Think I Might...

Be getting kicked?
But at the point where I'm trying to figure out...gas or baby?

Figure it will start to get clearer soon!
We scheduled our big ultrasound for next Tuesday afternoon. Luck for us, both of us agree that we would like to find out the little one's gender...crazy!

And the wierd thing about the whole belly is the hardest thing for me to do right now is bend over!

Also have an OB appointment this Tuesday, am going to ask for some compression stockings in the hopes of staving off a few more varicose veins...we'll see how that goes.

Also, for my general knowledge, what's the opinion on preggers and swimsuits? any thoughts on styles or appropriateness? Bikini vs. tent vs. tankini?

And the best news of the day is I am on my LAST night of overnight call at the MICU!!
Sweet!!!

Bump Picture of me NOT Pregnant...

So my father in law just resent me a picture taken a couple of years ago in the middle of west Texas following a meal of Chicken Fried Steak.
We'll have to see when I actually catch up!

Mind you...I'm not pregnant so you can see what I mean about my theory of having an extra transverse colon!
Although I think he has a picture of my sis-in-law similarly "full" from our meal....

BeBand
Yup. Just enough extra room so my pants don't have to be buttoned...but still stay up!
I love it.
Thanks Catie!

Video for your enjoyment....
This is a two-fer day, true, but the below video is pretty funny. Kind of can't wait to see what Phoenix does when she meets an actual baby!

Friday Morning Hello

Snuck a listen to the little one's heart this morning in my clinic...still going strong :-)
Going to schedule my big ultrasound in about two weeks...excited to find out what we're having! Would be hard for me not to notice...

I figure I'll give a quick update on books we're reading in preparation for baby's arrival, and we are open to suggestions-the more we can read the better!
1. Babywise

This one comes highly recommended from friends who have a six week old who they now claim sleeps through the night...that would be nice!
2. To train up a child


We also spent some time looking at a daycare today...the funny thing was, about four sets of parents came to pick up kids when we were there and we knew EVERY single one of them...some from Mark's work and some from mine! They all seemed pretty happy and so did their kids...Think we'll put our names on this waiting list and then poke around a bit more to make sure nothing else looks better.
It is crazy to be thinking about daycare especially because we don't even have a kid yet! But at OB visit #1 I was instructed to start looking...crazy!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Baby Bump Photos...


So here it begins. The first two of a series where I will slowly get bigger and bigger. I have a few goals in this endeavor, to not have my butt expand at the same (or faster) rate as my belly AND to figure out if I do indeed have an extra transverse colon (which is my theory).
You see, the problem is I know that my uterus isn't actually sticking out yet, it is just pushing everything that used to be where it is UP and OUT. That is my current bump. So it is really more of an "intestine bump" and the size does somewhat depend on what I have recently eaten (please refer to earlier apricot post). But all this aside, I am starting to get slightly bigger and found last night that I had to unbutton my top button because my pants were too tight. This may or may not have been related to the HUGE portion of nachos we just ate...
But anyways, see below...

14 weeks


16 weeks.

For future consistency, all photos will be taken in front of the green wall AND depending on arm size, may or may not be with a tank top....

And in honor of bumps in general, I have included the below photo for all those who strive to have big hair:

New Post

I'm bringing back the blog...and not because I am a stellar blog author but because I think a couple of you out there might be interested in some upcoming photos and events...
The little thing at the top lets you know that somewhere along the way we realized we were pregnant...and yes, we were as surprised as all of you.
But the truth is, we couldn't be more excited, a little one is a huge gift and we can't wait to see what we get!
I'll probably be the main one writing on the blog, but Mark may chime in occasionally...
I'll give the brief update of pregnancy thus far....


I made up a word for it. It is called "naugry." It is a terrible combination of really really hungry with really really nauseous. And it meant that I ate a lot of chips and snacks because that was the only thing that sounded appealing...now don't worry, I took my prenatals like a good girl and tried to eat some veggies but let's just say I'm glad I'm feeling better now!

We've had a couple of appointments so far and everything has been boring (which is exactly what you want from your visits!) I usually sneak a listen to the little one's heart when I have clinic....one of the many advantages of being an OB!
Here are the U/S photos if you haven't already seen them from our first visit:






I'll be due for the next big u/s in a about a month...that will be the fun one.

As far as fun pregnancy stuff, I have one book I would highly recommend that anyone pregnant reads and that you give to anyone who was pregnant. A funny and educational comment on the whole pregnancy thing...seriously, I laughed out loud while reading most of it and had to keep reading portions to Mark. He was equally entertained...



Anyways, my next post, which will occur when Mark brings the camara home, will include the much anticipated baby bump series...I start with 14 weeks and am now almost 16...I call this the "ate too much during the holidays" period of pregnancy...

Feel free to leave comments about topics and any requests! This blog is for all you family and friends who can't be here to experience all of this with us :-)

Nose Pressed Up Against the Alter

So tonight I went to Kairos, the church community that I go to, and I'll admit, it has been a while since I have been. One thing after another has been on Sunday nights...good things like wedding, and trips and time with my husband. But things that have kept me from worshipping in a community setting.
Mark is gone for a while, and I was alone for the first time last night in a long time. I haven't gone to bed alone and it felt weird and lonely. I grabbed my Bible, which had grown dusty and realized that part of my aloneness has come from not remembering that the Lord is with me always-even when I am with Mark. I read some Psalms, Psalm 61 and 62 to be exact and heard David's words loudly in my head,
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, I will never be shaken."
These words felt like water to me, I have been filling my head with medical knowledge, constantly worried that I'm missing something, that I won't learn quite enough or that everything I have been putting in my head will just one day pour out and I won't have anything when the big Board exam does come. But these words tell me that I am safe in the Lord that me, who I am, is wrapped up in a God who won't forget things and who won't be shaken and tumbled by the worries of here.
I went to sleep thinking and praying about this only to wake up this morning and start my studying again and get worried all over.
But then I went to Kairos and felt, for the first time in a long time, the undeniable presence of God. And we got to take Communion tonight, to share in the Bread that reminds us who saved us and as I was kneeling, holding out my hands at the alter for the bread, I looked down the row and saw a little guy, maybe four years old, kneeling at the alter, with his arms crossed in front of him to receive a blessing, and his nose smushed up against the railing, just barely able to peer over the top to see what was going on. And I thought, that's what I want to be like. I want to have my nose pressed up against the alter, trying to get as close to the action as I can, to see what the Lord is going to do and to see what might be coming my way. And as I sat down and kept worshipping, listening to the songs and feeling God, all I wanted to do was reach my hands up and touch him. To be that close. You know?
That's it. All I'm looking for.

Note the Similarity?

Oh....yes....sad fact is I am indeed VERY SHORT.

As I am just about in the middle of exams, most of my day consists of sitting. Granted, I may sit in a variety of places, the library, a coffee shop, barnes and noble, my kitchen table. But still, my most common activity during the day is sitting...
So I started to get a little worried about two days ago when the back of my legs started hurting-like just the skin. Being a second year, that meant that I immediately started self-diagnosing myself with the beginning stages of some rare muscle disease...right. Upon talking with my much more reasonable and level-headed husband, we came upon a hypothesis.
Apparently, my legs are too short. What this means, is that when I sit at a chair, my feet don't rest fully on the ground and HENCE cannot perform their needed function of SUPPORTING MY LEGS. So my poor thighs (not quite the posts of strength that they once were) were baring the brunt of my weight.
This however, has not solved my problem. I still need to sit and study but my legs are hurting....So my husband makes a suggestion to me.
Put phone books under my feet to give me the chance to rest them flat on something. SWEET I say to myself, this will be great. Mark goes to work, I get ready to get some studying done at the kitchen table and pull out Phone Book #1, the slim phone book (as seen here).

I place it at my feet, take a seat, try to get comfortable...and realize this one simlpy isn't going to cut it.
So I upgrade to the LARGE phonebook. You know the one I mean, weighs a ton, gets delivered to your door, is rarely actually used....And I place this one at my feet, sit down, think I'm going to get comfortable and come to another distressing realization. THIS one isn't big enough either. So I try the combo of the BIG and the LITTLE.
Oh tragedy, not tall enough still....
So I go into our cupboard, pull out the other monster phone book, stack it on top of the the already in place monster phone book, sit down, and give a sigh of relief. Two big phone books at my feet finally makes the chair the right height for my legs.
No more thigh pain, a comfortable day of studying, and the undeniable proof of the extreme shortness of my legs.
Wonderful.

One More Reason why Cigarette Smoking is Bad (as if we need anymore)

In the past month, there was a report of an Russian spy who was poisoned by an unknown assaliant. The means of death was a radioactive substance called Polonium 210. Being the ever-inquisitive (and easily distracted) med student that I am, I decided to do some research and find out a little about this substance.
So I went to my handy-dandy reference website (like WebMD but for doctors..) typed in Polonium 210 and waited with baited breath for my results.
Two results: Both of which pointed to the presence of Polonium 210 in cigarette tobacco.
I mean, let's be honest, cigarette smoking is LEGAL and yet it can also contain substances that directly POISON and kill people. I'm not against free choice or decisions, but this seems a little absurd.
I mean, REALLY absurd.
So just think about that the next time you light up.....

Oh Professional Sports


Let me start out with a few confessions. First, I am not what some would call "light on my feet;" although I love to dance and greatly enjoy standing in one place trying to find a beat in a hip-hop song without tripping over my own slightly oversized shoes, I am not one to look to for new dance moves. As well, I have not been given an ideal "dancer's body." I would more liken my shape to sturdy and functional. This all being said, I am AMAZED by professional dancers...one of our old family friends is a professional ballerina and even her photo is in a pose that I attempted once before falling over and causing the neighbors to wonder what large object we had just thrown on the floor. See below (And yes, that really is her):



So my following rant is NOT about dancing or the profession of dancing. It is instead, against the defamation of women at professional sporting events and the negative stereotype it propagates. Mark bought us tickets for the Wizards/Bucks game last night at the Verizon Center downtown-a very fun idea for a date. We get there, take our respective seats in the nosebleed section, and buckle in for a long evening watching grown men play a sport. Right now, I would like to take note of the common basketball uniform:

Note: full length shorts, a shirt that covers his entire stomach, AND socks that go up to his knees. From said uniform, we don't know how well endowed he is, or how defined his abs are, we instead, just watch him play basketball.

Ok, thus begins my rant. About halfway through the first half the "Dance Team" came out. I'm not including a picture because I don't think it is appropriate. Just imagine a black bra, black underwear, nylons and black shoes and you're about there. That's it. No short, no room to move, just tightness. Then, they got in two small groups just off each corner of the bball court and proceeded to do a semi-suggestive dance for EVERY musical blip that was played on the system. INCLUDING the organ ones that are like duh-da-da-da-da-da CHARGE! And they did this the WHOLE GAME. And it made me sad.

BECAUSE next to me sat a very cute little girl about four who was there with her dad. And she sees this whole staduim full of people there to watch men play basketball. And the only example of women in this setting that are getting any attention are wearing UNDERWEAR.

I'm not saying that professional sports for women should be made famous, because it is true, watching some men's sports is better than watching women's, but what I am suggesting is that we place women in prominant roles where they exceed because they are GOOD at what they do, NOT because they provide a temporary distraction from reality by their shimmy shimmy moves (if you know what I mean).

I hope I don't sound prudish, because I'm not, I just have seen so many women and girls think that the only way they can acheive merit and get attention from men is by dressing and acting in a way that makes them "objects" before they are seen as of people who are good at what they do.

SO to these girls, I say, you are beautiful and can be watched and admired WITHOUT showing off every part of your body except the ones they blur out in the Victoria's Secret Catalog.

For future costume designs, I would simply refer them to: www.wholesomewear.com (no, this sight is not a joke...they actually sell this stuff). (hahaha....)

Ok. Back to me perfecting my wicked dance moves for the time when the Joeffrey Ballet realizes that I have a future as the company hippo.

A Real Job Someday...


Every morning when I get up, I am faced with the ever difficult decision of what to wear. I'm not a picky girl, so for me, this means I look at the jeans on the floor from last night and see if they are too stretched out to continue wearing, OR if I should just throw on the sweatpants next to my bed. You see, I'm not really "employed" or "working for money" as many such people my age are. I, instead, am STILL in school. In fact, I am not even HALFWAY through my education...cause I am in "continuing" education, which at the moment, basically means I'm in school forever.



Thus said, my day entails.....wake up, drink coffee, fall asleep in at least one out of three lectures, spend VAST amounts of time by myself with no company but my textbooks, check my email 50 gazillion times hoping that one of the spams that I will receive will miraculously actually be something I want to read, check the Facebook and get my daily stalking in, see the latest celebrity fashion gaffs on go fug yourself, plan my bathroom trips to give me a break in the studying, stare out the window at the carefree undergraduates (or if I'm feeling especially bold, stare at the wall in the dank, windowless silent study room of the library...) then eat some lunch, and try to stay focused and awake for the afternoon.

Then I get on the bus with my backpack take it home and walk into our apartment. To check my email, clean up, start to study some more.....



And the crazy thing about this whole day? I am PAYING to do it. SPENDING money to have NO time for friends and sunshine and bees and tennis. Insanity.


Someday, I'll grow up, and not have to take a schoolbus to class, and actually get paid for my work AND when people ask me what is wrong with them I might actually be able to say something helpful....instead of just pointing out that they clearly have rhinitis (i.e. medical jargon for a runny nose).


Someday I will carry a briefcase instead of my old beat up black backpack from senior year of high school.

Someday I will be required to talk to people in my job instead of sitting quietly in a corner with my nose in a book.

Someday I will be REQUIRED to wear real clothes (unless its scrubs) AND have to brush my hair in the morning.

Someday, I won't have to pay to work....ahhh

Someday....

In the mean time, back to studying.....enough procrastinating...

The End of Friendships


So I'm what some might call, a "saver." I save stuff. But its normally not junk, its mostly just saving in the form of EVERY card I have ever received. The birthday cards, the valentine's cards, the random thank-you notes that people send me....you get the idea. Last night, Mark and I decided to make our study a livable space again...and for me, that meant going through all my saved stuff and deciding did I really need it. I'll admit, some of the throw-aways were easy, the card that just has a signature from the distant family friend, or the thank you note from my mom for her birthday gift ten years ago....those went pretty easy. But what was the hardest part was reading over the cards from people who I used to be friends with.
This was sad. Because I have had some tricky friendships that, probably mostly due to me, have "ended" somewhat badly. I mean, we didn't get in huge fights, or yell, or scream, but they sort of just sadly trickled away. The result, mostly, of piled up misunderstandings, jumbled communications, and not saying what we felt at a point when things could still be fixed. So reading cards from such friends made me remember when the friendship was good...
I guess I'm just not sure what to do with these cards. They are the ones that make me pause, make me think, do ended friendships mean that there has been a failure? Or do some friendships end just because it is time for them to end? Because two people may not be the same as they were when the friendship started and that's ok?
Do I throw away the cards with a sigh of regret? Or do I try to make friends again? Try to eliminate the awkwardness that has accumulated after weeks, months, even years of not speaking?
Maybe, maybe not. Maybe its ok to look back on those cards and instead of being sad about the failure, trying to remember the good things and take what I learned from the failings and use them now....
So I saved a few cards, didn't throw away any pictures, and felt still vaguely unsettled....

Items I have recently dropped in the toilet:

1. Bar of soap. While washing my hands, the slippery thing escaped and plop! ended up where no self-respecting soap bar goes of its own free will.

2. Box of dental floss. While doing my nightly duty of flossing (since I got yelled at by both my dentist and my husband) I lost my grip on this small box and managed to drop a nearly new box in the toilet. (Don't worry. I threw it away).

3. Mark's Retainer. Yup. You got it right...needless to say this did not go over well and almost resulted in the same fate for my retainer. But my vigilance in STILL wearing my retainer meant that it was by the bed and out of reach of my extremely gross-out husband. So what do we do in this situation? By extra strength denture cleaner, soak the retainer multiple times...AND for the record, Mark has not put it back in his mouth...although he may someday...

Identity Crisis.

Yes, I changed the background on my blog. Again. I think it is an identity thing. I look at my blog for a while, and you, my three readers look at it for a while, and I think it starts to look dull, the colors too brash, too grating, the proportions of the shapes just a little off, and frankly, I get kind of tired looking at it. I really think this could go somewhere deep, but I don't think I'm in the deep writing mood, although I could maybe turn on the bullshit engine and crank something out that sounds academic and interesting, but I think I'll just pass.
Cause truth is, sometimes I wish I could just change my "background." The appearence of what people see when they look at me. The main reason I am thinking this is because last night, I came to the sad realization that I am indeed, out-of-shape. And I don't mean, like three weeks ago I was in shape and now I'm feeling a little antsy, I mean Out-Of-Shape. With capitols. The kind of shape where I have forgotten what it feels like to be in shape.
It makes me sad and I'm trying to figure out what to do about it. Honestly? I probably need to work out. Simple answer, yes, I know. But I don't really like working out if its not on a team and someone isn't there to yell at me when I go slow.
I guess that's part of getting older, figuring out what things in your life you simply HAVE to do and then finding the discipline to get them done. Ah, the words sound so nice....now I just have to work on getting my butt moving.
I read a column in the back of a running magazine once by a person who kind of hits the point when they know the just have to work out...and they ended it with "Waddle on..."
And maybe I should start there....just work on waddling on...

Oh! You lived on Magnolia Lane in Topeka, Kansas during the blizzard of ’83? Do you know Mr. Macpherson?

The Origin of the Name Game-Yes, it is Biblically mandated.

We’ve all done it (and by “we,” I mean at least myself and my three friends). Met someone, talked for a few minutes, exchanged random, shallow facts about ourselves, and then, lo, discovered that we indeed, shared some random piece of minutiae. Immediately, the response usually is to say, OH! I know someone who also ate sushi in Washington D.C. on the date of June 11th-do you think you might know them? Usually, they give us a slightly confused look, then try to politely state, that no, they don’t know everyone who ate sushi in D.C. on that day, but they ARE still relatively cool and social despite their obviously limited social circle. The conversation then gets awkward for about thirty seconds, because the truth is, you really don’t know them or anything about them and your one attempt to connect in a deep meaningful way has failed miserably. Generally, the next topic of conversation is something that you are both completely familiar with…i.e. the weather. Or recent movies. Or the food you are eating.
HOWEVER despite the overwhelming failure ratio of the name game, I believe that it should still be pursued in ALL situations possible, because, as I will share, it actually started in the Bible, and is therefore Biblically mandated.


In Genesis 29, we encounter the FIRST (I think) recorded evidence of the name-game, here it goes:

Genesis 29:1- 11 Jacob Meets Rachel
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the sons of the east. He looked, and saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, for from that well they watered the flocks. Now the stone on the mouth of the well was large. When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well. Jacob said to them, "My brothers, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from Haran." He said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?" And they said, "We know him." And he said to them, "Is it well with him?" And they said, "It is well, and here is Rachel his daughter coming with the sheep." He said, "Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them." But they said, "We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep." While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted his voice and wept.

And, as we can see, Jacob drops the name-bomb, is SUCCESSFUL and ends up meeting his future wife all because he was willing to play the often-awkward and much failing name game. We too continue to play in the hopes of establishing such a lasting relationship as Jacob was able to find with Rebekah (after toiling for 14 years, but that is another story).

So play on, name-game players, keep dropping those names.

Miss Universe Controversy


Just so everyone is on the same page. Allen Thicke hosted this year's Miss Universe pagent (I know-that in and of itself is absurd). But it gets better. In filming the final segment of the show, i.e. when they announce MISS UNIVERSE. He says the WRONG GIRL!
Yes. He annouces that Miss Costa Rica wins, she gets the crown, the streamers fall, she cries, blah blah blah. Then off stage, this t-shirt wearing old man with glasses (probably the producer), yells at Mr. Thick that he says the WRONG girl.
He should have said Miss RUSSIA.
The story goes on that the girls are SO mad and annoyed that they don't show up for the re-filming and re-crowning so Miss Russia gets the crown from Miss Costa Rica and only about three girls are on stage with her.
Pretty hilarious-I mean, come on Allen, all you had to do was read "Russia!"

Because just what you want is something else to try and get through security-check out....

My friend, while flipping through the infamous SkyMall catalog, found on all self-respecting airplanes, came across this gem of an invention (I'll let it speak for itself):

NEW! Cocoon yourself in revolutionary comfort.
The poshAir sleeping bag is a breakthrough in inflight comfort. This luxurious cocoon, that's easy to slip on and off, zips you into an extra layer of lightweight warmth. The poshAir features a hood, armholes, inside pocket and two belt loops for your visibly fastened seat belt to slip through. Patent pending, the poshAir - 65% polyester and 35% cotton brush machine washable fleece - is a modern, hygienic sleeping accommodation for travel. Convenient, chic and confortable, the poshAir may be used in private jets, commercial airplanes, helicopters, yachts, automobiles and trains. Proper care of a poshAir entails a gentle cold water machine wash cycle. Please do not tumble dry. For a maximized poshAir experience, please remove your shoes before stepping into your poshAir. Grey only. Tote bag included.
Adult sizes: S (5'4" L x 3' W), M (5'8" L x 3'W), L (6' L x 3' W), XL (6'4" L x 3' W).
Adult tote bag: 14.5" W x 12" L.


Plus, doesn't the guy in the picture look kind of like William Shatner?

Clean the Bathroom!

So over the past few months, our once sparkly pink shower had become a murky gray color while the white tiles began to take on a hue closer to "cream." I wrote the color change off as unfixable. I had tried many things. Well, maybe not "many things," mostly one thing, Mr. Clean Orange Power cleaner. Needless to say it left the tub no cleaner, but it put my mind to rest that I had least tried to clean the bathroom.
Then yesterday I decided to actually buy bathroom cleaner....the real stuff.
So I went to the bathroom cleaner aisle in Target and tried not to get overwhelmed by the vast array of choices. Being the thrifty girl that I am (yes my sunglasses are $10 and from a random fishing goods place bought out of desperation and I am STILL wearing them), I looked at the cheapest and biggest spray tile cleaner I could find....and I grabbed




Scrub-Free Soap Scum Remover....(mine is with Oxy action)







Now, I was not expecting much except maybe a slightly cleaner tub, less blackish-gray over pink and more just gray over pink. So I sprayed my shower. The tile walls, the pink tub, the faucets, everything I could see and I left it there for about two minutes.
Little did I know that in the interim, the mad efforts of oxy-action were eating away at months of gunk. I wiped away the streaks of cleaner and beheld a miracle: pink tub streaks shining through the dirt along with white tile stripes...
Then I proceeded to spray the whole shower thouroughly-making sure every surface was coated. I let it stew and then wiped away the gunk.
It was truly a beautiful sight.
My sparkling pink bathtub.