when I stepped out the door I was not expecting the crispness in the air. I was wearing shorts, flip flops, and a short sleeved shirt. Sophie was in short sleeves and pants, and luckily I had a little jacket packed in her bag. She needed it! I would have gone back to dress myself more appropriately but I had everything I needed in my hands, plus Sophie, and I wasn't up to go back in and gather everything up again after changing. You'll understand that getting out the door with a baby is no easy task-babies require tons of STUFF. So I sucked it up and took the cold.

My next sign of Fall came when I swung through the drive-through at Starbucks (thanks to Mom for the gift card!) I should have remembered, but it's one of those things that you forget about all year until it comes back again-THE PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE. I have to say, I think this drink is my favorite aspect of the entire autumn season. So...I got a grande size. Hey, you only live once, right?

Then, when I was leaving to drop Sophie off at daycare I noticed that most of the trees around our apartment complex are beginning to change. The tips of the trees were red, yellow, orange! I pointed them out to Sophie and she proudly exclaimed "GUH!", which I'll take to mean that she is excited about the change in seasons.

There were a few leaves on the ground at the daycare and the air smelled distinctly of fall.

Goodbye summer, Hello Autumn.

Sophie is 6 Months Old!

2009-09-15T08:11:00.003-04:00

People told me right when she was born "Enjoy her! The time will go by so fast!" I nodded and agreed with them, but in my mind I was thinking that it would be forever before she'd be old enough to play, eat solid food, sit up by herself. And here she is! The time has come, just as quickly as everyone said it would. Sophie turned 6 months old on Sunday-a halfway to a YEAR. Having her with me is so natural now, it's hard to remember my life before her! Good thing I have this blog so I can go back and read about my loonnng lazy mornings reading or walking in the park, taking naps before work, etc.

Sophie can now:
Sit up on her own (for a few minutes)
Has a very predictable schedule (which is wonderful!)
Enjoys going for walks and jogs in the stroller (HURRAY!)
Loves to cuddle
"Wrestles" with Kevin
Likes to look at books and be read to
Wiggles like a maniac when I try to change her diaper
Likes rice cereal, carrots, and sweet potatoes (that's all we've tried so far!)
Goes CRAZY in her jumparoo
"Scoots" by bringing her knees up underneath her body (she'll be crawling soon for sure!)
Talks constantly

She's is such a happy and social baby. She likes watching people, loves to be talked to, laughs when we make silly faces, and loves to cuddle. She's sleeping great, napping great for me in the morning, and overall is a wonderful kid. Couldn't have asked for a better baby!

Happy 6 Months Sweetie!

Wistful Wednesday : A Servant

2009-09-15T07:53:00.005-04:00

Not sure what happened for the date on my previous entry, because I most certainly did not do my "Wistful Wednesday" post on Thursday! (Oh, and Mel, this isn't me doing "Not Me Monday" (or Tuesday, as the case may be), I'm being serious!)

Anyway, it seems like all I blog these days are Wistful Wednesdays. I have some catching up to do. BIG TIME.

Ok, I'm sure the title has got you intrigued so here I go: For this week I would wish for a servant (I'd pay them a fair wage of course). Just someone to cook for me, clean up the dishes, clean the apartment really well, go grocery shopping for me, laundry, tackle the endless pile of diaper laundry, return my library books. I know that this is silly-my apartment is not very big (cleaning is no big deal), Kevin helps with dinner and dishes and grocery shopping, the library is about a half mile away, and I really don't mind doing diaper laundry (it's actually my favorite kind of laundry to do because it's fun to stuff them!). But still, I'd just like a break from all of that, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you like to walk in the door to dinner made? And then just get to play with the baby while the dishes magically get done, laundry already in the washer?

I know, this is my worst Wistful Wednesday yet. So please, post your own Wistful Wednesdays if you'd like-post your link in the comments!

Wistful Wednesday: A Day to Myself at Barnes & Noble

2009-09-10T16:43:00.002-04:00

This one is not too exotic, but it would be wonderful to have a day to myself at B & N, to read, drink as many fraps as I'd like (this is a fantasy, right?), browse titles, enjoy comfy chairs, do a little digging into topics never before examined. A whole day. Surrounded by books and fraps. Ahhh, maybe this one can come true when Sophie weans? (lol)

I have a huge list of books to read right now. Actually, the list itself isn't that long, the list that is huge is the one in my head. It's hard to squeeze in extra books when I have book club picks, but it's all about how diligent I am in reading at work. Most days I just waste all my time on the internet!

BUSY BUSY!

2009-09-08T14:33:00.003-04:00

Wow! Where did the weekend go? This weekend was a complete whirlwind.

On Friday Sophie and I headed out to Brighton to meet my mom, and then the three of us went to see Kim (my cousin's wife)and her new baby Allison. It was a great visit-I really enjoy chatting with Kim and seeing a teeny tiny newborn is always delightful! I could not believe how small Allison was (although she's a perfectly normal healthy weight for a one-week-old). It blows my mind to think that six short months ago Sophie was the same size. I do not remember her being that small. My arms don't remember holding a little one so light (a mere 7-8ish lbs, not like my hefty lil 15.4-pounder!) Sophie also enjoyed meeting Kim's dog Koopa-he's a little mini-sort of husky, so cute and good!

After Kim's, Mom, Sophie, and I drove to SAU to see Steph's game. Then with Steph and Kevin in tow (we picked him up from work) we headed BACK to Brighton for the night. Kev and I hit the hay early that night, because our RACE was Saturday morning!

30K Recap
The race began and ended at Bakers, which is where Kevin and I were married and had our reception. We actually missed the start because we were in line for the portas! Thank goodness for shoe starters:P (That's not the real name of them. I'm not sure what the real name is, but they are little tags that go on your shoe, and the clock starts when it crosses the start and ends when your shoe crosses the finish.) The course took us through downtown Milford (such a cute town!), on some back roads, through a historic neighborhood (I LOVED these houses, they were so well restored-so beautiful), on some more HILLY back roads, (seriously-very hilly. Extremely hilly. Really really hilly. Did I mention hilly?)and then FINALLY ended. I actually felt great until mile 14-then the pain started to set into my hips, back, and thighs. Yikes. At one point I actually thought to myself, "I'd rather be giving birth right now than doing this." (Remember that I had an unmedicated birth? Yeah...that's how much I hurt during miles 14-18.) But, when all was said and done Kev and I finished, hand in hand, having run the entire distance without walking or stopping. Thankfully, there were plenty of water/gatorade stations at many of the mile markers so refreshment was never far off! It was a great experience and I'm so glad that we did it together. In the future, I think I'll be sticking to Halfs....halves? Half marathons-that's what I'm trying to say.

The rest of the weekend was filled with family, friends, and food. The Goods came over on Sunday afternoon, and then Kev's family was out yesterday. Lots of hamburgers and salad, and kisses and cuddles for Sophie.

I'm actually very relieved to be back at work today. It's pouring rain, I'm getting things done here, and there are only 2 more work days (for me) until the weekend comes again.

What do I have to do...

2009-09-03T17:38:00.001-04:00

to get a comment or two around here? Sheesh!

Wistful Wednesday : Mediterranean Cruise

2009-09-02T10:09:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine from church went on a Mediterranean cruise this past spring. When she got back, I literally sat listening to her for a solid 45 minutes, recounting her travels. I was enraptured. She is quite the bubbly sort of person, who replayed her adventures with such enthusiasm that it stirred up in me a sudden desire to go. Like now. She told me about Greece, Rome, Santorini, Ephesus, and more. Ephesus! As in Paul's letter to the EPHESIANS! How awesome!

The one aspect of her trip that really got me thinking was this: she and a friend had decided long ago that they would take this trip together. Husband-free and kid-free, the two of them would for 20 days escape their day-to-day roles as wives and mothers and would do this trip. Now, I'm not at the point where I need a break from my regular life as a wife and mom. I love my life as a wife and mom. But I can totally see how in 10 years, or 15 years, or 20 years, I'd need it. And who better to go with than a dear girlfriend? There are tons of trips that I'd love to do as a family, many that I'd love to do just Kevin and I, and then there are a few that I'd love to do with a good friend or two, or three!

So, who's in?

Worms for Sale

2009-08-31T16:47:00.003-04:00

When I was running the other day, I saw in front of me two kids stooped on the edge of the path. I thought to myself, "where is the mom of these kids? sheesh, doesn't she know that a woman was just attacked out here?" But then I remembered that not everyone thinks of that kind of stuff, and that this portion of the path goes basically through some backyards, and surely these kids must have lived in one of those houses. So, as I approached I could see that there was a little girl, maybe 5 years old, holding a sign. There was a boy, sitting on the ground, holding a yucky-looking jar. I was totally curious. I said to the girl, "what does your sign say?" (The writing was in pencil, I couldn't read it easily). She said, in that cute way that little kids can, leaving out their r s "Woooms fo'sale! Would you like to buy some woooms!?" Uh...I don't have any money with me? (true) No thanks? I would never in a million years purchase a worm? There is not a pond anywhere near here...no one to use those worms to fish with? Good luck with your business endeavors?

At least they were cute. I hope someone bought one measly worm from them.

Wistful Wednesday: Rome

2009-08-26T13:14:00.003-04:00

So much to see! So much to do! Ah, The Eternal City!

The art! The architecture! The history!

You should check out the link-tons of cool pics, video, and info on all the sights :)

What to see first, what to see first...

Nothin but pics of Sophie (isn't that why you came?)

2009-08-25T18:23:00.004-04:00

Vintage Sophie, the day we came home from the hospital:

Wistful Wednesday: A little hammock, a nice summer breeze

2009-08-19T17:48:00.004-04:00

It's been awhile since I've been in a hammock, probably a few years. I so wish I had a digital picture to show you, to represent a pleasant afternoon passed in the hammock. My cousins, Steph, and I used to love playing in the hammock at Torchie. Grandma (or Aunt Janet maybe?) had made a little pillow-deemed the "hammock pillow" with cherries on it (because it's all about the cherries in Northern MI!). Oftentimes I'd read, or if we were all playing we'd swing each other, drag our feet, try to flip, try not to flip. It was strung between two trees, closer to the house than it was to the water, shady and cool. I loved the peaceful, joyfulness of that hammock. No where to go, nothing to do but enjoy the company of family or the quietness of a book.

Meredith, do you know what I mean?

Funny little story

2009-08-18T16:39:00.002-04:00

I was taking the mail down to the post office a few minutes ago (my daily 4:30pm ritual) and on my way out I hear "Hello Stephanie!" call after me, in a rather chipper voice. I turn around (because people often confuse Steph and I, but it did seem a bit out of place in downtown Jackson-no one here knows both of us!) and the guy, clearly embarrassed says, "Oh..sorry! I thought you were someone else!" I said, "Well, my sister's name is Stephanie-Maybe you thought I was her?" Turns out he mistook me for a different Stephanie altogether-just a weird name coincidence, no?

My baby is 5 months!

2009-08-17T10:55:00.003-04:00

She rolls and talks and is so much fun! She's starting to laugh a little too. She reaches for me and for toys, loves being read to and talked to. Sophie is so cuddly, such a great sleeper (and napper) and overall is a very happy baby. I love her more and more each day!

Wistful Wednesday: Stonehenge

2009-08-12T15:35:00.003-04:00

Ok...I know Stonehenge is creepy. And I've heard from those who've been there that it is actually pretty boring. Obviously...enormous stones in the middle of a field don't exactly scream "NON-STOP THRILLS!!!" Nevertheless, I think the thing that gets me about Stonehenge is that they are so incredibly old and mysterious. I love places that have a history and a story, and the cool thing about Stonehenge is that experts are still discovering its story.

Seems like a good place to wonder and imagine...

Because I just had to know...

2009-08-11T16:58:00.002-04:00

I'm totally copying Melanie on this one...sorry. I was curious about my personality type so I took the facebook quiz. I'd have to agree with you Mel, this one was way more concise and QUICK than answering the 4234893472384730472304 questions in PSY101.

I'm ESFJ (Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judgment)

You are warmhearted, conscientious, and cooperative. You want harmony in your environment, and work with determination to establish it. You like to work with others to complete tasks accurately and on time. You are loyal and follow through even in small matters. You notice what others need in their day-by-day lives and try to provide it. You want to be appreciated for who you are and for what you contribute. Famous people with your ESFJ personality include: Bill Clinton, Sally Field, Danny Glover, Terry Bradshaw, Mary Tyler Moore and Nancy Kerrigan.

...at least my personality type is not like Tonya Harding...

I've about HAD IT with people.

2009-08-11T14:00:00.003-04:00

Well, since it's almost Wednesday again, I figure I better update this beast so we don't have two Wistful Wednesdays right in a row.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate driving in downtown Jackson? If not, I'll say it now: I hate driving in downtown Jackson. There are just so many oblivious people. SERIOUSLY. I had to break about 5 times for random pedestrians who decided to walk right into the road, in front of oncoming traffic (that would be me!). One guy, no joke-had soccer shorts pulled up to his mid-chest, and tall ref socks, huge headphones attached to a portable CASSETTE tape player, just decided to stop walking altogether in the driveway to my work parking lot. Just lookin around...Yeah, he got a honk. GET A CLUE. I'm not an angry driver, in fact, I'd consider myself a good deal more patient than many drivers I know. However, when the same scenario replays itself day after day after day...well, I start to lose it!

An update on all the crap from yesterday: I'm not going to get into the details on here, but the police picked up the shirt I was wearing yesterday to try to get any DNA off of it. It's a stretch for sure, and I think at this point catching the guy is a bit of a lost cause. I'm just PISSED and I will not be running out there by myself in the future. If you're lost on what I'm talking about here, feel free to facebook message me and I'll fill you in. Well, I'll fill you in if I know who you are. Random people reading my blog will probably not be filled in...

Oh, and some of the students here at work are driving me batty! This one lady went around to everyone last week asking for money, and then today asked if we could donate our pop cans and bottles to her church youth group. It's really not her fault, but after my experience yesterday I'm not willing to believe the best about people at this point.

This is such a Debbie Downer post....happy happy, what can I write about that is happy?

Kev made some delicious chicken on the grill last night and then we went over to the pool. Sophie had a lovely time in her stroller, and since we were the only ones there I even helped her stand on the top step to put her toes in. She's so stinkin cute.

Randi, there's a nice Jon & Kate overview from last night on that blog I linked you. Check it out.

Wistful Wednesday: Hawaii

2009-08-05T15:28:00.007-04:00

I've been wanting to do a weekly theme for awhile now, but was having trouble coming up with a name. Soooo introducing "Wistful Wednesdays"! Each Wednesday (hopefully I remember each week) I'll give you all an insightful glance into my mind. So, with Steph's trip as my inspiration, this first Wistful Wednesday is...

HAWAII!

My dad emailed me this picture today, along with the note, "Remember this kind of view?!" and it really got me thinking about the importance of taking vacations (well, to be honest, I think about this nearly every day). Vacations are not only an escape from the day-to-day, but also give you a great opportunity to learn something new, see some amazing new sights, bask in the glory of God's creation, meet new people, experience another culture, see life through another point of view. Even the briefest or "boring" of vacations can leave you with a renewed sense of purpose, infused with tranquility, or just give you a "happy place" to go in your mind when, upon returning to the stresses of daily life, you find the need to escape once more.

When I think about all the allegedly wonderful places that planet has to offer (I say "allegedly" because I've never been there myself, only heard of their glory!)I get a little overwhelmed. Because there simply are so many and I'm already 24. Approximately a quarter of my life has passed. Now I'd say I've traveled a lot compared to many of my peers (especially within the USA)but still-there is SO MUCH of this world that I haven't seen. SO MANY places and people and wildlife and ecosystems and cities and buildings and experiences that are left on my "To Do/To See" list that it worries me that I won't be able to do it all. Anyway, I guess I just got a little sidetracked. Consider all this to be a further introduction to the Wistful Wednesdays. Back to Hawaii. Here's another view-to put you in the mood :

Hawaii is one of my favorite places on earth. I may venture to say it is my favorite place...yep. OK, it's my favorite place. It's not just the gorgeous sandy beaches and tantalizing crystal clear ocean that draws me in. It's the overall sense of peace that washes over me when I'm there. I have been lucky enough to be there twice, once on a family vacation when I was 10 or so, and the other in college with soccer. To be honest, Hawaii is never far from my mind. I am not exaggerating when I say that I think about it every day. I've never been a lay on the beach kind of person, but I want to be. I love the feeling of the salt from the ocean on my skin and in my hair. I love reading on the beach, catching the rays and the waves. I'd love to learn how to sail (or just go along for the ride!) I enjoy watching people surf (I don't really have the inclination to try it out for myself, but it's fun to watch). I keep thinking about that one day, Di, that one day when we went to Starbucks, then the beach to read, played in the water, laid on the beach some more, talked, laughed, read, took pictures, etc. Remember that day? Steph's there now...I'm "palm-frond green" with envy. But I said that yesterday, didn't I? :P

For Randi: Jon & Kate Recap

2009-08-03T21:08:00.003-04:00

Kitchen Renovation: The episode began with J & K meeting with some people who were going to re-do their kitchen. It was kind of awkward, because they were trying to make decisions together for the kitchen, but of course they're speaking with a bit of contempt towards each other. They have an enormous open-space kitchen anyway, so I'm not really understanding why they needed the renovation for any reason other than it was given to them. Kate kind of said some stuff about how the cabinets didn't have drawers so she had to "stand on her head" to see what was inside of them...yeah...anyway, with all the renovations Kate decided to take the kids to the beach (NC).

Camping Out: Kate has a new lease on life. I. Can. Do. I like it, I think it's a healthy attitude, because really-what else can she do except embrace life with her kids? If Jon's going to go off dating and whatever, then I think it's awesome that she's committing whole-heartedly to her kids. It just really makes me sad to see people breaking their vows of marriage. I know it happens all the time, but it shouldn't. If you mean the vows when you say them (why are you getting married if you don't?), then there is no room for breaking them. Yet, people do. I understand that things happen, that people change, sin sneaks in and tears people apart. But marriage provides a lifelong context for learning forgiveness and unconditional love. I guess people may say, "oh it's easy for you to say-you're happily married", and yes that is true, but I feel like Kevin and I both came into our marriage knowing that down the road there would be issues. Knowing that everything wouldn't be super happy and honeymoony forever. And in our two years together we've had our fights, had to learn to really communicate, had to forgive. We've grown and we're better for it. But, back to the show-they roasted marshmallows and had a fun campout. And yep, Mady was as annoying as usual :P

Oh this is just a hodge-podge of my mind.

2009-08-03T16:40:00.003-04:00

There has to be something seriously wrong with me when I look at my training schedule, see that I have 10 miles to run (this past Saturday) and think, Oh good, only 10. All this running must be paying off though because when I was finished I was not out of breath and my legs felt fine. As in-could have kept going. For an added bonus, I went to the pool on Sunday for a little relaxation time while Kevin was playing a computer game and Sophie was napping and I felt pretty dang sexy in my suit(hehe!).

I rarely talk about my job on here, because lets face it-I don't do much. But I have a lil vent so here it goes. I'm sick of people not taking responsibility for themselves. Honestly, is it that hard to know when your class is meeting? Is everything so confusing that after meeting with the advisor you STILL don't know which form to turn in, who to pay your money to, when to fill out this form, which class to take, yada yada yada. Or my favorite-the people who contact me THE DAY BEFORE their class starts wondering if they need to pick up their books (DUH-I emailed you 3 weeks ago!) or still needing a syllabus. People fail to recognize that I'm just the secretary, meaning NO I don't have all the books here, the syllabi are EMAILED to you (for the 1000th time), and YES it SERIOUSLY does cost 10 cents to make a copy on our machine. Even though you pay tuition. Yep, seriously. I'm not kidding. Here's the can, put in your coin. Okay...vent over.

P.S. Mr. Creepy is baaaaacccckkkk. He walked in this afternoon and I thought to myself, "Hey...I thought he wasn't supposed to be back until August...oh right. It is August."

Steph is going to Hawaii and I'm totally jealous. Bright green with envy. Neon green. Kelly green. Hunter green. Any other types of green you can think of. It's not that I want to get away from my life, Sophie, Kevin, work-no nothing like that. I'm just craving a change of scenery, dreaming about that ocean breeze and the way my hair is all curly and salt-water crusty after a long day at the beach. And the way the palm trees sway, the rough bark of a coconut. Silky-smooth sand between my toes, the way one's skin smells faintly of sunscreen all day, living in a bathing suit, not a care in the world...That is why I have convinced Kevin to let us start saving up for a trip for the two of us. We hiked in the Smokies for our honeymoon (which was great, no regrets on our honeymoon), but I kind of feel like we missed out on a great classic honeymoon trip by not going someplace tropical and beachy. We probably won't be able to go until 2011, but that's ok. Sophie will be 2 then, fully weaned (necessary to go on a trip!), and hopefully by then I won't have this huge emotional guilty burden of leaving her for a week (or more!). So yea...I'll look forward to that...in 2 years...

Steph and Mom stopped by this morning, since Steph was on her way to meet up with the team at SAU and Mom had to drive her so they wouldn't have Steph's car stuck out here. I haven't seen Steph in over a month because she's been coaching at OnGoal, but she was finally here in the flesh! We had a rousing game of Yahtzee, and I was seriously on FIRE. I was rolling the dice quite awesome-ly. One round I even scored 2 yahtzees for a bonus 100 points. I usually have only so-so luck with that game, but this mornin I was hot! Steph was so psyched to see Sophie, as she's grown quite a bit since she saw her last. Sophie was giggling and smiling and being totally cute, playing with Aunt Stephie's hair and laughing at her funny faces. Good morning.

Well, Kev's down in Columbus, OH tonight for work so Sophie and I are on our own. Our plans include a meeting a church and then going home to catch Jon & Kate + 8 (new episode!) Kev will be back tomorrow evening-I'm sad. I hate sleeping in that big bed alone :( Actualy, that's kind of a lie. On the one hand I like it because I can spread out, utilize extra pillows, and sleep right in the middle of the bed without *anyone* (ahem, KEVIN) 2-hand SHOVING me back onto my side. But still, it's lonely.

Last night Kevin got me a frozen ice-cream Snicker's bar from the 7-11. He got himself an M&M cookie ice cream sandwich. We ate them while watching Shark Week on Discovery Channel. Luckily, I didn't have any nightmares. I totally was expecting to though. Shark Week is scary!

This post really was a hodge-podge. All over the place. LOOK OUT! You never know what I may come up with next....

I can't believe my previous post

2009-08-03T13:50:00.001-04:00

received ZERO comments. Y'all suck :P

A fun little game...

2009-07-30T14:58:00.004-04:00

Lacking inspiration for a blog post, Randi provided me with a list of various words, which I will now construct into a story. Ready...GO.

William Farquar, the 12 year old son of the Duke of Chicago, was having a rough day. At breakfast, he had demanded his usual escargo with his usual fiery passion, but alas, the royal kitchens were fresh out of these slimy snails. Believing that these slippery morsels were necessary for optimal nutrition, William decided to search for them himself. He called for his servant, Randall, and together they set off for The Coast.

It was a nasty flight, as the pilot displayed his lack of finesse in the at the wheel. Nevertheless, William and Randall arrived at The Coast, flash light in hand and the search for snails began.

Now, what you must know about Randall is this: He is quite the flamboyant type of man. When the beam from William's flash light fell on him, he got rather confused. Thinking that had been transported to perhaps a Bar of Some Sort, he began dancing and shaking and singing like a Vegas ShowGirl. Right there on the beach! William became so embarrassed of his servant (the innocent beach-goers were staring afterall!) that he quickly diverted the beam away. But the damage had been done. Everyone on the beach had seen Randall's shocking performance-in fact, the growing crowd began to clap and beg for more! Randall, never one to pass up an opportunity to "shake it", happily obliged. Meanwhile, William, out of embarrassment and hunger decided to renew his snail search.

This became a Parting of Ways. Randall was offered a record deal on the spot by a very prestigious label and gladly accepted. He would finally be moving to Texas, where he could dance and sing in a variety of famous shows-the lights, the crowds, the costumes! Oh, he could hardly wait to start his new life! Randall's greatest triumph was the day he stepped into those leather chaps for the first time.

And what of William? William left the comfort of his father's royal house to pioneer a new colony for people who believe in eating escargo for optimal nutrition. William and Randall see each other occasionally now and then, to rehash their tales over a lovely bowl of snails.

The End.

2 Year Anniversary (just a week late!)

2009-07-28T20:41:00.003-04:00

Better late than never, right?

Kevin and I have had 2 great years together. I'm so thankful for him-he's my best friend and a wonderful daddy, and I could just go on and on :P Here's some pics from our wedding day for your viewing pleasure.

Help Wanted

2009-07-22T17:44:00.001-04:00

If anyone knows how to edit the links to the right so I can get my Human Calendar back, I'd be most appreciative. Anyone? Anyone?

Tripod sitting

2009-07-21T15:15:00.001-04:00

Look at her go! I'm so proud of you, Sophie Baby!

We made it.

2009-07-19T16:53:00.004-04:00

Thank GOD I am home. What a weekend! Quick highlights-Sophie screamed, nice wedding (it only misted, not rained), Sophie screamed some more, got poop on my hand, nice reception (really strange DJ, but the food was good, it was fun), Sophie screamed, I cried out of frustration, Kevin put The Screamer to bed, had a blissfully quiet ride home (thank GOD she slept).

An extra note on the "Kevin put The Screamer to bed" part-My husband is wonderful. I was in tears in the car because I couldn't take her screaming and the windows were open (an attempt at white noise to calm her), the radio was waaay up (to try to drown out her noise), and I was getting a headache. I told him that as soon as we got to the hotel I was going to take a shower. He brought her in, got her all ready, came into the bathroom to tell me that she was fine and he was just getting her down so I could "just stay in there and relax". I then spent the remainder of my shower thinking about how much I love him and how wonderful he is to Sophie and I. What a good Daddy and husband we have!

When I got home, I quickly changed Sophie, grabbed some pasta sauce, and headed over to Becky's for lunch. Her man was running the relay too so we were both "runner's widows" for the rest of the day. It was nice to relax over there for awhile, chat, and let Sophie get back to being her smiley self. I'm not sure what was wrong with her while we were up north, but it seemed like every time we put her in her carseat she was very upset, which made the traveling unbearable. Thankfully, today she has been heavenly :) I'm glad my baby is back to her old happy ways.

I really hope I don't go crazy this weekend.

2009-07-16T12:16:00.002-04:00

Here's the jam-packed agenda:

Today: Kevin leaves for North, work, soccer game, packing
Tomorrow: To Brighton, running 12 MILES (please pray for me), shopping, and driving North
Saturday: Houghton Lake fun family day with Kev and Sophie and wedding
Sunday: Sophie and I drive home, lunch/afternoon hangout with Becky and the boys, Kevin comes home that night

Kev is doing the Great Lakes Relay so he has to drive separately and go up today. I'm just a lil stressed about a full few days away from home-Sophie's first true "trip", and having to drive all by myself (well, I'll be with Sophie, but she's not a great traveling companion as she either sleeps or cries the whole way. Let's hope she sleeps.) Ahh! Well, I'm sure we'll get some great pictures out of the deal for me to post in my Monday "weekend update". Have a great weekend everyone!

Sophie is 4 months old!

2009-07-14T08:01:00.003-04:00

Actually, the big day was yesterday, but I didn't get on blogger yesterday so here it is! She: rolls both ways, enjoys her jumparoo, "talks" constantly, sticks out her tongue, listens to stories and looks at the pictures, tries to scoot after a toy, loves to cuddle, loves baths, sleeps wonderfully, sucks her thumb, is a happy girl :)

I love you, SweeetPea!

Out of the blue...

2009-07-10T14:22:00.005-04:00

I'm here at work, which is exactly where I am usually not on a Friday, and all of a sudden I'm transported in my mind to a large flea-market in Zambia. It was outside of this little mall, where we ate hamburgers and french fries and drank Fanta. It was in a parking lot. There were many stalls, it was pretty large. There were people sitting on blankets, spread out on the asphalt, displaying their carved bowls and jewelry. There were "walls" set up so vendors could display their wall hangings, rugs, paintings on cloth. More jewelry. I don't think I bought anything at this market. I remember talking with some tourists from Michigan. On the other side of the world, at flea-market, in a crowded parking lot, amidst jewelry, paintings, bowls, purses-I met people from Michigan.

How small (how big?) can this world really be?

Say it, don't spray it-

2009-07-06T16:09:00.004-04:00

I want the news, not the weather. This post is going to have absolutely nothing to do with the title. I'm okay with that.

This weekend was fantastic. Friday we ran with the Goods, then went to their house for a pasta dinner. YUM and FUN. That night we enjoyed the fireworks at Cascades with the Tates and Josnelly and family. Sophie slept through the first part of the fireworks, but woke up about halfway through. She was wide-eyed with wonder. It was really cool to see her experience the fireworks for the first time-she loved them! Saturday, we went to Brighton where I ran my long run (10 freakin miles, baby!) with Steph, who is amazing and did the WHOLE THING with me! It was so nice to have someone to talk to on my looooong looonnng run, rather than spending those 2 hours by myself. We had a cookout with the neighbors and swam in the pool. What a great day. Sunday-went to church, had lunch, and then the three of us headed over to Lime Lake to do our running. Kevin said he felt amazing, which is great because he's been battling aches and pains for so long now. Sophie napped in the jogger, making it a peaceable run for me. Kevin made some excellent chicken fajitas for dinner that night too. I love weekends with lots of family togetherness, and that's what I got this past weekend. My, my, what an informative paragraph.

I cannot believe that Sophie is almost 4 months old. In some ways it seems like she's been part of our family forever, yet in other ways it seems like only yesterday that we brought her home. She has changed so much from the tiny newborn she once was. I love being her mom and watching her experience new things. Like the fireworks or her jumparoo. It's hard to explain how happy it makes me to see her happy. When she laughs at our silly faces or smiles when we talk to her, oh! It just melts my heart! She's more beautiful than I ever could have imagined her to be. When I was pregnant, I constantly wondered what she would look like, what she would be like. She's so much MORE than I ever dreamed and the picture I had of her just keeps getting fuller and brighter. Does that make sense?

I bought a little notebook because I've been sort of keeping a mini journal of her days. Not everyday, just sometimes, to make note of when she does new things. I've been writing them down, one sentence "updates" in a different notebook, but I finally got a special one that I'll have just for her. Since we don't have a baby book, this will sort of take the place of that. It'll be cool to look back in a year and say "oh look! one year ago you rolled over for the first time!" or something like that.

Jumparoo and Sophie Too!

2009-07-03T13:51:00.005-04:00

Let me begin by telling you how proud I am of myself for assembling this thing on my own without a single tear of frustration. Or braking anything. It was easy! I was so itching to get a Jumparoo for Sophie, mainly because she is such a mover now that it's hard to keep her entertained on the floor. If we put her on her play mat, she flips over and a) looks up at the toys for about 2 minutes before trying to bury her head on the floor or b) goes straight to burying her head or c) rolls and rolls and rolls again so that she's halfway across the room. Since I give her plenty of floor time to practice her scooting skills, she still needed something to play in so that she wouldn't get frustrated. So voila-jumparoo!

A year ago today...

2009-07-01T10:00:00.002-04:00

I found out I was pregnant! I took the test at like 5am because I had to go to work at JoAnn's. Upon having a mini heart attack at seeing it was positive, I woke up Kevin and said, "There are two lines! TWO LINES!" He smiled a bit and said "Oh MY GOD", gave me a hug, and went back to sleep. We were scared, but happy, and had no idea how much our lives would change. I'm trying to find the pic of my test, but no luck! I'll have to post it later.

To prove they met.

2009-06-30T21:46:00.002-04:00

On Friday I briefly hung out with Katie and Allison. Katie was in town for her brother's wedding, and since she lives in Texas we just HAD to get together. Who knows when our next opportunity would be? It's strange. Here are girls that I've been friends with for years, back when we used to dream about husbands and babies, back when we'd skinny dip at Pine Hills after a long day of working in the kitchen, back when we'd run the trails at Bishop Lake. The strange part is that nothing has changed. We're different people, but we're really the same. So much time has passed, but really no time has passed. This is the type of friendship that Anne of Green Gables describes as "kindred spirits". I've accumulated quite a few kindred spirits over the years, come to think of it. The more the merrier!

Here's some more of my cutie:

Well here's a pretty template :)

2009-06-25T10:21:00.003-04:00

My girl is rolling back to front now! She's such a CHAMP!

She won't play on her playmat anymore, she just tries to roll! She is not content on her back. But she's not exactly content trying to roll either. My my, she is very loud! It's hard work being a big 3 1/2 monther!

Full.

2009-06-22T16:54:00.004-04:00

A full weekend, that is (was). Full of both plans and emotions. Since I don't work on Fridays, that's when my weekends begin. But since I can't remember what I did on Friday, Saturday is when this post will begin...get it?

Saturday morning I was up bright and early (as usual!) with Sophie. Changed her, fed her, got her set up playing on her mat. Saturdays and Sundays are the only days I can run without Sophie since Kevin is home, so as soon as she was set I was out the door. I decided to go to Cascades for my long run, mainly because a few simple loops and my run is done. My legs were dead though, and I was a bit distracted emotionally-thinking about Kara and Di leaving, so in the end I didn't run as much as I wanted/needed to. That's ok. Running isn't nearly everything. Then I went over to see off the friends. It was sad, but happy, but mostly sad (for me). They're moving on, I'm staying here, and that's ok. I've got Kevin and Sophie-what else do I need? These two will always be my dear friends (there's no getting rid of me!) and Kara will actually be back for a few months in the fall. I'm so excited for both of them-conquering the world!

Later that day Kevin's family came over for burgers and to see our apartment. Fun times. MB and I did a little swim suit photo session with her. So cute!

Sunday we went to church and then headed out to Brighton. Big family party! It turned out to be a very emotional gathering as my grandpa decided to have all the dads in attendance share their thoughts on fatherhood. I really think that having a baby around is causing nostalgia for everyone, and making everyone reminisce on baby days, growing up, etc. I was tearing up a bit just during his "introduction", but then when my dad spoke, and then Kevin-well oh my word-I was a puddle! My Aunt J later told me that I have such a wonderful husband and father for my child. I must agree-Kevin is the best! I wish Steph had been there to hear dad talk about what a joy it was to raise us :)

Kevin and I took Sophie into the pool for the first time. I love watching her experience new things. She gets this surprised and almost confused look on her face, before she either a)laughs or b)cries. She's an open book! In response to swimming there was neither laughter nor crying, just surprise and wonder. I'll take that as a good sign that she'll be a water baby just like her mama. Perhaps I can figure out how to post the video later...?

Ohh ohhhh-more exciting news! We got the Sims3. I'm such an incredible dork :)

Some people have beautiful blogs. I want one.

2009-06-17T14:33:00.003-04:00

For example, see here or here. I think what it really comes down to is that these people know how to take good pictures and I do not.

Perhaps they have fancy-schmancy cameras, or are professional photographers?

Perhaps they know how to edit pictures?

Perhaps they possess crazy computing skills?

I do not know. But I'd love to get rid of "cutesy" and trade it in for "elegant"! Ideas and suggestions welcome.

So for now it's Plain Jane.

Yet another Weekend Update....

2009-06-15T13:44:00.002-04:00

comin at ya!

Friday morning I ran with Becky, and then went over to Kara's to get ready for my pedicure. Sophie was a perfect angel throughout and even fell asleep on Kara...awww!

Steph came over for lunch and happiness. We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for a wedding gift for my cuz, chatted, had a good time. She's off to OnGoal and I won't be seeing her for some time.

Saturday morning-got up early with Sophie, fed her, and then headed out to Cascades for my long run ALONE. No jogger or worrying about if the Lil Miss is going to fuss the entire time. I love running with her, but I also love running without her-ha! It was kind of raining/misting so I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but the temperature was perfect and the mist kept me nice and cool. I felt really good. I was even able to "finish strong", running the last quarter mile or so fairly hard. Such a great feeling of accomplishment after running those 7 miles! I think my training is coming along well. Overall I feel great and am really enjoying running a lot of miles.

After the great run, adrenaline rushing, I came home, showered, and got ready to head out to meet my parents in AA, to go to to Bowling Green for my cousin's wedding. Sophie was so good all day, even through getting passed around constantly and having to go longer stretches in between feedings. She's just so portable! Since I had chosen red polish at my pedicure, Sophie wore her red dress. Not that we were ever seen together-everone held my baby that day except for me! At first it was a bit of a relief and I didn't mind (since I get her all the time), but nearing the end of the night I was getting annoyed. I just wanted my baby back, she was getting tired and she needed me to rock and nurse her. After we finally left I was so relieved that the day was done! The wedding was nice though, and the reception lovely. My cousin (apparently...?) brews his own beer and wine, which was served at the reception. I don't even really like beer, but the sip I had of mom's was pretty good. I really liked the red wine-but only had about an "inch" in my glass.

After church on Sunday, Kev, Sophie, and I went up to Lansing to visit Megan and Chip. What a great afternoon! Chip was ready with burgers and corn on the grill so we ate right when we arrived. We watched some of the Spain vs. New Zealand World Cup qualifier (Spain won 5-0...they are awesome!) and then took a walk to the park to play bocce ball. So fun! Sophie was a little fussy then because she was trying to fall asleep, but I swung with her on the swing for a few minutes and she drifted off to dreamland :) We had a wonderful time with our "couple friends".

Now I'm back at work. Megan lent me the book "Multiple Blessings" by Jon & Kate, which I started and I'm officially "into". It's sad to me that their relationship is falling apart now...in the book they seem so united and encouraging toward each other. Sad how quickly that changed. Anyway, I'm off to read :)

Monkey Pals

2009-06-10T12:16:00.002-04:00

What is the purpose of...?

2009-06-09T16:21:00.003-04:00

printing out an email? I had an instructor in here today all frantic because he couldn't print out an email, he was having trouble staying logged in. I "solved the problem" for him by copying/pasting it into a word doc but...why? I don't think I've ever in my life printed out an email, unless maybe if it contained directions. Have you, dear readers? Maybe it's generational. Thoughts? I realize this is a dumb blog post.

The One where Jen asks Melanie details about the JM workout video.

2009-06-08T07:52:00.005-04:00

Which one do you do? Is it the same workout every morning, or are there a variety to choose from on a single DVD? Is it cardio, strength, both? Also, please provide any additional information that you think I might find interesting or enticing.

I've been back into running every day but I kind of want to do something else too-variety is the spice of life!

Little Cutie

2009-06-04T11:46:00.003-04:00

I love her so much!!!

Strange happenings.

2009-06-03T14:25:00.003-04:00

Strange Happening #1

Well, it all started yesterday afternoon. Here I was, minding my own business (in my own office, I might add) when who should appear-not standing at my window (staring at me) as usual- but IN my office? Why, it's Mr. Creepy! So he sits down in my extra chair, gets himself comfortable, and starts showing me various papers he has in his hand. Oh so interesting. They were papers that showed his grades, and an enrollment form for a class he has to retake. He starts chatting away and somehow it came out in the convo (not sure how he got this out of me) that it is my birthday on Saturday. The he starts talking about birthday spankings (OMG CREEPY) and "holy kisses" (OMG SUPER CREEPY) and how I'm "a nice-looking girl" (OMG GET ME OUT OF HERE). Thankfully, another student came in at this point to use the stapler in the workroom and he started talking to her, yet he was still sitting in my office. So then she came in and voila-party in my office.

Strange Happening #2

This morning while I was driving home from Lime Lake after a lovely 4-mile jog with Sophie (she slept almost the whole time!!! YES!) I almost hit 3 different animals in a span of about 2 minutes. First, there was this enormous vulture in the road, feeding off something dead. He was almost dead himself since I don't brake for birds. The thing was HUGE though. Second, I almost hit this adorable baby chipmunk. He was so scared and confused and I was practically on top of him before I even noticed him. Luckily, he froze with fright and I was able to steer so that my car passed right over him. Better to be under the car than under the wheels! He probably had a baby chipmunk heart attack, but he'll be okay. Kids are resilient. Thirdly, there was a large beaver in the road. I saw a second beaver on the opposite side, and suddenly I was imagining them as Mr. and Mrs. Beaver from the Chronicles of Narnia. I could just see Mrs. Beaver safely on the side saying (in her British accent) "Oh no Mr. Beaver! WATCH OUT!!!" Luckily, I missed him too. So here's a lil public service announcement to all those critters out there: STAY OUT OF THE ROAD, FELLAS. YOU MAY ESCAPE DEATH THIS TIME, BUT NEXT TIME YOU MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY!

Strange Happening #3

On my way to take Sophie to daycare this morning I see a guy (or girl...?) in a gorilla suit standing by the side of the road. Not too unusual, since lots of businesses are doing this sort of thing these days (does it really improve sales...?) Anyway, this gorilla was working for the car wash. In his hands he held a sign loudly proclaiming that Tuesday is "Ladies Day" at the carwash, and ladies get $2 off. Wow. Ladies Day at the carwash, hmmm? Seriously, is it a club? Wet t-shirt contest? What exactly are they going for with this promo...?

Strange and Possibly Dangerous Happening #4

After I dropped of Sophie I was on my way to work. On Michigan Ave downtown (so kind of a busy road) there was this man, who I'm assuming was blind based on the fact that he was carrying a long white stick. He was standing IN the road. Kind of off to the side, right by the curb, like he got off the sidewalk and couldn't find his way back. Hope he's ok.

I guess the moral of the story is this: Strange things happen all around you. I like to take notice every once in awhile.

Training time

2009-05-31T22:10:00.002-04:00

Well, training has officially begun. Kev helped me modify a marathon training guide to train for a 30K and to fit my 14-week timeline. I'm quite excited. I was thinking of toning it down a bit, maybe only doing the 10K, but I don't feel that that would really be challenging myself. I already know that I can run 6 miles, but I've never run 18 before. I'm up for it.

While I am pumped and ready to get to work, Sophie is not. She hates the jogging stroller, she fusses and cries the whole time. This afternoon Kevin and I took her out to the path at Lime Lake. Kev was going to run 5 miles and I was planning on going 3 with Sophie. Well, Lil Miss Fuss cried through the entire first mile, and by the time I got to the mile marker she was screaming. Screaming. Like I hadn't fed her in hours or she was in extreme pain or something. So I stopped, took her out of the stroller, and held her. She was quiet and happy, no joke, within about 5 seconds. So I gave her some cuddles for a few minutes and tried to put her back in...the instant her body was laying in the jogger she burst into tears. All-out screaming again. Repeat scenario about 5 times. Needless to say, I ended up WALKING about a mile with her in my arms and pushing the jogger with one hand, all the while receiving confused looks from the millions of people out on this beautiful day. They were thinking, Hey lady, why don't you put the kid IN the stroller...? Whatever...if only they knew...Kevin caught up with me when we were a little over half mile from the car. By then Sophie was sound asleep so I ever-so-gently eased her into the stroller and we walked back to the car together. It didn't end so bad, the three of us walking together on a beautiful day. I was just extremely frustrated because I knew I needed to start my training today.

Basically, I'm going to have to run in the evening when I get home from work. Kind of sucks because I get home at like 6:15 and I'm usually super hungry, but I'll have to eat a snack at work so that I can go right after I feed Sophie when I get home. She's not going to let me get a good run in with her in the jogger for awhile, at least not until she's a little older and can look around more. In the meantime I'll still go on some easy run/walks with Becky whenever the situation arises, because if she fusses through that it doesn't really matter-I can still run at night.

Sorry...this was probably really boring, but I was pretty frustrated today and I'm trying to figure out how I can actually do this race. One day at a time, I guess :)

What a long weekend!

2009-05-27T13:22:00.003-04:00

Seems like all I write these days on here are weekend updates. This past weekend was great. I had Friday-Tuesday off...five full days! Friday night we had a yummy bbq with Kara and Diana. Saturday-I went running by myself and then we went to my cousin's grad party in Grand Rapids in the evening with my parents. Sunday-church and Sophie and I hit the mall. Monday-in Brighton to celebrate MB's birthday and Memorial Day. Tuesday-Sophie went to daycare and Kara, Di, and I went to Lansing for some Barnes & Noble and Chipotle. Really, it was all very fun and the weather was pretty good too.

Sorry, I realize this post was super boring but I actually have some work to go do right now so I need to cut it short. Perhaps I'll be back.

Another day at the office...

2009-05-21T15:21:00.005-04:00

It's dull as tombs around here. Glenn is home with a sore back, and Diane had to use up her personal time or else she'll lose it (we had to use it by the end of May) so I'm all by my lonesome here today. The phone has rung once in the 2 1/2 hours I've been here. The only other person here is Mr. Creepy. Yep, just me and Mr. Creepy hanging out. Actually, he is working furiously on his final project for tonight in the break room and I'm in my office. Whatever...anyway, the point is that it is extremely quiet. I can hear the clock ticking, and when I type the keyboard seems a lot louder than usual. I do have reason to rejoice, however, because...

I ORDERED SOPHIE'S NEW DIAPERS! I got to pick out 12 adorable colors and I just can't wait to get them. I didn't even have to pay shipping because the online store is based out of Brighton-I'll just pick them up when I'm in town next. Fantastic!

Another great reason to rejoice:

Kevin got promoted! That means a raise! He found out yesterday, and he was on cloud nine. So of course, we went to Applebee's to celebrate. I even ordered a Strawberry Daiquiri (delish!). I was planning on giving Sophie a bottle for her nighttime feeding because of the alcohol but I totally forgot...oops. She seemed normal, so I'm assuming that she barely got any alcohol if she got any at all. Plus, there's not a lot of alcohol in a strawberry daiquiri anyway, so...whatever.

P.S. 10 points to you if you can tell me the movie what "dull as tombs" is from.

Please Google before asking.

2009-05-20T16:17:00.004-04:00

Very strong Indian accent and a bad phone connection, I could barely make out the words:

Me: Hello, Spring Arbor University Jackson site, this is Jen-
Caller: Hi. What is the number for the church?
Me: I'm sorry. The church?
Caller: The Spring Arbor church.
Me: This is the Jackson site of the university.
Caller: I know, do you have their number?
Me: Well, no, but I have a phone book...
Caller: I also have a phone book. It has every number for a Free Methodist Church except for the one in Spring Arbor.
Me: Okay...did you look on the internet...?
Caller: No, no not yet.
Me: Well...do you want me to look for you...?
Caller: No, no, I'll call someone else.

Haha ok, lady. First, I'm pretty sure that the phone book has the number for the church. Secondly, why would you call me before looking on the internet? Thirdly, if you have both the phone book and the internet sources available to you...why are you calling me? This is the Jackson site, the church is not right next door. And even if it was main campus, it's not like the church IS the university. They are separate things. I'm not annoyed or anything, I just thought it was kind of funny. People people, save yourself some work and just GOOGLE IT!

Why, yes, this is my third post today.

2009-05-18T17:39:00.001-04:00

Thank you for noticing. Do you like my new look?

New favorite picture of my baby

2009-05-18T15:23:00.003-04:00

Sophie rolled over (front to back) one time last week. Since then she's been working so hard to do it again, but with no success (yet!) She's getting so good at holding up her head! Proud of you, baby.

And now your weekend update (plus Wal-Mart commentary)

2009-05-18T14:50:00.007-04:00

~Friday~

Sophie had a doctor's appointment in the morning-she had to get her 2 month shots! Poor girl! They kept us waiting so she was already crying (because she was hungry) when she received the shots :( Poor girl.

Steph came over for lunch. We made some cheesy potato soup and delicious turkey-pesto-provolone sandwiches.

~Saturday~

We finally got the jogging stroller that I've been talking about for weeks now. I'm starting my training soon for my 30K so this was a necessary purchase. Kev, Sophie, and I went out to the Babies R Us in Ann Arbor to pick it out. Come to find out that the thing doesn't actually fit in our car without taking the wheels off! Oh well, it's still awesome! After BRU we went over to Briarwood so we could go to the Apple store to see if we could get our mouse fixed. Sophie was sleeping so I carried her in, and we just wandered around the mall for a bit. We went into this really cool toy store with sweet wooden puzzles, "brio"-esque train sets, dress up stuff, etc. We didn't buy anything, but it'll be cool to pick out some fun "learning" games for Sophie when she's a bit older.

~Sunday~

Church in the morning, then my last game in the afternoon. We won, but apparently we weren't keeping score. Not sure why, but whatever. I'm just happy to play :)My parents came out and brought us a delicious chicken casserole and green beans. Also, my mom brought Sophie's new quilt! Here's a pic of Sophie on it-I think she likes it!

After dinner we decided to take a little walk around the apartments to try out the new stroller-poor Sophie fussed the whole time, so our "little" walk was very short indeed.

Ah, so now I'm back at work. Nice and quiet. I had to go to Wal-Mart to get the candy for "Mug Night" (last night of classes). Of course, I saw the same things I always see at Wal-Mart:

1. People in pajamas (kids and adults)
2. A mullet hairstyle (this one was on an innocent 3-year old girl-POOR THING)
3. Teenagers shouting loudly to their friends in different aisles (I wish I were as cool as you).
4. Angry mothers yelling at kids who are doing nothing visibly wrong ("What you doin' climbin on the cart like that??? YOU KNOW BETTER THAN THAT).

Not kidding, I see these things EVERY TIME I go to Wal-Mart. Just look, and I'll bet you will too. I also saw this very overweight child in the parking lot, sucking down a 20 (maybe bigger...is there a bigger size before the 2 liter? If so, then this is what it was) 0z. Pepsi. This doesn't have so much to do with Wal-Mart (or perhaps it does...?) but instead makes me extremely sad for a few reasons.
1. The boy was drinking a pop that was waaaayyy too much for a child. Probably over 200 calories in that drink alone.
2. He should have been in school.
3. He was getting yelled at by his dad for walking too slowly.

Maybe this is going to sound judgmental, but so be it: Perhaps if your kid was in school where he should be, and/or perhaps if you didn't let him drink huge pops he wouldn't be so overweight and he would walk at a speed more to your liking. Or, maybe if you want your kid to listen to you, perhaps you should speak more kindly to him.

But what do I know, right? My kid is only 2 months old...

2 months old!

2009-05-14T12:02:00.004-04:00

My Kid is a Champ

2009-05-11T13:58:00.005-04:00

I've got to say-Sophie has been such a champ these past few days. Seriously, the kid is "portable" as my mom put it. She does great in the car, she likes meeting new people, and she pretty much only cries when she is getting hungry. We brought the playmat with us out to Brighton yesterday and she had everyone enthralled by her adorable smiles and coos. She likes to just lay there, make cute noises, kick her legs, and look at the toys. Of course, she did get lots of cuddles too!

Since it's usually all about the food with me, let me just rave for a moment about my lunch at Friday's yesterday. De-licious! It was salmon with pasta and this wonderful garlicky cream sauce. I was in heaven! So, if you go there, you should order the Cedar-Smeared Salmon Pasta. We took Kevin's mom out for Mother's Day. His dad brought the sudoku from the paper-I was a happy camper :)

There are some yummy brownies here at work today, and some pop. I love pop. I love browines too for that matter. Looks like I might be running 4 miles tonight, rather than 3!

Sophie's big smile!

2009-05-08T08:43:00.003-04:00

I'm a total blog-slacker, so I'm just going to say a bunch of things at once.

2009-05-07T17:08:00.005-04:00

I feel as though I haven't written a real post in awhile. I'm sorry. Just not too much going on. Sophie is growing, I'm back at work, the weather is pretty nice...same stuff! Let's see what random tidbits I can dig up in the 20 minutes I have left at work.

#1
Mr. Creeper is so loving that I'm back to work. He's up to his old tricks-standing at my window...looking at me...making incredibly awkward conversation. He told me I should go to this concert on Tuesday night at SAU. I told him "no thank you, Tuesday is Turkey Chili and Biggest Loser night". He then asked me if I thought he should go on the Biggest Loser. This guy is overweight, so of course I think he should. I just shrugged my shoulders and said "if you want to". Could I make it any more obvious that I'm not real interested in talking to him...? I don't want to be mean. Please, Mr. Creeper don't make me be mean.

#2
Never attempt to put a headband on my baby.

#3
I went for a lovely walk with Becky and the boys this morning. We're having a cookout on Saturday too! I am greatly enjoying having a "mom-friend" because 1)She knows what the heck she's doing 2)Sophie automatically has some buddies 3)She likes to exercise and 4)She's very easy to make conversation with. As an added bonus, her husband is a runner and is already friends with Kevin. Works out nicely, doesn't it?!

#4
We had a staff meeting yesterday morning out in Dearborn. The meeting was okay, but the highlight of my morning was the Italian-themed potluck lunch. My co-worker Russ brought canolies. Holy-camoley, I love canolies. Someone also brought tiramisu. YUM. That's why I always enjoy staff meetings-the food is incredible. I also get to duck out of work half hour early today so that I don't go over on my hours.

#5
I found this hilarious birthday card for my dad. He's turning 50 on Monday. On the front it said "It's your birthday! Don't just stand there". And then on the inside: "At least, not without some assistance". I seriously laughed out loud in the store and knew right away that it was the winner :)

#6
Sophie is such a smiley, happy baby. She can play for about an hour on her own-either on her playmat or in her bouncer chair-just smiling and laughing at the toys. It is so cute. This morning I was laying down and I held her up in the air (Superman!) and she gave me the biggest grin. I about died of happiness! She smiled AT me! I made her happy!

#7
I've found a race. Kevin is going to do a 30K in August (that's around 18 miles, folks) and so I decided I am going to do it too. I've been running every night this week and I'm really enjoying it. I love rediscovering old loves, and running is definitely an old flame :)

#8
Speaking of rediscovering old loves, I have not used my crockpot since the move. But what shall I make? I really want to make a soup of some kind, but really anything will do. Any suggestions? If you suggest what I end up making you are automatically invited for dinner. So suggest away.

Alright, well I'm outta here! Time to go home to my loving husband and smiley baby girl!

And now a poem.

2009-05-05T16:40:00.006-04:00

Arm-chair Travel: Diana

with my coffee cup a-steaming,
i sit here, mind a-dreaming
of far-off lands (i'm travel-scheming!)
in my rocking chair.

Forego handshakes and hugs.

2009-04-30T16:55:00.004-04:00

The swine flu thing is driving me nuts. I feel really bad that people who have died from it, but to call it a pandemic is absurd. I'm not keeping my kid home from daycare, I'm still going to go to the grocery store (and boy do I need to), and while I don't mind foregoing handshakes, I DO mind foregoing hugs. (This was advice I received in an email from the Holton Health Center on campus). Life still needs to continue, people. They also recommended to leaving campus to avoid spreading the disease to others as a treatment option. Ummmm...?

This morning I was a total brainiac and completely forgot Sophie's bottles in the refrigerator. We were just about to daycare and I was going to be perfectly on-time to work, but then lightning struck me (figuratively) and I remembered the bottles. So I had to jet home, sprint inside to retrieve them, and then step on it to drop her off and to get to work. It was raining too. So my hair was curly-ish (from the rain) and I was 6 minutes late. Good thing it doesn't really matter!

We keep getting teased with spring-even summery-ish weather. When will it really be spring? Also, I'm sick of all this wind. Wind makes it difficult to enjoy a truly beautiful day because your hair blows in your face. Even when I put it in a pony-tail it flies out and into my face.

Started my next book club pick, The Reader, a few days ago. I like it. It's weird, but intriguing. I like weird books anyway. I plan on renting this one. Di, did you see this movie?

Went running this morning with a gal from bookclub. Fun! We ended up walking a lot, but that's ok. I'm eeeaassing back into it.

I'm one of those moms...

2009-04-27T08:15:00.009-04:00

that take pics of every single thing. I've never been the one to tote around a camera, but here I am every few days posting more pics of my little one! She is just so darn cute, I can't NOT take her picture :)

She's home!

Playing...

Summer Memories

2009-04-24T08:32:00.003-04:00

In response to Di's post on her 17th summer. Inspired by our viewing of 17 Again.

I worked at this expensive (but oh-so-delicious)"frozen custard" shop. It's not ice cream. It's custard, get it right or pay the price. My one main memory of the summer was when I had just got done sweeping the floor and my manager came back with the broom and said (accusingly)"I thought you swept the floor?", as she then proceeded to sweep it again. Fine, butthole, if I don't sweep well enough for you, why don't you just do it in the first place?

Other than that, I remember running a ton. We'd meet early in the morning for cross country practice starting in July, and members of the guys team would come to the HS parking lot (at 7:30am!) just to drive around us in a circle blasting "Sexual Healing" as we were waiting for people to arrive. This guy also had a "spoiler" on the back of his car made out of Code Red boxes. As you (Diana) would say "Winner winner chicken dinner".

~Earth Day~

2009-04-22T16:15:00.003-04:00

Sophie and I celebrated Earth Day with a walk at Cascades. She slept through most of it, but then started wailing towards the end. When hunger strikes...

Since it was super windy we didn't do too much more outside. I decided to appreciate the earth by looking out my living room window :)

Steph's coming home tomorrow! I made some irresistible peanut butter cookies to take with me to the airport. I'm sure Steph will appreciate some good ole American goodies!

Sophie almost has enough neck strength to sit in her Bumbo chair. She likes it for a few minutes though, so I can tell that once she gains the strength I'll have free hands again :) Here's some pictures that I too yesterday. They were taken over a period of about 30 seconds. Can you say "moody"?!

Where have I been?

2009-04-20T12:41:00.002-04:00

You could definitely say that my blogging has taken a nosedive since Sophie has been born. But lets face it, it's hard to type one-handed. I mean, I could do it, but it would take forever! I have a rare quick moment right now when she is in her crib, "talking" to herself so I thought I'd take advantage of it.

We're getting used to life with a baby. It's wonderful and exciting, but also very challenging, tiring, and sometimes frustrating. We've learned some tricks though: like the magic of the swaddle. Really helps calm her down. She won't take a pacifier so when she is really out of control I have to feed her to satisfy that sucking reflex. I've been reading "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and it has really helped us through some major crying episodes. Most of the time though, Sophie is either happy or sleeping. She's very alert and curious, and I love watching her discover new things.

First soccer game of the spring season was yesterday. Since Kara wasn't back yet from her half marathon weekend trip (whooo hooooo!) I was the only girl and had to play the entire game! WOW. Welcome back to me. It felt good to play again for sure, but I wouldn't have minded having a sub! I did score a goal though. It was fun fun fun.

Alright, I'm going to go sneak a nap now that she's asleep!

Sophie Plays!

2009-04-08T09:25:00.005-04:00

The move went successfully. Saturday was the big day and since we had lots of help it went smoothly and quickly. Everything is pretty much put away in its proper place now, and we're settled in.

Sophie has been growing! I can tell that she is getting heavier and she is so much more alert. We got out her play mat last night and she loved it! She was so enthralled by the toys and colors. She even reached for the toys a few times. She's smiling at us and cooing, and makes all sorts of adorable "talking" noises to herself.

Finally back at it.

2009-03-30T10:21:00.004-04:00

On Sunday I did something I have not done in many months (like...8?!). I.Went.Running. It was cloudy, and cold, and I didn't care. I even wore shorts (which I bitterly regretted mid-run). I only ran 2 miles. It was wonderful.

I had completely forgotten one of the reasons I love running: it inspires me to write. Weird, I know, but while I'm running, the rhythmic step, step, step somehow makes the words flow. I wrote this wonderful blog post in my head and hopefully I can recreate it now...

I love running and soccer for completely opposite reasons. With running, the first time out after a long hiatus is always the hardest physically, easiest mentally (at least for me). In other words, it gets easier every time you do it. Mentally, I'm so excited to be out there, re-energized by the feeling of the warm air and sunshine. I usually have some great commentary going in my head when I start out too-I am so fit, I am awesome, look at all these people walking (scoff!), they can't run like ME...But then I get slapped back to reality a bit when I realize that I'm pretty winded and I've barely run half a mile, my legs and feet are sore already, and I'm counting down the minutes until I can let myself be finished.

Soccer, on the other hand gets more difficult the more you play. Sure, you master skills, learn where to make runs, see the game unfold a few plays ahead, but it does get harder. The competition gets harder. There's always things you could have done better, unlike with running where you can completely reach your goal of running a certain time. With soccer there are a million choices, very few of them "wrong", but all of them produce certain outcomes which may be good, better, or best. With running, you mainly compete against yourself, rarely others. But with soccer, you're constantly battling with yourself to make the best possible choices on the field and at the same time competing against another team, full of individuals doing the same.

So, I love running because it is self-rewarding. The more you do it the easier it gets. And I love soccer because it does not just get easier-it's much harder to measure goals. Sure, you may win the big game, but did you make the best possible choice every time you got the ball, every run you made?

Ok, that didn't come out quite as I had written it in my head, but I still think I got my point across. Thoughts?

Life with Sophie

2009-03-24T14:09:00.003-04:00

My, my, how my life has changed! It's hard to believe that we're going on two weeks with Sophie! I've gotten quite good at preparing meals, typing, etc. one-handed. I've done at least a load of laundry every day since we've been home. And as of a few days ago I'm actually sleeping in LATER than I ever really have before :) (She's slept from about 3am-9:30ish three days in a row). Thanks to the wonders of breastfeeding I'm already practically back to my regular weight. My tummy just looks a little bit flabby, but it seems like a bunch of fat got sucked out of my legs, butt, and face.

She is a really good baby. She only really cries loudly when she's hungry. Sometimes she gets fussy when she needs her diaper changed or when she wants to be cuddled, but she's so dang cute you can't really get too annoyed:)

Things are going pretty well overall. I'm feeling good, just tired from not getting continuous sleep (even though she's sleeping pretty well at night I still have to wake up to pump). It's also very draining feeding her so often. Sometimes during the day she'll want too eat every hour or so (and each feeding takes around 20 min.). That doesn't give me much of a break! I know she'll settle into a good routine soon. When I'm starting to feel stressed or overwhelmed by her, I tell myself that these are the days that every parent wishes they could go back to-when their child needed them completely, loved to be snuggled, the baby days. I don't want to wish her to grow up quickly-I want to cherish every day and stage of her life.

Currently our house is full of piles of stuff and boxes-we're moving in a week! I'll be so glad when the move is over and we're all settled into our new apartment. Aaahh! I hope I don't go crazy in the process!

New moms blog at 6am, apparently.

2009-03-20T06:06:00.002-04:00

Sophie is one week old today! I can't believe that a week ago from right now I was in labor. What they say is true-time flies!

The first two nights home were pretty rough. Kevin and I got through it though. Fed her, changed her, tried to get her down to sleep. We found out real quick that she hated her bassinet, so she's been sleeping in her crib since. That's better anyway. The bassinet had a really thin mattress so I don't blame her for preferring what my dad calls the "Cadillac of crib mattresses".

She is such a good baby. She sleeps a lot during the day, and is sometimes a bit fussy at night, but really only cries when she needs something. We've taken her to the pediatrician and the store (a few times!) and she's done well at all of them. She loves sleeping in her carseat!

Kevin went back to work yesterday so we had to come up with a plan of action for the night. He was able to get 5 hours, and I got 6! I was very happy with that.

ALright, I know this has been kind of dry and informative but she's fallen asleep so I'm off to bed for a few more hours (hopefully)! I may have to peek in on her first though-just to see that adorable face :)

New pictures!

2009-03-17T13:42:00.004-04:00

She's Here!

2009-03-14T22:17:00.006-04:00

Sophie Joy Gienapp was born at 2:22pm on 3/13. She was 7lbs. 6 oz. and 21 inches long. And she's BEAUTIFUL!

My contractions started at around 7:30pm on Thursday night, and grew steadily stronger and closer together. We ended up going to the hospital around 4am, and we started to walk the halls around 9. The doc broke my water around 12:30, and then my contractions got very painful very quickly! When I finally asked for the epidural I found out that I was dilated to 8cm! It was too late to get the epidural so I was going to have to tough it out without it. Those contractions through those last two centimeters were horrible-the most pain I've ever been in, but I felt ready to push and pushing was the only thing that took the edge off the pain of the contractions. Kevin was so encouraging-he was awesome through the whole day. He has been so amazing with her too, and has gained so much confidence in holding her and taking care of her in just one day of practice. He's such a good daddy! We're so in love with Sophie!

News!

2009-03-11T11:53:00.002-04:00

I'll be induced on Monday morning if I don't go on my own by then! FINALLY-a date!

Vital Information for your Everyday Life

2009-03-08T21:58:00.002-04:00

First of all, there will be no vital information for your everyday life in this post. If that's what you're looking for, please search elsewhere. I just thought it was a cool title, and a great throwback to All That (ohhhh uh ohhhhhh)...

Friday was fun, going to the "dumpy" Soccer Zone in Lansing, then Chipotle and B&N with Di and Kara. I'm glad I went and that I didn't let the fear of going into labor in public keep me from doing something fun. Hey, it may be the last time for quite awhile that we get to do something like that together. And I didn't go into labor, so had I not gone I would have sat at home....

...like I did ALLLL day Saturday. Literally, I spent the entire day in the house, and it would be accurate to say that I spent ALMOST the entire day in my comfy chair. The comfy chair isn't so comfy after you've been sitting in it for 8 hours. I would have loved to have gone for a walk or something, but it was pouring. So instead I played about 50 games of Monopoly on Kev's ipod.

After church this morning, the sitting in the comfy chair continued...and it didn't help that about 150 people on my pregnancy message board went into labor this morning. Everyone was putting up posts like "I'm off to the hospital-my water just broke!" or "I've been having contractions for the past hour and a half, 5 minutes apart, we're leaving for the hospital. Wish me luck!" UGH. If I'm honest with myself I can't be genuinely happy for these people because they were all like 37-38 weeks, and that just makes me feel like a horrible person-because how can you not be happy for someone who is about to meet their child? I'll tell you how...when you're overdue you are bitter!!!

So I quit the "board" for the day because it was way too depressing and broke out Kev's ipod again. I even downloaded two new games :) Around dinner time, he randomly said something about Mexican Jones (his dad's restaurant) and we both kind of looked at each other like, ohhh that sounds good! We were both so sick of two days sitting around, waiting for this baby to decide to come out, that we decided to drive to Brighton for dinner at the restaurant. There were a bunch of accidents on 94 and it took us like 45 minutes to get three exits down, but still it was worth it just to get out of the house! And who knows, maybe the spicy food will help labor to start?!

At least I know that in a week from now I'll have my baby :)

This house sold-we're moving (and sooooon!)

2009-03-07T17:35:00.004-05:00

This morning we found out that the house sold. Yippie! We've been hoping that it would, both for our sakes (the sooner we move the more money we save) but also for the sake of the owner's. Seriously, these people needed to sell this house and we're really happy for them that they did so quickly.

Buuutttt when it rains it pours, I guess! We need to be completely out by April 10, so Kevs' going to call Trillium on Monday and get it all sorted out so we can start moving in the first of April. That's in 3 like weeks! And we're going to have a tiny newborn baby!

So Kevin and I spent some time this afternoon going through a bunch of junk in the JUNK CLOSET. We were able to consolidate down from about six boxes to one, which was awesome, freeing up a ton of boxes and helping us to eliminate some junk. Kevin said to me, "I think I have a tendency to be a bit of a pack-rat...". I kind of gave him that look that says "Uhhh you think so?" He's not too bad, but in reality, most of that junk was his :) I did get rid of a ton of my own crap too though, to be fair. Now I'm trying to think ahead so I can start packing other things that we aren't going to be needing in the next month or so. Obviously, a bunch of Sophie's "big" clothes we won't be using (unless she's a 10 pounder, dear Lord please don't let her be a 10 pounder!!!) Books, movies, some of our clothes, some kitchen stuff...the list goes on!

Oddly, I'm not too stressed about it. I think I'm going to go kick Kevin off the Nintendo (he just took over my game of Dr. Mario...)

It's Finally a BEAUTIFUL DAY!

2009-03-06T13:40:00.003-05:00

I had another non-stress test this morning, everything looked good. Quite uneventful. I did feel pretty crampy throughout the night last night and this morning, but nothing major since then. After my appointment I decided to take advantage of the warm temperature and of being in town and I walked about 3 miles at Cascades. It was warm, but kind of windy. It felt so good though.

Now the sun is out. Hallelujah! I just called Di, she gets off work at 3pm, and we're going on another walk then. Score! I know it's risky, but I'm going up to Lansing with Kara and Di tonight for their team's game, Barnes and Noble, and Chipotle. Who knows if all this walking will send me into labor tonight though? Bah! But I don't want to just pass up doing fun stuff because then I'll be even more disappointed if I don't have the baby. Might as well go and have fun, and if I do go into labor-BONUS! It's only Lansing, we'd have plenty of time to get back to the hospital here and Kevin could meet us. I've thought it through.

Seeing the sun changes my mood completely. Hopefully it's here to stay!

Last belly picture!

2009-03-05T22:05:00.004-05:00

40 weeks, 1 day:

This one is from last week, but I think it's cute!

P.S. This is my 200th post! WOW.

Funny Post Office Story

2009-03-05T16:50:00.004-05:00

I went downstairs for my daily trip to the post office (I take down the office mail). Anyway, I had to stand in line today because Kev and I needed some stamps. This lady steps up the the adjacent counter as I'm buying my stamps and starts complaining to the nice lady behind the counter...here is the convo:

Postal Worker: Hi! How can I help you?
Complainer: The UPS man won't leave my package on the porch and I can't be home to get it! How am I supposed to get my package? (She's not super mad, just WHINYYYY!)
Postal Worker: Um...the UPS man?
Complainer: YES...?
Postal Worker: Well, mam, we're not UPS. This is the United States Postal Service.
Complainer: Ummmm...uh....what?
Postal Worker: You're going to have to talk to UPS about this.
Complainer: Well...Do you have their number? Where are they located?
Postal Worker: Well, mam, they are our competition...I don't think we have their number around here. You'll have to look it up in the phone book....
Complainer: UGGGGHHHHH (dramatic sigh) I was just thinking post office-UPS-same thing...
Postal Worker: No...we're not the same thing. Sorry.

Complainer then rolls her eyes, walks away.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to finish my transaction, put the stamps on my letters, and not completely lose it!

Happy Due Date to Me! Happy Birthday to Steph!

2009-03-04T10:01:00.002-05:00

Today is my little sister's 21st birthday! What a big girl! Hope you have a great day Steph and enjoy a "special Japanese beverage".

Today is also my due date. Usually on my pregnancy message board (thebump.com) it says "Hi Jen! You are _ weeks pregnant! Only _ weeks to go!" Today it said "Hi Jen! Today is your child's birthday!" Deception!

Anyway, I've come to accept that Sophie will be late. This morning I had a non-stress test and she did great. They hooked me up to the heartrate monitor and I had to push a button every time I felt her move. I could see on the screen that every time she was moving her heart rate accelerated, which is just what is supposed to happen. So she passed the test. I have to go back on Friday, and again on Tuesday. The nurse said,

Now, the only way you'll get out of these appointments is if you have your baby!

She also told me,

I never had the misfortune of being late. All of my babies came early!

Pin a rose on your nose.

Kevin is home sick again today. Poor guy! He was in lots of pain last night, although I was able to coax him out of bed to watch the Biggest Loser. He talked to his mom and she seemed to think he is dehydrated, so I went and got him some gatorade from the gas station. He says he feels a lot better today, so hopefully he'll be back to his ole self tomorrow.

The sun is shining! This makes me very happy, even though it's still cccold!

Again, no change :(

2009-03-03T13:44:00.004-05:00

I went into my appointment this morning with optimism like a balloon, hoping that they'd check me and I'd be 4cm and they'd just send me on up to L&D. Well, that balloon popped right when the doc checked me and said that I was still 1 cm. Like I have been for a month now. You'd think there would have been SOME sort of change at least, maybe to 2 cm? Any sort of indication that my body is getting ready to give birth would be a welcome sign. *sigh*

Anyway, I have to go to L&D in the morning for a Non-Stress Test. Basically, they'll hook me up to the machinery to monitor the baby for about a half hour. I'm going to have to continue to have these tests every few days until the baby comes. TERRIFIC!

I realize these posts are becoming whiny and you're probably all thinking something along the lines of "Geez Jen, calm down. Your baby will be here within a week or so". If this is in fact what you are thinking, please don't write it in the comments. I will slap you! I want happy comments like "Jen, you are incredible! Your baby is just getting more beautiful in there! You look so hot for being 40 weeks pregnant!" You get the idea.

Wow!

2009-03-02T08:27:00.006-05:00

I cannot believe that I'm due this week. Wednesday. 2 days away. WOW. On the one hand it seems like yesterday that we found out that we were pregnant, on the other it seems like we've been waiting and getting ready for her arrival forever. Either way, I'm definitely ready to be a mommy and to hold my baby!

This week hasn't brought too many real changes in how I feel physically. Like last week, I feel huge and uncomfortable. Sitting, standing, and laying down all hurt after about 2 minutes and I have to move (somehow I've been able to sleep well at night though-thank God!) In the past few days I've had some painful contractions here and there, nothing timeable, but definitely what I'd describe as "strong cramping". Maybe this means something good!

Kev and I have an appt tomorrow morning. I'm pretty nervous about it because I desperately want them to tell me that I'm dilated quite a bit and should be having this baby very soon. If not, then I could be waiting another week more. And that, my friends, would not be fun. I know, I know, she'll come when she's ready. But come on already!

I'm happy to see the sun shining these past few days, but it is still FREEZING!!! Saturday wasn't too too bad; Kev and I went for a walk on the path. We hadn't been on a walk together probably since the fall so it was really fun to do that with him. Going on walks together is something we've always enjoyed and it's so frustrating to not be able to do it because of the weather (yet another reason to move to warmer temperatures in the future!)

Here's a convo I had with Kev yesterday:
Kevin: Will Sophie be able to sit up by the end of the summer?
Me: She should. Why?
Kevin: We can take her to Lake Michigan!!!

Ohh I can't wait for that day!

We had such a relaxing weekend. Obviously we didn't have any plans, not knowing if we would have had the baby or what, so it was nice to just hang out around the house together. Friday afternoon I went to the library before picking Kevin up from work. We used the Applebee's gift card Friday night (yummy!) and went to Bible study in Brighton. Saturday and Sunday we just hung out at the house. I've taken up playing "Monopoly Here And Now" on Kev's ipod, and I finally won on my own! YES. I also finished an "evil" samurai-sudoku, and started reading "The Language of God" that I got from the library. Ohh, and I broke out the old Nintendo too. Kev's too scared to play Dr. Mario with me (he gets frustrated by the "pause" that happens when I get rid of a "virus" and thinks the game is unfair on 2 player...chicken...).

This is long and newsy-yet not newsy because nothing has really happened so I think I'll spare you all the boredom and end here. This morning I'm off to Meijer and I also need to clean up around here a bit because a bunch of realtors are coming over tomorrow to look at the house. Please pray that this house sells, and that Sophie comes very soon!

39 weeks today!

2009-02-25T08:02:00.002-05:00

We're getting sooooo close :)

I'm totally craving a blended iced decaf Almond Joy from Jackson Coffee Co. May have to make a lil trip over there today before work.

I finally packed my hospital bag yesterday, thinking that maybe Sophie wasn't coming because I wasn't truly ready to run out the door. Kevin still needs to put in anything he wants to bring though, so maybe once Daddy does this she'll come.

Off to Meijer to get the groceries.

Kara is AWESOME!

2009-02-23T17:48:00.001-05:00

Kara brought me flowers and Reese's cups at work :) And made me SO SO happy! THANK YOU!

Another depressing appointment, but GREAT mail!

2009-02-23T10:47:00.002-05:00

I wasn't expecting too much of a change since my last appointment was just last Thursday, but I have to admit I was at least a little bit hopeful that our walks this weekend would have produced a little bit of progress. NOPE. Still 1 cm, 50% effaced. I think the baby's head has moved down though, although the midwife didn't tell me that, just my own observation. After checking me and the baby's heartbeat, she went to talk to the doc for awhile. I was starting to think that she had forgotten about me, but then she came back and said that her and the doc had discussed my situation and determined that I'm not an "inducible soul". Had I been further dilated they would have scheduled an induction for this weekend, because my doc is on call then. DANG IT. I left annoyed at my body-I WANT MY BABY!

On the way home I called Kara and she made me feel better. Then I checked the mail-and it was an awesome mail day! Sophie's diapers came (they are adorable-I can't wait to see her cute butt in them :) ), and Kevin's mom sent us an Applebee's gift card for Valentine's Day. So something good has already happened today. It's also sunny-that's always a good thing! Sophie, wouldn't you like to be born on a SUNNY day!?

No changes...

2009-02-21T16:38:00.004-05:00

Since Tuesday's episode in L&D, there has been no progress. My appointment on Thursday wasn't very successful either. The midwife determined that the baby had flipped over to a "sunny-side up" position, which means she is still head down, but is facing out rather than towards my back. I hear this can make for a very long and even more painful delivery. Yikes! The midwife gave me some exercises that I'm supposed to do every day to help make the baby turn, so I'm hoping that by my appointment on Monday she'll have gotten herself back to where she needs to be.

The midwife also told me that the baby is still pretty small and has a lot of room in there, so I could still potentially have 2 more weeks (as of Thursday). I guess it's no good for me to be looking for every little thing as a possible sign of labor. It could still be awhile.

On Thursday I also had an appointment to get the carseat checked. I was so convinced that we had done it wrong because those directions were so confusing-but it was completely right! Go Kevin!

People were coming to look at the house this morning, so Kevin and I decided to make ourselves scarce and went to Kohls to get him some work clothes. Then we became MALL WALKERS! We only did one "lap" though, and we were walking pretty slow. We weren't anal about sticking to the pink line and we didn't plow anybody out of our way (like the regular mall walkers!) The main goal was to possibly stir up some labor, but I doubt that it did anything but make me tired! We wandered through Toys R Us and remembered all the toys we used to play with, and remarked at how different they were now compared to the ones we had. For example, the Polly Pockets they sell now are HUGE compared to what Steph and I played with, and Barbies look a lot different too. They have bigger heads. Kevin was extremely relieved to see that the Tonka trucks were still metal. He thought all the toys look super cheap now and kept saying, "ugh, we'll never buy Sophie THIS". I thought it was cute that he only wanted to buy her good quality toys! They had a train set out too, so of course we played for a little while (Kev loves trains).

Well, Kara's on her way over (with brownie mix) and I'm itching to play some UpWords (which I do need to return to Lori...) Kara's the only one who will play UpWords with me, so I have to take advantage of her being here!

Adventures in L&D

2009-02-18T08:38:00.004-05:00

Yesterday at work I thought my water had broken. Seriously! So I called my doctor, described "what happened" and they told me to go straight over to Labor and Delivery to get checked out. I called Kevin, but since it was 3:30pm (so he only had 1.5 hrs left of work) and I didn't really know what was going on yet, I told him to stay at work and I'd let him know what was going on when I knew.

So, I arrived at the hospital and probably looked completely lost. I asked the cute old ladies at the front desk where labor and delivery is, and then shakily walked to the elevator. I was sweating, shaking, and feeling kind of lightheaded/nauseous...I'm sure I looked like I was panicking (which I guess I kind of was...)

In L&D the nurses were very calm and friendly. My nurse told me that if my water had really broken then I was staying and having a baby! They hooked me up to a contraction monitor and a heartrate monitor for the baby. Then she "examined" me (painful...) and did a little test. Unfortunately, the test came back negative, meaning my water had not broken, but the doctor needed to see me before I left and he was in emergency surgery so I'd have to wait. Meanwhile, the baby was kicking the monitors on my belly like crazy-I think she could tell exactly where they were and she wanted them off! She actually kicked hard enough to jostle it out of place and her heartbeat fell off the monitor. There was a loud noise and the nurse came in immediately to hook it back up. Found her heartbeat again, no problem.

By this time it was almost 5 so I called Kevin and he decided to come and wait with me. I did have a few contractions, according to the monitor (I didn't feel it, although they were apparently strong) and once Kevin arrived they started coming like every minute. It was weird since I honestly couldn't feel a thing! The contraction monitor was on a scale of 0-100 and mine were going up to 60 or 80, but I didn't feel anything.

After awhile the nurse came in and said that she talked to my doc. He wanted me to go down and get a special kind of ultrasound since the baby's heartrate had fallen off the monitor. (I knew that it had happened because she had kicked it repeatedly but he wanted to make sure there was nothing actually wrong with her heart.) So we went down to Imaging, got this fancy schmancy ultrasound (she's still cute!) and then went back up to L&D. The doc had signed off on us so the nurse just gave us some directions of when to come in and assured me that the baby was going to be coming out soon one way or another.

I was only a little bit disappointed with the whole thing. I really want to have this baby, but I know she'll be here very soon. Also, when I was on my way to the hospital and getting checked out I kept telling myself not to get my hopes up, I'd probably be sent home, etc. I'm just very glad that Kevin was able to be there for most of it with me. That, and we went to McDonalds after we left the hospital. He's a good husband :)

Happy 38 weeks Sophie! We can't wait to meet you!

Successful morning

2009-02-17T13:19:00.003-05:00

I had quite the morning of accomplishments. I slept horribly last night, so I really wasn't expecting too much of myself today. However, Kara came over and we were productive. We made a big batch of applesauce and some delicious peanut butter cookies. Plus, we did the dishes! Plus, I emptied the dishwasher! I showered, got to work a few minutes early, and took a racism survey from some girls from campus the first few minutes I was here. Whew! Now I'm at my desk...time to relax.

I exchanged two emails with Stephie already today. When I was awake at 4:30am I read and replied to her first one. Then when I woke up for real at 9am there was another! Great Scott! We're skyping tomorrow morning because she wants to see my belly one last time. I say good riddance to the belly (who wants to see that?) and let's see that baby instead!

Sophie, we're ready to meet you!

2009-02-16T13:49:00.005-05:00

I would just LOVE LOVE LOVE for this baby to be born this week. I'm so ready to hold her and see her, of course, but I'm also so ready to be able to bend over, put on my own shoes without feeling like I'm about to die, breathe and walk normally, and lay on my stomach again. People always talk about the joy of pregnancy, how cool it is to have a person growing inside of you. I'd have to agree, it's very cool to feel the baby move and to know that it's my child in there, and that she'll be born soon-a brand new human being! But no one ever really talks about the fact that during pregnancy you lose yourself a little, your body is no longer your own, you can't do the normal things you used to do-like lay on your stomach to play cards, curl up into a ball to watch tv, or easily cuddle with your "other half".

This little one has been moving almost constantly since about 8am. I'm not exaggerating either-just about the whole time. How she has so much energy (or room!) all of a sudden I have no idea, but she's going crazy. Maybe my two Dr. Peppers from yesterday evening are finally catching up to her!

Today is deceptively cold. I was so happy to see the sun this morning, and considered a walk, but upon taking a look at weather.com I decided against it. It was like 17 degrees when I wanted to go! No thank you! I enjoyed the sunshine from the comfort and warmth of my living room.

Kara is coming over tomorrow morning to make some applesauce. Kevin said, "Can you make more this time so I can actually eat some?" I guess last time I got a little carried away and ate it all myself! This time around though we have more apples.

Ohh ohh I almost forgot: Last night I found some of these babies online ON CLEARANCE for $10. So, I bought 4. I requested "girl colors". BumGenius all-in-ones :)

37 weeks, 2 days!

2009-02-13T16:35:00.001-05:00