Justin's Birthday

Justin turned 25 on June 11. We saw The Karate Kid that morning. It was awesome! Way better than the original. Afterward, we had lunch at Famous Dave's, a BBQ place Justin has wanted to eat at ever since he saw it featured on the Food Network. Needless to say, he enjoyed it. And we got a free sundae to share. Their customer service was great.

Next we hit up the arcade at a family fun center. Justin played the video games (I only did one car racing one with him and lost), and we both played the kiddie games (shooting hoops, ski ball, etc.). We got bored fast so we decided to play miniature golf too, something we have not done ever since we moved here. We used to play it all the time! We tied, and I got quite a few holes in one, even with my big belly in the way. Yeah, Justin has taught me some pretty sweet putting skills over the years, so now I'm actually a challenge--not at real golf, though.

After running a couple errands, we went home and ordered Papa John's pizza, Justin's favorite. We didn't have candles, so he just blew out a lighter. We finished the night by watching--I can't remember! Oh, well.

On Sunday, we got together with our friends the Sants for German chocolate cake (they had a candle) and Apples to Apples. We had a really fun time. We are all so goofy! I love it.

For more photos, click here.

I'm Back!

My long absence is the result of our laptop battery dying. At least, we think that's the problem. The cord is new, but when plugged in, the laptop won't recharge. Grrrr. We still need to get it fixed; I'm at the campus computer lab right now. I have so much to write about! First of all, work is going well. I only work 2-4 days a week for 4 or 5 hours, so it's not bad at all. Just my feet hurt afterward.

I am now 31 weeks along. Single digits left before Baby comes! And still so much to do, the biggest being picking a car seat and stroller. Any suggestions of what's good and bad?

For my childbirth classes, I am doing Hypnobabies (a type of hypnobirthing), because it best suits my needs: learning to relax, thinking positively, and letting go of fear. It teaches you self-hypnosis and deep relaxation to eliminate discomfort and let your body take over giving birth. The philosophy is your birth is what you make it. I will also be taking a course with Justin by my doula, covering generic childbirth information.

About 29 weeks

My tummy is definitely bigger and my belly button is about to pop out. My appetite hasn't changed much, but every few weeks it increases a lot for a few days. I'm guessing that's when Baby has growth spurts. He is so active and strong; I'm bruised under my ribs on the right side. My weight hasn't changed due to that stomach bug, but I feel bigger! I've packed some pounds in my thighs, and they have some light stretch marks on the sides. None on my tummy though.

Everything is going well and I'm happy and excited. And overwhelmed a little due to procrastination and how fast this pregnancy is going by. I cannot wait to see and hold my baby!

Emergency Room Again

Warning: This post is a little graphic.

Saturday I was kinda feeling icky, but I contributed it to the heat. That night we had a fun time at a friend's house playing Just Dance on the Wii and went to bed late. At about four in the morning, I woke up feeling terribly sick. I ran to the bathroom and started heaving. Justin woke up to my vomiting, which went on for hours. It was worse than any morning sickness. The pressure was so bad I involuntarily peed on myself and the bathroom floor while throwing up (I'd rather clean up urine than vomit, though!). At eight Sunday morning, the diarrhea came. Not fun when both happens at the same time. Finallly I had a little break where I thought I could make it to the hospital across from campus (no way I'd make it all the way to Phoenix to my regular hospital). It's such a small hospital I got admitted to the ER right away and was hooked up to an IV for 6 1/2 hours. I didn't really need to be there that long, but I think they forgot about me sometimes or it was really busy or something. Anyway, I was still throwing up, so they tried a different medicine which worked better and gave me a tiny, diluted dosage of morphine to ease the cramps.

They don't have an OB/GYN there, but they did an ultrasound to make sure the baby was alright. He is. He was very active during the whole ordeal--probably in protest to my intense abdominal activity--which made things a little more uncomfortable. The doctor concluded I had a stomach bug going around and put me on a strict liquid-only diet for 24 hours and gave me strict rules on easing back to regular eating. When I finally could keep down water, they let me go. We went straight to Wal-mart to get my nausea prescription filled (the hospital only has a pharmacy for admitted patients). At home I developed a low-grade fever, though my temperature was normal while at the hospital. Tylenol and a cool cloth lowered it in a few hours. I slept most of the evening and a lot that night. Monday my friend took me to her house to care for me since Justin worked all day. Tuesday I went back to work, but I still feel yucky. I haven't thrown up or had diarrhea since Sunday, but my tummy is still weak. I've been eating a lot of jello! And to make matters worse, my allergies are going crazy again! Runny nose, sore throat, sneezing, and no sleep last night. Ugh.

p.s. I spent Saturday cleaning my kitchen, with a bleach-based product no less, and what do I find in my sink when I come home Monday evening? Yep, a giant bug! Luckily Justin was home. But now I have to clean my kitchen all over again! Grrrr!

Baby Prep 101

For Family Home Evening last night (we had friends over for dinner on Monday), we learned some baby skills: putting on a cloth diaper and swaddling. At first, Justin was grossed out by my old teddy bear. But once it became the baby, he went into daddy mode, and it was so cute! He talked to it and treated it as if it really were our baby. I just had to take photos!

Swaddling the baby

Putting on a cloth diaper

Me: "Stop making funny faces."

Justin: "But that's how I'm going to look when I change his diaper!"

Me: "It's a clean diaper!"

Helping Baby be reverent during the closing prayer

Then this morning, I found Justin lying on the couch, and I put the teddy bear on him, thinking how much I can't wait to see him hold our little baby. Justin confessed he fell asleep holding it earlier when he first moved to the couch. I had him reenact it:

Watching golf together

Isn't he going to be a great daddy?

Let Me Explain

I know the title of my last post probably got some of you wondering what was the big deal. I HATE bugs with a passion. Always have, always will. Some are just a nuisance, others are plain gross, and even others are scary. The bug I faced this morning was all three.

When we first moved here, it took me forever just to kill a cricket. I used to trap them and then have Justin kill them when he got home. The first time I had to kill one, I freaked out, called Justin, and cried hysterically because it was ginormous and wouldn't get sucked up the vacuum (old, handheld one). Then I progressed to calmly smashing them with a shoe and letting Justin clean them up (I don't like to touch them even when they're dead).

The king of all bugs (I even hate to say its name) has appeared in our house a few times. Luckily, when I come across one, it's either already dead or Justin is home to rescue me. This morning it finally happened: the faceoff between me and said bug--alone. Naturally, I freaked out even worse than during the cricket experience. Like, someone-died or I-saw-Frankenstein kind of hysterical. I called Justin up and bawled my eyes out. I trapped the huge bug under a small trash can after a frightening chase, while screaming into poor Justin's ear. Justin was super understanding and supportive during the whole ordeal. It took me like an hour and several more phone calls from Justin to finally calm down. The bug stayed there until about an hour ago, when Justin was able to take care of it.

I know I sound ridiculous and crazy and wimpy. But just imagine facing your worst fear alone for the first time!