Weekend Getaway

This weekend we went with some friends to their lake house. We all had a lot of fun! We got down there Friday night, went to dinner and rented some movies.

The kids curled up on the couch in the living room to watch theirs. Saturday we had breakfast then headed down to the lake. The lake was completely covered in ice and was thick enough to walk on.

The kids, Natalie and the dog played towards land, but Johnny and Brian ventured all the way across.

After playing on the ice awhile we headed back to the house. Bella at that time decided that since the lake ice was safe that the pond ice outside the house was safe too. She was wrong.

She fell through, luckily it was only a foot or two deep and right outside the warm house. We got her in the house, got her clothes off, and got her warm again, where she informed us she wont walk on ice again unless Daddy says its safe. After everyone was warmed up the kids played some Rock Band while the adults played Sequence.

Johnny learned an important lesson... He can't always win! Natalie and I beat Johnny and Brian in Sequence multiple times. Sunday morning we just relaxed around the house awhile before packing up to head home, before we left we fed the neighbors horses some apples. The kids really enjoyed this and I was surprised they knew all the horses names.

We had sooo much fun. Bella had claimed Saturday was the worst day of her life but I think she has changed her mind and now she can't wait to go back, and neither can we!


P.S. Thanks Brian and Natalie for showing us a great time this weekend!

30 Weeks

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant! The babies short term memory has developed and she is now about 17.5 inches long and weighs just over 3 pounds. It is said I may start to experience exercise contractions (also know as Braxton Hicks contractions) this week until the end of pregnancy. However I have been having these contractions since about 14 or 15 weeks so it isn't really anything new. Don't be alarmed, I doubt I will go in labor anytime soon. I had contractions very early with Bella too, and had to be induced. In reality these contractions just make labor go faster.

Common Courtesy

I am not one of those women who expects a man to wait on them hand and foot, just because I am a woman. I am independent and like to do things for myself. Now don't get me wrong, I will ask Johnny to get me a glass of milk occasionally or to dish me up some food, but for the most part I do it myself. Today was a different story. This morning I went to mail some girl scout cookies. When I say some I mean A LOT! I am carrying this large box filled with cookies and trying to get the door and am having trouble managing both. If I wasn't pregnant I would have set the box down, propped open the door and picked up the box and walked in. However, I am pregnant and because of that I do not have the stomach muscle I need to lift that box off the ground. I try not to use pregnancy as an excuse but today is an exception to that as well.

As I am struggling I notice three men inside just starring at me. I am just about to ask for help when the box falls and the cookies fall to the floor. I set the box down inside and pick the cookies up box by box, not one person comes over to help. I can't complain too much because by this time I was frustrated and refused to ask for help. This situation just makes me realize that people don't have the common courtesy they used to, and are not as willing to help a stranger out. I hope that the next time you see someone struggling you remember this story and stop to help, not just stop to stare. I know I sure will!

 

 

Brush It Off

As a parent it is always a little heart breaking when your child falls down. The first time they scrape their knee, bonk their head, fall off a bicycle is as tough for a parent as it is for a child. Bella has always been pretty tough, at a young age we taught her to just brush it off, and as long as there is no blood this seems to work. Then the other day she fell off her loft stairs, from almost the top! I wasn't home but I got a text message from Johnny informing me. At first I thought I was going to have a panic attack, then I took a deep breathe and realized if she was really hurt he wouldn't have sent me a text but would have called.

He said she cried for a little bit and he just hugged her until she was done crying. This certainly wasn't a brush it off situation. However once she was done crying and daddy was done telling her how she needs to be really careful, it was almost like it never happened. By the time I got home from work she was up in the loft again and didn't even think to tell me about her fall. She just brushed it off!

Shake Your Groove Thing

For the most part the pool table has been used to pile stuff on. Mostly laundry, but when it wasn't laundry it was always something else. Although the pool table may be used to store stuff, there is some rules that have to be followed. 1. No drinks anywhere near it. 2. No food anywhere near it. 3. No children or pets anywhere near it. So when Johnny allowed this to happen this weekend I was shocked!

That's right, three kids dancing on the pool table! They enjoyed every minute of it, I just hope they realize it was most likely just a one time thing and next time they will probably need to shake their groove thing on the floor.

Sledding

We got a lot of snow Wednesday and so we decided to take Bella sledding on yet another snow day. However we had one little problem... No sled. We went to several stores to buy one and they were all sold out. So we settled for a large plastic container used to hold Christmas ornaments instead.

 It may have worked well on a small hill, but the hill we went to was HUGE!!!

 Bella had fun but after a few tumbles it was time to go home.

Next time we will be prepared with real sleds!

29 Weeks

Today I am 29 weeks pregnant. The baby has turned head down and has been that way for about two weeks. There is a good chance she will stay that way now, meaning lots of rib kicks! This week her brain is developing wrinkles. The wrinkles in the brain determine the limit of things that you can learn and how smart you will be, so we are hoping for lots of brain wrinkles!

She is about 17 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds

Girl Souts

Bella joined girl scouts in the fall and she absolutely loves it. She gets to learn all sorts of fun stuff at the girl scout meetings, go on field trips, and currently they are finishing up cookie sales. She did an awesome job  at her first year selling cookies. The goal was to sell 125 boxes and she sold 150!

Yesterday we drove to Manhattan delivering to all the family and friends that bought cookies from her there, and Thursday we will finish up delivering what is left in Raymore! She gets three new badges added to her girl scout vest for the cookies she sold and she is super excited about that. I just want to say thanks to everyone who bought cookies from her for helping her out.

Insomnia

I don't know why but it seems lately I have had a lot of trouble sleeping. It seems when I go to bed it is time for my brain to work. I think about all sorts of things, work, house cleaning, where I want to go on vacation, what I want to eat, how I am so much better than Johnny at guitar hero, who will win the Super Bowl, why I can't sleep, what I'd do with a million dollars. The list goes on and on. Some nights its just me worrying and other nights it just randomness running through my head.

Tonight is one of those nights. I feel tired, I slept less than 6 hours last night, but I cannot fall asleep. It seems when I do fall asleep I have completely crazy dreams and wake myself up, or I have something going on pregnancy related (kicking baby, got to pee, hungry, leg cramp, etc.) and then it takes me another two hours to fall back asleep. I am to the point that instead of fighting it and trying to force myself asleep I am just going to get up and do something. Right now I have decided to write my blog since I didn't earlier today. After this I have every intention of playing guitar hero until I fall asleep on the couch. Tomorrow night maybe I will finish painting the baseboards in the basement. I am sure I could find something to clean. I really need groceries. Ooops I just made myself a list, which means I won't be able to sleep until it's completed, maybe getting up and doing something wasn't such a good idea.

28 Weeks

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant. The nervous system is now completely developed, and so she can react to touch. She is about 15 inches long and weighs just under 3 pounds. It has been proven during fetal testing that babies start to dream around this time! I wonder what she dreams about?

Quitters Can Win!

They say quitters never win, but I do not believe that. One year ago tomorrow I quit smoking! It was a hard process but I am glad I did it. Its nice not to worry if I smell like an ashtray, its nice not to have a "cold" all the time, and nicest of all is I feel healthier all around.

I am happy that I quit, it is one of the best decisions I have made. I am here to prove that quitters do win. Quitters win by living a longer and healthier life when they quit smoking!

Duck Fart

Yesterday I had the dreaded glucose test to test for gestational diabetes. I remembered how gross the glucose drink was when I drank it with Bella, but was told that they had improved it and the fruit punch flavor wasn't that bad. I was lied to!

The only thing I can equate that taste to was a night at the Shot Spot in Aggieville. It was $1 shot night, so $10 got you far. After about $4 or $5 we decided to try a random shot and just picked one off the list we hadn't tried before. The one we picked was called Duck Fart. There was a reason we had never tried it before and that is because it tastes exactly how it sounds. I suppose I can understand the humor of making a shot that tastes like a duck fart, however I do not understand the humor of making a pregnant woman drink 11oz of something that tastes the same. I hope all the tests come back good for the babies sake and for mine. I do not want to drink that again and I am sure she doesn't either!

Just Like Daddy

Johnny is one of the smartest people I have ever met. I would say if he took an IQ test he would probably score close to genius level (that's not just me being nice, many other people have said the same thing about him). I would like to think he has passed this on to Bella. She is very smart and learns a lot like he does. That's why when she brought home her report card I wasn't surprised to see that she scored meeting expectations or exceeding expectations in every category but one.

That's right, one category she did not meet, and it is the same category Johnny could not meet now, its story telling. If you have ever heard Johnny tell a story, he can get you get hooked on what will happen next and by the end you are like that's it??? It seems they both have a problem of starting the story, getting distracted and skipping to the end or just changing the subject all together. Luckily we caught this with Bella at age 6 and can practice and help her get better. Maybe once she has it down she can teach Johnny how to tell a good story too!

Snow Day

This morning I woke up to a phone call saying school was canceled due to inclement weather. I get up and look and there is only a 1/2" of snow. I head back to bed to get up  a couple hours later and see that it is still snowing and we now have about 2" of snow.

We are estimated to get between 5" and 8" by tomorrow morning. One thing I have learned since moving to Kansas City is people don't know how to drive, especially in inclement weather. I think they just pass everyone who takes the drivers test because I have seen cars get completely flipped around and driving into on coming 70 mph traffic on a 4 lane highway because they were driving too fast in the rain. That's right they cant drive in the rain, so think how bad they drive in the snow! I decided 5" to 8" is a good reason not to go to work given I live 30 minutes away and am 6 months pregnant, and Johnny agreed with me. So it looks like today, Bella and I will be taking a snow day!

If we get enough snow, we will build some snowmen and make snow angels, and probably have a snowball fight! She heard snow this morning and no school and was so excited she did a song and dance, I can't let her down now!

27 Weeks

Today I am 27 weeks pregnant. Not much has changed from last week to this week.. All of the major changes have already taken place. The biggest thing going on, is the baby is strengthening her lungs getting ready for delivery. She is also going to start putting on weight much more rapidly. She is now about 14 inches long and weighs about 2 and 1/2 pounds!

It's In The Water

When I was pregnant with Bella, five other girls I worked with were pregnant at the same time! It is the same way this time around. Six people, all pregnant at the same time, three of us on the same team!

It seems getting pregnant is not a choice you make, instead it just needs to be in the water at work!

New Years Resolution

I have a bad habit, and for new years I have decided to break it. You see I hate going to work. I work 1pm to 10pm so my time with my family is limited. They are in school or work during the day while I am home, and they are home while I am at work. Therefore every time I am offered a day off, I take it. If someone offers to work my shift, I let them. If I have vacation time, I use it. I get to spend more time with Johnny and Bella but all of this of course affects my paycheck.

I dread going to this desk daily but with a baby on the way and all the bills that come with it, I have decided it is not cost effective to take off work at every opportunity given to me. I am going to stay at work unless I have a valid excuse not to be there (your definition of valid and mine most likely differ). I even created what I call a happy space at work, so its kind of like Johnny and Bella are there with me.

Okay, I am not going to lie, its not even close to them being there with me, but it does give me some motivation to stay at work. My schedule changes quarterly so I just hope with the next change I get a little better shift. As for now, it's off to work I go, for the third day in a row. That's right I have worked three days in  row! I don't think I have done that since June!

Picture Perfect

For Christmas Bella got her very first digital camera. She spent the week following Christmas with her Grandma and Grandpa in Manhattan KS and came home on Sunday. I thought I would share some of the pictures she took while visiting!

 

 

She enjoyed her camera so much that she started taking pictures of everything!

I am so glad she had fun, and that she had a camera to take pictures to remember the fun she had and will have in the future!

P.S. Thanks Grandma Susan and Grandpa Jimbo for the camera!