36 Week Ultrasound

We just had our ultrasound a few hours ago, and the baby is guesstimated to be about 6.5 pounds.  I was asked if I was eating a lot of sugar, because there was a lot of amniotic fluid...and yeah, I have been eating a bunch of rainbow sherbet in the past 2-3 weeks.  It's funny, but I totally zoned on the amount of sugar in it, because all I was concerned about was, hey, it's fat-free!!!  But limiting sugar won't be that difficult for me, since I normally am not much of a candy person, and the sherbet and some pop was just because the sherbet was on sale, and Braden had bought some root beer.  It's the carbs that will be difficult to eliminate (she also said to really cut back on carbs), because that's like all we eat!  But anyway, I guess sugar makes the baby grow faster, which I want to curb, seeing as I have to eventually push her out!  :)

I saw the doctor (instead of my midwife) this time, who is Asian, and her mannerisms and what she's saying don't jive a lot of the time.  She'll be saying something, but her expression says something else.  It's not an accent problem, although she does a little bit of one.  I wonder if it's a cultural thing, or just a her thing.  Anyway, she said to eat a lot of protein (cottage cheese, eggs, meat) and vegetables. 

When she was doing the actual ultrasound and we saw the baby's face, you could definitely tell that the baby's nose is different from Jenna's.  The doctor said, "Looks like she's got your nose" to Braden right about the same time that I said, "Wow, she's got a big nose!".  To which Braden replied, "Geez, are you guys trying to tell me something?"  It's not big, though, just in comparison to Jenna's.  It was so neat to see her face, even though the whole HERE'S YOUR BABY'S SKULL is a bit off-putting.  She didn't stop sucking her thumb the whole time.  :)

On to the not-so-pleasant part of the exam: The doctor said that my cervix was soft but closed.  She then made several comments/asked several questions about whether or not Jenna was early and just generally delivering early.  I mentioned that I had been having some cramps both yesterday and today (nothing regular), and she said that it was normal, and that my body was just getting ready.  Both Braden and I got the impression that she thought that I would deliver early, but then when I asked her outright if she thought so, she hesitated and then said that I would probably deliver on my due date, and if I was early, it wouldn't be by much.  Here's where the whole mannerisms not matching her actual words comes into play, because we thought that her manner indicated that she thought that I would deliver early, especially considering her earlier questions/comments about doing so.  Maybe she didn't want to be pigeon-holed into saying yes if I didn't?  I don't know.  That's just the impression we had, and there's no way of knowing what will happen, anyway.  HOWEVER, the whole experience gives us the distinct vibe that I should get my hospital bag packed asap. 

Katie, if you could at least have the courtesy to wait until after your uncle's wedding, that would be much appreciated!  I'm not really down with going into labor while I'm in Portland, thanks!  :)

New Versus Used

[Post inspired by this link]

Okay, I just have to get this off my chest.  I don't understand why some people are so against used items.  Sure, there are situations where you definitely want something new, for example, a toddler potty comes to mind.  But why, why, why are people buying items that are many hundreds of dollars when they could get them used for so much cheaper?  Garage sales, Craigslist, Salvation Army, Value Village, Goodwill, consignment stores, etc.  Used does not have to mean crappy, although certainly it can mean that sometimes.  However, we have saved so much money on household, baby and clothing items from getting used stuff...even our car, which is a great car, is now 13 years old, and we only got it two years ago.  The trick with garage sales is to try to go to nicer neighborhoods (especially towards the end of the day), if you can, and you can find some really nice items.  When we went garage saling when we first moved out here two years ago, we got a great couch, an Ethan Allan coffee table (not that I care about furniture brand names, but the seller played it up), a cherry cabinet, a fabulous table made of old oak, etc, etc, etc...probably for less money than one single piece of brand new furniture.  It just doesn't make sense to me to be all snobbish about used items when you can still get nice things and not have to spend an arm and a leg.  I mean, if we had the money, I'm sure we might get a few new things...but I still don't think I could ever buy new furniture at the prices they are at, because it's the principle of the thing!  I don't know; I guess I just like to get more for my money, and I really could care less if something is previously owned.   

About the "old oak" table, the conversation we had with the seller has since become an inside joke.  It was towards the end of the day when we were looking around a neighborhood garage sale, and we saw the table and decided that it was probably the right size for our very small kitchen.  Well, we asked how much it was, and the lady said $70.  Um, no.  Not happening; that is a lot of money for a garage sale item, and especially this one.  Anyway, Braden proceeds to try to talk the price down, and she goes and gets the other lady who is actually the owner of said item.  The following conversation ensues:

Braden: I don't mean to insult you, but we have $20 dollars here...
Lady #2: (hesitates) Well, it is old oak...

I don't remember the rest of the conversation, but suffice it to say, she took our offer, because the table hadn't sold (and wouldn't sell at that price; that's why it was still there) and it was the end of the day.  Anyway, we just thought it was hilarious that her reason for not wanting to lower the price was because it was "old oak" (like we cared or care at all...it's a table), so from that point on, whenever we spilled food or drink or got anything on the table or any other piece of furniture, it became "That's old oak!!!" or "Be careful, this is old oak!!"  It's funny which situations or quotes become inside jokes.  :)

Our Pride And Joy

Our little baby, aka our Honda, has decided to come down with a lot of ailments at the same time. Fortunately, the fixing of the A/C was significantly less than we were expecting ($50), but the brakes and axles (or something) will be, shall we say, significantly more that that. It's nice to know that I am able to help out with this with a nice, fat freelance check I got in the mail recently, but at the same time...I wish it wasn't getting entirely eaten up for car repairs! Ah, well. At least it doesn't have to come out of our savings (hopefully, anyway...it's getting done tomorrow morning, so we won't know until we get the bill).

We really do love our car; it's such a nice, little reliable vehicle. I love Hondas. This is really the first time we've had to do anything major to it...they last forever!

The Ker Marathon

Let me tell you a little bit about the kind of exercise that gets my heart rate right up there.  I walked down the little lane that leads to the communal mailbox...this is really not very far.  I was pushing Jenna in the stroller, so okay, that's some extra weight there.  We got back, and I then walked up the stairs to grab a short-sleeve shirt (it was gorgeous, gorgeous weather today)...and BAM.  I actually had to lay down on the bed for a few minutes because my heart was racing so much.  I was just exhausted from all of that.  Well, give me a break.  Can I have my own body back yet?  Please?  It's not that I want all the sleepless nights with a squalling newborn, but...hey, give me some love, prego peeps.  You know what I'm talking about.  :)

Just a little over three weeks...hang in there, Ker!  You can do it! 

By the way, if you come to the blog looking for anything non-baby-related, there ain't gonna be much in the next little while.  :)

Good Ol' Tim McGraw

These are two of my all-time favorite songs. Country music is so good for messages sometimes.





And then here Tim sees a man beating a woman in the front row of one of his concerts and promptly takes care of business. Goooo Tim!!

Not So Much Of A Dog Fan

Today I had a similar experience to the one Carolyn posted about a little while ago, which you can read about here.  Jenna and I were out in front of our duplex when a couple of the neighbor kids came out to ride bikes.  To give a little bit of background, this isn't a neighborhood...there is a narrow, paved lane and about maybe 7 duplexes all along it.  There are no sidewalks *anywhere*, which is one of my big pet peeves (but that's a post for another day).  So basically the kids just ride their bikes up and down this lane, and it's not very long.  Anyway, one of the boys, probably about 7-8 years old sometimes has his dog with him...not on a leash, of course.  We've seen the dog a few times before, but it's never come up to us; it just stayed with the owners.  Not this time.  It came running at full speed right toward us.  It came toward me first, and I just stood there and let it do its thing, but then it ran over at Jenna.  Well, you can bet that I ran over to pick her up, wanting to avoid a situation like this one.  I sort of smiled a little bit at first, not knowing how to react...I wasn't really scared, but I was like, okay, enough, because then it started baring its teeth and jumping up on me (this is a small furry dog).  Well, boy owner then takes off on his bike down the lane!!  And I'm like, what the crap??  Because here I am with this dog keeping me from putting Jenna down, because it's not that much smaller than she is, and while thank goodness she wasn't scared, she would be if I put her on the ground.  Finally, the boy comes back within talking distance, and I say, "Can you please call her away?...because I can't put her down.." and he says, okay, and does try, but the dog just goes over to another neighbor's yard.  She was at least far enough away for me to make my escape, which I did, because at this point I was really annoyed! 

We were going to go in pretty soon before this happened, but I was resentful that the dog forced my hand.  It is so annoying to feel like you can't be in your own space because of a dumb animal!!  I am just not a pet person at all, and experiences like this reinforce my opinion.  Also, this dog didn't try to bite me or anything, but you better believe that if it had, I have no qualms about defending myself in whatever way I have to, *especially* if it's threatening my kids.  People really need to have their pets on leashes or controlled in some way when they are around other people, especially if they are prone to this type of behavior. 

I realize that a lot of people love pets...I'm just not one of them!  :)  But then I've had a lot of negative experiences, especially with dogs, that have resulted in a fear/active dislike of certain animals all up in my space.  If we see an animal from a bit of a distance, I'm fine and can be like, aw how cute!  The situation changes when they start jumping on me.  :0

This Post Is Mostly For Girls

This post started out about bras and slowly evolved into a middle school memories post.  Reader discretion is advised.  :)

So I just got done reading a post about bras and the embarrassing moments that ensue when you first get one, etc.  It got me thinking about how powerful peer pressure is, because I remember that the only reason I started wearing one in 7th grade was that the boys in my math class one day decided that it was hilarious to go around snapping bras.  I sat there in terrified silence (who knows where the teacher was), convinced that they would try to do it to me and realize that I wasn't wearing one.  When I got home that day, I immediately went to my mother and told her that I needed to get a bra ASAP!  (I really didn't need one until 9th grade)  What a dumb thing.  Not that I gave in to peer pressure, but that those kinds of situations happen all the time, especially when it comes to going through puberty and all that entails.  I would not go through middle school again for any amount of money or for any incentive that you could possibly think of.  It was a horrible time for me and for so many other kids.  I also remember (also 7th grade) sitting all in a row on the gym floor, waiting for gym class to start.  I sat between two "popular" girls who of course shaved their legs already, and that was a frequent topic of conversation for them.  I didn't need to shave my legs at that point...I've always had very light hair that you could only see if you really looked for it.  However, all these girls had to do was look at my legs, which they did, and the peer pressure was again enough to get me to start shaving them.  Does a 12-year-old *really* need to shave her legs??? 

I also remember (what is it with all these 7th grade incidents??) sitting in science class at the end of a particularly hot day and being hyper-aware of the fact that I had forgotten to put deodorant on that morning.  And, let me just tell you, at that point in my life, I needed to wear deodorant!  :)  I reeked.  Badly.  And I was of course seated in the middle of the classroom.  I'll never forget sitting there with my arms pressed as tightly to my sides as they could possibly go, hoping against hope that no one else would notice.  Well, come on, peeps, these are 7th graders we're talking about!  They're not known for their tact.  :)  The kid behind me started sniffing the air and was like, "What's that smell?", causing me to instinctively press my arms tighter against my sides)  And what kills me is that the girl next to him, who I *thought* was my friend, leaned over to him and said in this loud, exaggerated whisper, "IT'S KERRY."  Hey thanks, girlfriend.  I appreciate you telling everyone in our immediate vicinity that I am the harbinger of B.O. doom!  That was one of the more embarrassing moments I had in middle school. 

However, there was one upside to the B.O. incident.  I never forgot to put my deodorant on in the morning ever again.  :)

All Right, All Right, I'll Jump On The Bandwagon

...and then it's time for bed.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car): Misty Honda

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Oatmeal Cookie Chunk Sneaker

3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Blue Horse

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Jean Parma

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first three letters of your last name, first two of your first name): Ellke

6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Green Root Beer

7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers): Robert Watson William

8. STRIPPER NAME ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Peach Sweetarts

9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your fifth grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Mohar Montgomery

10. SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Summer Rose

11. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now): Mango Bra

12. HIPPIE NAME (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Rabbit-in-a-hole Weeping Willow

I can't remember my 5th grade teacher's name, so I just put my 4th grade teacher's name instead.  Also, I do like mango, but I don't know if I have a "favorite" fruit...I just thought Mango Bra was funny.  :)  And I don't really have a favorite tree.  I've never had a pet...I borrowed Dan's.  Good ol' Misty poop. 

Name That Braden

Silly game stolen from Carolyn's Blog.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car): Siggy Accord

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Vanilla Cross

3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Maroon Crab

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): John Stillwater

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first three letters of your last name, first two of your first name): Ellbr

6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Navy Mug

7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers): Louis Maurice Thomas

8. STRIPPER NAME ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Pulse Runt

9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your fifth grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Stevens Salem

10. SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Internationaltalklikeapirateday Dandelion

11. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now): Strawberry Glasses

12. HIPPIE NAME (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Rabitinahole Cherry

I am seriously considering officially changing my given name to more accurately reflect who I am by adopting my stripper name.

My Turn To Steal From Random Blogs

A-Attached or Single: Attached

B-Best Friend: Braden

C-Cake or Pie: Pie, specifically French Silk

D-Day: Um, they really start to all run together when you're a stay-at-home mom; how about a day that Braden has off?

E-Essential Item: FREAKING POCKETS (this is a sore spot; why don't maternity pants have pockets, dang it??)

F-Favorite Color: Blue

G-Gummi bears or gummi worms: I guess bears, but I'm not a big fan of either

H-Hometown: Cleve-O

I-Indulgences: Value Village 99 cent Monday

J-January or July: July, all the way

K-Kids: 2!!  (I can say that!)

L-Life is incomplete without: My family

M-Marriage Date: 8/19/05

N-Number of Siblings: 5, not including me

O-Oranges or Apples: Hmm...orange juice, but apples to eat

P-Phobias or Fears: Parking lots at night, not knowing where I'm going when I'm driving

Q-Quote: "Hi, Mommy!!"

R-Reason to Smile: The crazy, cute things my daughter does

S-Season: Depends where I am...in WA, definitely the summer

T-Tag: Whoever is into this kind of thing and would like to do it, and whoever will regardless of any tag

U-Unknown fact about me: I very slowly ran into a parked car when going around my block learning to ride a bike; it really hurt, too!  :)

V-Vacation destination of choice: Dunno, maybe Tahiti or the DR

W-Worst Habit: Constantly clearing my throat, but that should go away when I'm not pregnant anymore!

X-X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds; I love to see my babes!

Y-your favorite food: Buffalo chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy

Z-Zodiac Sign: Pisces...and my swimming skills suck.  Go figure!

It's Potty Time!

Much to our surprise, Jenna has absolutely no qualms about getting on the potty!

See for yourself:





She balances very well, too. :)

(Note: we just got this potty to kind of introduce Jenna to the idea, but we're not actively trying to potty train her...she's a little too young to really grasp the concept, I think. She does enjoy the box, though!)

Get Your J Fix Heah

Sunday best...with clunky, too big size 7 shoes




Talking to "Goggy" G on the phone (that would be Grandma)




Making a barricade with the foldout Crayola book




Help, I'm trapped!


Jenna's new way to wear her shirt...how stylish!


Look at those big blue eyes (and yellowish nose...she may be getting a cold)


Interesting way to sleep, but it doesn't look so comfortable




She likes to put other articles of clothing on her head like so

Why You Should Be Suspicious When It's Too Quiet

The so-called "diaper incident" happened a few days ago. I used to put the diapers behind the couch so I could grab them easily when I needed to change Jenna (emphasis on the words "used to"). Well, apparently she was looking for something to do and discovered where they were. The funny thing is, I heard the plasticky noises, but she has some toys and books that make the same sounds, and I just thought she was playing with one of them. Nope!

She systematically took each diaper out and, well, frolicked in a big old pile o' diapers before I interrupted her fun.

Behold! My diaper thief:




Do I really need to add that I don't keep the diapers behind the couch anymore? I didn't think so.

We Got Ta Pray

Yesterday I was laying out some Kix for Jenna, and I was distracted for a moment getting myself situated on the couch (there's no just quick sitting down in the third trimester).  I look back over and Jenna has her arms folded, ready for prayer!!  It just melted my heart.  Here my one-year-old daughter is reminding me to say prayer before even having a snack. 

It is amazing to me what we can learn from our little ones every day and how blessed I am to be a part of it.  I love being a mommy! 

How much do you agree with Obama?

It is obviously put together from a very Anti-Obama standpoint, and some of the questions are quite obviously unfair, but it is an eye-opener nonetheless.

Go take the Barack Obama Test

Nice Lunch "Hour"

So if your office is open from 8:30 to 5:30, but it's closed from 11 to 1pm for lunch...it's not really open from 8:30 to 5:30, is it?

Just sayin'. 

I guess you could totally go out to eat a half hour away without any problems, though.  I remember having an hour for lunch at one of my old jobs, and one time the department (4 people) went out to a restaurant and the wait was horrendous.  We all kept nervously checking our watches and tapping our feet...that may have been the last time we all went out together during lunch hour! 

Value Pillage

So I took the Schmenna to Value Village just after noon today, specifically looking for some brown and black Sunday shoes (size 6! Big feet girl) for her.  Being as it's a Monday, I thought that I would look around and see what I could find for 99 cents.  Upon entering the store, I cast my eyes around and discovered that today's color was yellow, meaning that anything with a yellow tag was 99 cents, no matter what the actual price tag said.  I started to browse, and by the end of my time there (maybe a little less than a hour), I had encountered one, I repeat, ONE yellow tag (a dinky little baby hat that I wasn't even interested in).  This is unheard of at the other Value Villages I've been to.  That store was picked clean.  It probably was devoid of all yellow tags an hour after opening!  I was discussing this with Braden, and he thought it might be because of Back To School timing.  However, it seems to me that it's more of a store location issue.  The one down south that I used to go to still had 99 cent stuff even if you went in the evening (granted, not as much as earlier in the day, but still), and I think it's because that area has people that are more well off than in our current area.  I think that a lot of people who frequent the one I went to today really do rely on 99 cent Monday to get what they need...maybe it's the only day they go shopping.  Anyway, this is all conjecture, I mean, who knows...but it really was astounding to me that I came into the store a little over 3 hours after opening and only found one dinky little yellow tag that people probably just overlooked, or it would have been gone, too. 

One thing's for sure, though, I'm not at a point in my life right now where I'm going to duke it out with a large crowd of 99 cent fanatics at 9am at this particular store...did I mention that it's not in the best part of town?  Because it's not. 

I did find some very cute brown Sunday shoes for Jenna, though...but I had to pay full price!  (A whopping $5)  All she had were size 7 clumpy black shoes (which are cute, but they're way too big for her, although she did clump around all right yesterday at church), and some size 5 1/2 white sandals, which I wonder every Sunday if she's grown out of them.  Now, I don't subscribe to the "don't wear white after Labor Day" crap, but she did need some other colors because not all of her dresses go with white shoes. 

Still looking for some black shoes, but I think I may hold out and just use the clumpy size 7 ones we already have.  Kids grow so fast! 

Teach A Man to Fish...

At the risk of getting all political, I found this quote today on readthescriptures.com and it really struck me because I think it explains why I lean Republican even though there are certainly issues in the GOP that I don't go along with completely:

"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside
in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the
slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums.
The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes
men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human
behavior, but Christ can change human nature."
--Ezra Taft Benson, "Born of God", Ensign, July 1989, 2

I think that the ideals that are touted so much by the Democrats of helping people and giving to the needy are great and honorable, but I don't think that the way to do it is by government interference.  I think that a small government that helps to keep us safe and protected and lets us live our lives so that we can then work in communities and churches and charities to help the needy is what is important.  And for all its talk of helping everyone out, the Democrat Party seems to reject wholesale the idea of lifting people up through religion and morality.  This being perhaps the biggest reason that I almost never pull the lever for the blue candidate.

Just a couple thoughts.  You can now go back to your regularly scheduled life.

Recent Family Quotes

Regarding Braden's recent penchant of filling a baby bottle with water
and putting Airborne in it (it turns a ghastly shade of yellow)
K: My husband drinks baby pee.
B: I prefer to think of it as baby emesis.


While "reading" a Go, Diego, Go book in Spanish
Diego: Nada!  (Swim!)
Jenna (all excited): Nana!!!  (she thinks he said "banana")


Ker: Eye! (pointing to Jenna's eye)
Jenna: Hi!!


B: Do you know who the highest-paid actor on TV is?  Charlie Sheen.
K: Ben Vereen, shrink to the size of a lima bean??!
B: Yeah!!  For 'Two and a Half Men.'
K: Who even watches that show??


After watching a mom get up from her seat at the mall play area and realizing that her "dress" *barely* covered her bottom:
K: (exchanges a couple of looks with B)
B: I know.
K: But isn't it our civic duty to inform her that she forgot her pants??  *I* would want to know!


B: (playing with Jenna's blanket by putting it over his and Jenna's heads) [Now] Hide Mommy!
J: (running over to me) Hi, Mommy!!!


While experiencing a lot of pain on her right side (and having said as much):
B (joking): So can you get the garbage together, do the dishes and take care of Jenna?
K: And *have* Katie?!


After giving J a bath:
K: Why is it that you're all dry, and I'm completely soaked? 


As seen on America's Got Talent:
Jessica Price: I owe my mother everything.  I wouldn't be here without her.
K: Well, yeah.

Sharing Time Madness

(For those who aren't aware, Primary is the children's organization at church, and I'm now one of the 3 members of the "Primary Presidency".  This means that I teach two lessons of 15 minutes each to kids ages 3-7-ish and 7-ish-12 once a month, in addition to conducting at least once a month, along with other responsibilities.)

K, so I didn't die.  Just thought you all might want to know.  It went okay, even though the Junior Primary was rowdy, and the Senior Primary only had 4 kids show up, forcing me to improvise my large group activity.  And I did go like 10 minutes overtime, but that's because Senior got started late, and when I asked the Chorister if she wanted me to wrap up so she could do Singing Time, she said not to worry about it.  Well, I wish she had told me to go ahead and finish, because when I did wrap up, all 4 kids wanted to explain their drawings in great detail, so she really didn't have much time for teaching the songs.  But, for real...I did ask!  :)  Trial and error, I guess...I'll cut some stuff out next time.

I asked beforehand if I could sit down while I was teaching, and I did for a short bit, but then the kids couldn't all see me, nor I them, and it just kind of didn't feel right in a teaching situation when kids are being rowdy.  So I stood up for most of both lessons, and did a lot of walking around in heels, and boy, have I been feeling it since.  I am in a lot of pain, and my feet feel like they're not getting enough circulation.  As for other pain, let's just say that the baby has definitely dropped!  Nothing like the baby dropping for full-on waddlage.  Lately, I just feel so much slower than ever before, and I cannot get comfortable no matter what position I'm in.  And, yeah, me and the bathroom are like THIS.  Somehow, 4-5 more weeks seems interminable. 

Hee, hee...last night I was really having trouble sleeping, so after an hour I prayed that I'd been able to fall asleep quickly so I'd be well rested for teaching Sharing Time...and then I didn't fall asleep for at least another hour.  Anyway, that's not what's funny, but during the second hour, I was starting to get really upset with Heavenly Father, saying, "I prayed!!  I prayed!!  Why can't I fall asleep??!"  What an ingrate I sometimes am, getting all upset with H.F. for not immediately granting my prayer.  :)

It's Gettin' Down To The Wire...

I can't believe I only have a little over a month to go before the new baby's here. Craziness.

Am I ready? Not really. Is anyone ever really ready to add to their brood and deal with all the many challenges that come with having a newborn? I think sometimes we think we're ready, and certainly a lot of women get really, really tired of being pregnant in the third trimester, myself included. But I also think that even if we're not at all ready, Heavenly Father helps us rise to the occasion and be able to do everything we need to. I firmly believe that we aren't given any trials that we can't overcome, even though it may seem like we're about to drown at the time we're going through them. I look back at how difficult my postpartum recovery was after having Jenna and quite honestly, there is no way that I would ever want to go through that again. I really do think that a C-section would have been preferable compared to the extreme pain I suffered for between 2 and 3 months (or more) after the birth. However, I did get through it, painful as it was. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but I did it, and was able to take care of Jenna, too (thank goodness for my mother helping out for 2 1/2 weeks, though). It can be done! :)

That said, I certainly hope that this time around, labor and delivery will be easier and smoother. Not to go into too much detail, here, but my midwife told me that she had a mother who went through the same ordeal I did with her first, who just had her second with no problems. That made me feel a lot better, even though there's no guarantee with mine, but just knowing that it's possible is great! My midwife said that this mother shared a lot of my anxiety about having the same kind of complications with her second, but luckily, it went really smoothly for her and her baby. I'm crossing my fingers!

Jenna's New Words

Continuing my Jenna dictionary, especially for Mom's benefit:

Juice = Shu
Shoe = Shu
Shirt = Shu
Airplane = A B
Mickey = Bicky
Applesauce = Ah-bee
Please = Be
Thank you = Diggy
Blanket = Bucky (this includes my hibernator)

"Milk" has kind of degenerated into "Nah" for some reason. This does distinguish it from "Mah", which means "More".

That's all I can think of right now. I add new words to ScribeFire as she learns them, and then I'll post when I have another group of them. Stay tuned!

How To Deflect A Cell Phone Salesman At The Mall

We were at the mall last night walking around.  This particular one we went to is not the closest one to our house, but Braden wanted to satisfy his craving of WalMart popcorn chicken and jojos (who's the pregnant one?), and there is a WalMart nearby.  Anyway, the mall is pretty big, and we both got the impression that it may be on its last legs, because we didn't see a whole lot of people there, even with an hour to go until closing time. 

So we're in one of the "legs" of the malls (it's not circular), and it's pretty deserted.  We come upon a cell phone kiosk (is anyone surprised? There are so few in a mall), and the following conversation takes place:

Cell phone salesman: Good evening.  Do you mind if I ask you a question?  What cell phone provider do you have?
Braden: (a la Star Wars, complete with sweeping hand gesture): You don't want to sell me a camera.  [meaning to say 'cell phone']
Salesman (utterly and completely bewildered): I don't...want to sell you a camera??

We continued walking, and the guy just stared after us and didn't say anything else. 

My stomach and face hurt so badly from laughing...I couldn't even stand up straight, and this was all in plain sight of the kiosk.  I'm sure the very bored salesmen had something to talk about for awhile. 

It was so funny, but mostly because Braden had been bothering me for the past couple of days to do this to a cell phone salesman, but I refused to do it, and this was where he must have been showing me how it's done, as it were.  But he didn't mean to say 'camera'!!  I think he was distracted by Jenna.

Ah, well.  It still deflected the sales attack and had us rolling in the aisles.  Braden thought it was funny, too, but I think he was more amused by how I couldn't breathe from laughing so hard.  

I Do Believe That's A First

Pregnancy forgetfulness reaches an all-time high:

In the process of making guacamole (which I alluded to in my last post), I opened up the big ol' jar of garlic and found....

A big spoon.  Just hangin' out in there. 

At least I can laugh at myself.  :)

Find Something ELSE To Do!!

Anyone who has watched a suspense or thriller-type show with me knows that I get very aggravated with the bad guys.  I just don't understand why they feel so compelled to do bad things, often to their own detriment, because they invariably make a mistake that gets them caught.  So while they are on their rampages against perceived injustices (or sometimes for no reason at all), a lot of times I will say what I'm thinking out loud: "Find something ELSE to do!!!"  Why can't they just go surf the internet or read a book?  I mean, go out to dinner or treat yourself to a movie!!  There are plenty of other things to do in life than commit crimes, people!  Grrr... 

I know this sounds funny, but my aggravation knows no bounds sometimes. 

The sentence "Find something ELSE to do" has been used in other situations as well, such as various times within the last hour, as I continuously tripped over Jenna while trying to make some guacamole.  I love my little girl very much, but there is something inherently annoying about a child constantly around your legs while you're trying to do something.  Especially when she just keeps saying please, and I haven't the slightest clue what she wants.  I'm thrilled that she's finally picked up on saying "Please", but I need to know *what* you want, and then you can say "Please"!  (Note: Jenna actually is usually pretty good about playing with stuff, and it's not very often that I trip over her, but today was certainly different!)

Monday Night Football

So I'm sitting here watching Monday Night Football (gotta love DVR!) and I just saw a play where the Cowboy's running back took the ball and evaded a few tackles and ran for 18 yards before being taken down.

That's not what is remarkable about the play, though.  What really stood out to me is that as the Cowboy's player started walking back toward his teammates, the Eagles player who had tackled him ran up to him and gave him a high five.  Something simple like that really impresses me.  That is true sportsmanship and I love to see it.  It is sad how much it stuck out to me because you so rarely see that in professional sports anymore.  People forget that although you really want to win, in the end it is just a game, so have fun and enjoy yourself and give props when props are due.

Weird Wedding Dreams

Last night I dreamed that I didn't have a dress to wear to Ryan's wedding.  My apparent solution to this was to mention it to my 10th grade English teacher, known for her big tent-ey, garish dresses.  She then insisted that she had just the thing that would fit over my 37 week belly.  It was, of course, hideous and drapey.  I believe it was red with beads.  Anyway, so then we're at the wedding, which must have been some kind of civil ceremony (you will shortly see why I deduced that, judging by what went on).  My English teacher was there, too, even though I'm pretty sure Ryan didn't even have her in high school, but hey, why not invite the masses?  While you're at it, why not invite Mr. B, our oh-so-beloved Chemistry teacher (who may be the only teacher that all four of us siblings were privileged enough to have)?  I digress.

So then whoever is in charge of announcing what's going on, the conductor, if you will, calls upon Dave Grohl to say the opening prayer.  Yes, you read that right: Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters.  He gets to the microphone and half-sings/half-says the prayer. 

I can't remember whether he brought his guitar or drums with him.  Does that even matter?  Dave Grohl gave the opening prayer at my brother's wedding. 

I think that's awesome. 

Breechiness Begone!

Baby Katie has decided to get with the program and get her head down where it belongs!!  She is no longer breech, which gave me a sigh of relief.  She still has time to move around, though, but hopefully she'll stay where she is now.  It's weird, because I never really felt the shift, and I sure did with Jenna.  So when I went to my appointment this morning, I said that I thought that she was still breech.  She may have moved during the night or something, and I just wasn't aware.  In any case, it mattereth not; I'm just glad she's where she's supposed to be.  I need to schedule another ultrasound for next week to make sure, and then it's pretty much an appointment a week from here on out.  Technically, my 36 week ultrasound would be in two weeks, but my midwife wants me to schedule it for next week to see if Katie is still where she should be.  I also have a copy of my chart in case I forget to ask in two weeks (that's for worst-case-scenario if I go into labor while in Portland). 

In other news, Braden has been able to switch shifts so that he's not working the day before the wedding.  We do have an appointment at noon-ish that day, but should be on our way after an hour and a half or so, enabling us to make it for dinner in Portland, assuming that we have good traffic, and assuming that dinner's not too early.  If we get going late or run into some problems, we'll let peeps know.  I'm just glad that we won't be rolling into town at 9 or 10 at night!

After Mario Rescues the Princess...

Have you ever wondered what happened?

Dear Mr. Obama

Living just a few miles from a military base, and having had the chance to talk to a number of soldiers who have served in Iraq, I know that the sentiments of the person who made the Dear Mr. Obama video are very broadly shared.  Go check it out.  Powerful stuff!

If We Had Been Born To Sarah Palin

As most are aware, Sarah Palin has some interesting ideas when it comes to baby names.  Case in point: her children are named Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig.  Anyway, I found this link on another blog, so go forth and have fun with the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator!

My name would be Crop Schooner Palin, and Braden's would be Turbine Yukon Palin.  Jenna's is Fowl Overtime Palin, while Katie's is Jeep Pike Palin.  Good times.

I'm glad she's not my mama; I'm not diggin' the name Crop.

Meds in Pregnancy

Carolyn commented in another post about OTC medications for relieving congestion symptoms.  I am posting my reply here to be sure that it doesn't get lost:

You need to be especially careful with medications for chest congestion and expectoration.  For the kinds of symptoms that you are describing, you should consider trying loratadine, or chlorpheniramine which are pregnancy category B.  They are neither decongestants nor expectorants, but with thier antihistaminic properties, will probably relieve your symptoms if they are truly allergy related.  Guiafenesin (Robitussin) is category C and potentially much more dangerous to the baby, although some people think it is okay.  If you really need a decongestant, I would say go with pseudophedrine (Sudafed), but do so rarely and cautiously, as in animal studies, excessive use has been linked to less fetal growth.  Nasacort and Nasonex nasal sprays are both category C but I have seen them prescribed for similar problems.

First or Second or Third Trimester?

I want to start off by saying that I have been extremely lucky when it comes to morning sickness during pregnancy, especially during this current pregnancy.  Up until this morning, I actually had only thrown up once...when I was 16 weeks along.  And I thought that was odd, considering that a lot of morning sickness goes away at the end of the third trimester. 

Then came this morning.  I had just informed Braden that I wasn't feeling that great and that I wouldn't be going to Stake Conference.  Then we hung up (he's at a certification meeting-thingy) and I starting taking Jenna downstairs.  Long story short, my whole "clear-your-throat-forever-because-it-never-gets-cleared" triggered the classic "uh-oh-I-think-I'm-actually-going-to-throw-up-this-time" symptoms, and sure enough, there I was at 34 weeks, barfing again.  And so I ask you, gentle readers...what gives???  Like I said before, I know I haven't had to deal with the actual throwing up very much, and I am very grateful for that.  I'm just puzzled by the timing of when I actually have!  Weird, weird, weird. 

I know Carolyn can commiserate with me regarding this whole third trimester nausea!  Boo!!

Some September Pictures

At the park in the BIG swing






Idiot Man Boy of Smoker-ness is on the right


Jenna in her favorite place in the kitchen (wearing her "new", spiffy jacket)


Looking like she's about to lift some serious weights


Next to my desk chair (underneath her highchair)


Check out her "new", spiffy sandals/shoes. I love them!!


So this is a pinecone...


Contemplating the meaning of life sitting on a rock in a neighbor's yard


Okay, okay, I'll smile!


Wearing Grandma G's skirt


One of Mommy's few attempts at a ponytail


Um, I think these shorts are a little too big for me, Mommy


Pigtails are even harder than a ponytail!


Back in my cage :)

This One's For You

...Ryan and Dan. Take a look at this baby jonas.

Kidnapping Just For Kicks

I came across this article today and wondered what all ya'll think of it.

Mmmm...Cigarette Smoke

So, not much new to post here. Except that we went to the park a few hours ago, and an idiot was walking around smoking right smack in the middle of the play area (with his young daughter right there) and couldn't seem to comprehend why Braden asked him not to. I really don't think he got it that cigarette smoke permeates THE WHOLE AREA and that smokers don't have their own personal smoke bubble. His ignorance astounded me.

This is how the conversation went:

Braden (stopping the swing to a screeching halt, throwing Jenna at me and running over to Idiot ManBoy): Please don't smoke around my daughter.
Idiot ManBoy: I wasn't smoking around your daughter.
Braden: (in utter disbelief)...It's all over this entire area!
IMB: Whatever. (shoves the still-lit cigarette into his pocket)

(a minute later back at the swings, where IMB puts his daughter in the swing next to us)
Braden: You shouldn't even smoke around your own daughter.
Ker (not wanting her husband to get a booty-whuppin') Shhhh...

However, my fears were unfounded, as IMB did not respond to Braden's last comment. I was picturing having to waddle in between two dudes to break it up, but luckily, I didn't have to.

I haven't seen Braden that mad since...well, since yesterday, when WalMart closed down their hot food section early for maintenance, and he had to survive without popcorn chicken and jojos.

Ha, I kid. He was slightly more mad at the smoker.

Why Very Pregnant Women Cannot Hurry

...pretty much because it is impossible to do so. Even if I were in a dark parking lot and had some maniac after me, I would be at her mercy (and probably have to buy flowers from her). I've become increasingly aware of this fact, but it was never more apparent than during my errand to Costco yesterday. We were having company over for dinner later that night, so I was trying to zip through the store, get what I needed and get out. Um, yeah...anyone ever tried to just get in, get out of Costco? It's an exercise in futility, especially if you're hungry and samples are still being given out. (As a side note, I learned a new trick for getting more than one sample: Reach over the lady's shoulder from behind while she's explaining the details to someone in front of her and then speed away. Then you can come back a few minutes later and get another...and if she gives you any guff, pull the "Excuse me, eating for two AND I'm sharing with my one year old!")

Anyway, so I'm trying to walk quickly through the store, and it's just not happening. I soon realized that trying to do so only results in feeling like everything necessary for childbirth is about to fall off right now. It's about as pleasant as it sounds.

I learned my lesson, folks. Slow down to a regular waddle, and you'll be just fine! Embrace the waddle! Give in to the waddle! Go over to the Dark Side Of The Waddle!!


Is it time to have this baby yet?

Free Agency

"To fully understand this gift of agency
and its inestimable worth, it is imperative that we understand that
God’s chief way of acting is by persuasion and patience and
long-suffering, not by coercion and stark confrontation. He acts by
gentle solicitation and by sweet enticement. He always acts with
unfailing respect for the freedom and independence that we possess. He
wants to help us and pleads for the chance to assist us, but he will
not do so in violation of our agency. He loves us too much to do that,
and doing so would run counter to his divine character."
--Howard W. Hunter, "The Golden Thread of Choice", Ensign, Nov. 1989, 17

Happy Birthmonthdaythingy

Jenna is 17 months old today, and going on 17 years.

We are truly spoiled to have such a smart, cute, and generally well-behaved child. I'm truly grateful for Jenna and for everything she brings to our lives. Every day is a new adventure.

Here's to another 17 months!

Anyone Need A Cake Decorator?

...because I could sure do better than the people featured on this blog. I got some good belly laughs from browsing it; hope you do, too.

My favorite so far (and it's hard to narrow it down) is this one. Conguadulations on your weeding, indeed. WAY TO WEED!!! I JUST THOUGHT I'D GET YOU A CAKE TO CELEBRATE YOUR GREAT WEEDING JOB (in Green)!!

This cake had Braden rolling on the floor laughing. He actually said, "If you love me, you'll get me that cake for my birthday."

Thank You For The Obscure Recipe

Just in case you don't know how to make a root beer float, Robin Miller has been so kind as to break it down for you here.

Hey, thanks, Robin.

...what's the point of even posting the recipe?? That's like posting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich recipe.

I was looking to see if there were any variations of a root beer float, and it's nice to know that there's a recipe out there for the root-beer-float-challenged person.

Content

I'm over here at the computer looking through old posts, and Jenna is in the living room. She's sitting on the couch surrounded by clothes and toys and has been perfectly content for the last 10 minutes at least. That's unprecedented, especially since the gate is currently open...oh, wait, here she comes...and there she goes back into the living room again. I guess she just wanted to show me her tractor. :)

Oops, spoke too soon. It seems that she's back in her mood of "take stuff from a room and put it randomly in another room", even though I just spent 20-25 minutes cleaning up her mess from yesterday. This place seriously looked like a tornado hit it. I had had it and went on the cleaning warpath earlier. It's amazing to me how much mess ONE child can cause...let alone two, three, four or more children. Geez!

This live feed has been brought to you by Ker. Thank you, thank you very much.

Maybe the title should be "So You Think You Can Have A Clean House". :)

Blogs

Sometimes when I'm bored I turn to my old friend Google and try to find blogs written by Mormons. I'll write something like '"when I was at BYU" blog' or similar stuff, or '"due in October" lds' just for kicks to see what I find. Any time I stumble across an LDS family blog, approximately 95% of the time it's being maintained by the wife/mother of the family. I find this really interesting...

First of all, it's just curious to me that not that many guys are into family blogs. Maybe the wives started the blog first, and so if the husbands do decide to blog, they blog about other things. If it ain't broke, don't fix it? And I guess moms are more into the little things their kids do...like what husband is going to blog about Pooh Bear and tomato paste and the apparent fascination they both hold for your one-year-old?

Also, it's interesting how a lot of other people also see blogging as a way to keep a family journal, like we've been counseled to do ever since I can remember. I personally have always sucked royally at keeping a traditional journal, and it's only been since I got into blogging that I've been able to chronicle events that go on with me and my family. Additionally, more and more families live far away from siblings and extended family networks, and blogging is a great way to share pictures and family updates. I'm very grateful that I can save little memories of our family that we can look back on and remember what we were doing "back when".


I say these things....PSYCH! Sorry, it just really felt like I was bearing my testimony of blogs at the end there... :)

Food Issues

Why does everything bad for you have to taste so good?? Why can't I love vegetables and general healthy stuff?

Sigh.

Thank goodness for fat free rainbow sherbet...

To Give Or Not To Give

I just got back from a trip to the grocery store, where I had an, ahem, interesting encounter. As I was pulling into the parking lot, a woman and a girl (maybe 10 years old) were talking to a guy in the car directly in front of the space I was parking in, so I pulled in slowly. Anyway, I thought that the females were with the guy, but then I saw him leave a few seconds later. I locked my car, and was not paying attention to said people, when I noticed that they had made their way around the back of my car, and the woman says, "Hi. How are you?" I was a little taken aback and said, "Hi. I'm fine..." Then she gives this sob story about how they've moved from Florida and have fallen on hard times, are living in a hotel room, and so are selling flowers (cheap, plastic ones) to help out. So I ask how much, and she says "$3", and then amends it to "or whatever you want to give us; you tell me." So I look in my wallet and all I have is a $20, which I don't say to them, but I do say that I only have change, like quarters, nickels and dimes, in the car. She kind of shrugs and says, "We'll take that", so I dig out $2 in quarters and dimes (nickels are underrepresented yet again!!), turn around, give it to her and say, "Here's $2; I know that's less than what you were asking..." It crossed my mind to tell her to just keep the flower, but I held back, partly because it was her call and partly because I really wanted to see what she'd do. She hesitated for just a second, but gave me a flower. Then, and this is the odd ending to a wholly odd encounter, she says, "Lock your car", which I did (and was about to before she said that), and then she adds, "Don't lock your car keys in the car", to which I replied, "I've got them; thanks...good luck", and then I was on my way. I should mention that this happened at about 8pm, so it was dusk.

There were a couple of times where I could have cut the conversation short or said that I didn't have any money, but I was caught off guard and let's face it, I feel bad for people that are on hard times, I really do. And I just never know if it's a scam or what, if the person is lying through his/her teeth, or if I'm being told the truth. I realize (and realized) that it's entirely likely that it was a scam, but I have a lot of compassion, and in this case, I felt like I wanted to give them something in spite of any doubts I had. And in these situations, I always think of the King Benjamin scripture, (Mosiah 4:16-19) where it says:

16 And also, ye yourselves will ^asuccor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the ^bbeggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

17 Perhaps thou shalt ^asay: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

19 For behold, are we not all ^abeggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

I know that if I hadn't given them anything, I would be sitting here wondering if I should have, instead of sitting here wondering if I shouldn't have. This type of encounter always leaves me unsettled either way. I actually don't give far more than I do give, but sometimes it's easier to tell if you're being taken for a ride. I guess this time I gave because we have sufficient for our needs (although we're not rich or anything), I'm grateful for that, and I didn't want to withhold my substance. I hate being cynical and wondering if people are lying. It would just be so much easier if people had a sign on their foreheads that lit up, as in "THIS PERSON IS LYING, THIS PERSON IS LYING".

As a side note, if Jenna had been with me, I would've said no and gone on my way. I get a little bit "mama bear" when approached by strangers if my kid is with me. And if it had been a guy, that would have been a quick no followed by me running (or waddling) away. Here's a hint to guys, don't approach females in quickly darkening parking lots. Or at all. Hear, hear!

What do you do in these situations? I know it depends on the person, but specifically what do you do when you can't tell whether they're being honest or not?

Um, Come Again?

Heh...Sharon Osbourne just told a contestant on America's Got Talent to "cut the cheese". As in "Okay, sweetie, you've got to cut the cheese." For reference, she was talking to a singer who was pretty cheesy and lounge singer-ish.

"I do not think it means what you think it means", Sharon! Or she at least didn't realize the double meaning. In either case, it gave me a good belly laugh.

Katie Checkup

I didn't get to see my midwife, for reasons I'm not going to go into here; suffice it to say that the support staff at the place I go is incredibly inept, and they will not be getting repeat business from me. ANYway, the doctor measured me at 33, and the med student measured me at 31 (I'm currently 32 weeks along). I assume the baby is still breech, since she hasn't really moved from two weeks ago. The doctor said that it's not really a concern until the 36 week ultrasound, and that at that point, they'll have me getting on my hands and knees to try and get the baby to change position. My midwife told me two weeks ago to already start doing that, but that's beside the point. Heartbeat was in the 140s...good, healthy, strong heartbeat!

I'm so ready to not be pregnant, but I'm not ready to double my mommy workload and be sleep-deprived. Katie will be here before we know it regardless of how ready I am, though! :)

At The Farm

And yet more pics! These are from when we visited my grandma during the first week of August.

At the farm in PA with Great Grandma M.


Grandma trying (in vain) to keep Jenna on her lap


Me trying to let Jenna run off her energy on the farm shortly after the above pictures were taken


My view looking directly down at Jenna...is anything in the way?


I just love Jenna's expression as she's getting tickled by Grandpa M.


Jenna "opening" a present from (Great) Aunt BJ


Jenna cradling her present (a cute pink sweater; thank you!)


Jenna and Aunt BJ


Looking at the sunflowers by (Great) Uncle Clark's place (just a short walk down the hill from the farm)

More Pics From Vacation

These are from our recent vay-cay to the East.

At our timeshare in NC; Jenna wanted to share this spoon...with gusto


I can't believe how long her hair is getting!


My brother Dan and Jenna on the front porch at my dad's in VA


Picking blueberries and blackberries in VA with Grandpa M.


My niece Amy really, really liked blackberry juice! I just had to get a picture...or two


A slightly different view; I hope Dan and Carolyn had some wipes handy! :)


Jenna at Panera Bread with Aunt Lauren and Mommy in VA




Aunt Lauren and Jenna in the "HUGE" mall in Christiansburg, VA :)


My stepmom Suzy tickling Jenna in VA