New body pillow!

I bought a regular rectangle body pillow and since I got it, I've had to wrestle with it every night to get it into a semi-comfortable position...it was either a wall between Dean and I or it was falling off the edge of the bed. I don't necessarily NEED a body pillow yet, but I wanted one to help me to start getting used to not sleeping on my back. This pillow seemed to be a losing battle...

SO, when I received a NEW pillow from Dean's parents and sister for my birthday yesterday, I was super excited to try it out when I went to bed! It kind of looks like a giant cinnamon roll that you can unravel and wrap yourself in. It's AWESOME!!!! I love it!!! And once the baby's born, it can be used as a little papasan-type thing for the baby to lay in or sit in. Cool!

BTW, I had a really great birthday! Thank you to everyone who called/texted/e-mailed me throughout the day...I felt really loved!

GREAT weekend!

I had a really great weekend! The weather was amazing!!! (Finally!)


On Friday night, Dean and I stayed home and watched a movie and ate ice cream.
On Saturday morning, I went to breakfast with Marla (Dean's sister) and then she took me to get my very first pedicure! It was AWESOME!!! I don't think my feet have ever looked so pretty...I think I could get used to it.

Then I went home and opened all the windows and CLEANED. It's so nice to have a tidy house...getting in the mood to clean is the difficult part.

Sunday was Meghan's baby shower...we were really happy with how it turned out!! Everything worked out so well and she got some really great things! It gave me a lot of good ideas as to what I'll want to register for when the time comes.

And for dinner, Dean and I went to Cheeseburger in Paradise and sat in the sun...I ordered a virgin strawberry daiquiri. It was the perfect end to a great weekend!

Dean took another picture of me...

Rain, rain go away!

It's been raining for a couple days...I think it's a way to make us really appreciate the great weather we're supposed to have this weekend! I can't wait for it! Meghan's baby shower is this Sunday, here at my house, and it's supposed to be 78 degrees!!! Heat wave! I told her I was going to wear a skirt or dress...not because of the weather, but because I don't have any pants/jeans left that I can button all the way. YIKES! For a while, I did the hairband trick where you loop it through the button hole and over the button...I have since graduated to one of those "Bella Bands"...it's basically a a tube top worn around the waist and it covers the zipper/button. It allows me to leave my pants completely unbuttoned AND unzipped. It's awesome. It works out really well because although I can't wear my jeans normally, maternity pants are still too big...they look like MC Hammer pants on me. I'll save that look for later...

I'm feeling great...my appetite is back in full swing, which is good! Remember how I loved ice cream before I got pregnant? Well, now I love it even more. Oreo Blizzards with chocolate syrup...YUM. The first couple of months, I wasn't able to gain any weight...I'd put on a couple pounds and then it'd be gone in a couple days. I think it was because I was feeling sick and didn't have much of an appetite. I'm pretty sure I'm making up for it now! I know that gaining weight is important, but I'm going to be completely honest and say that it's REALLY weird to see that number on the scale climbing up!

My skin SUCKS right now!!! My pores look bigger and my forehead looks like the freaking Swiss Alps. At least it's just on my forehead and I can mask some of it with my bangs...which may be the problem to begin with...my hair products might be irritating the skin where my bangs touch my face. [sigh] It's a vicious cycle...what can you do?

One more thing...dreams. They're CRAZY! You would think I was on drugs or something. I used to not remember very many of my dreams and if I did, it was always about something really boring...like tying my shoes. NOW, I have the most vivid, detailed...and often hilarious dreams. A couple of my favorite ones (I've told some of you about these):

I dreamed that I was in the movie Ice Age 3 (yes, the computer-animated one)...this was before I even knew that there actually IS an Ice Age 3 coming out. I dreamed that I was a character in the movie and we were all frozen in an ice berg floating through an underwater New York City when one of the mammoths (in my dream, his name was Bart) found a hole in the ice berg that led us into the ocean. He freed us! We were all swimming around and there was even a song called, "Bart's Hole." Good stuff, right?

And another one--I dreamed that I was on some sort of trip with a bunch of friends and we were all staying in a hotel room together. I was laying on one of the beds, which was pulled about a foot away from the wall and I had to find my friend, Ricky, who somehow had shrunk down to the size of a grain of sand. I had to comb through the carpet behind the bed and look for him. I could hear his voice and I remember it bouncing back and forth and I kept telling him to either sit still or to make his way toward a certain object. I never did find him...

So weird. But it's entertaining.

I'll have Dean take another picture of me this weekend and I'll get it posted!

I'm in my SECOND trimester!

12 weeks:

I'm a full 13 weeks pregnant today...going into my 14th week. I love watching that little teddy bear move along on the ticker at the top of my journal!

It's going to be an exciting three months...I should start feeling the baby move in another month or so AND we'll find out the sex of the baby in about two months! THEN, the shopping can begin...

**I keep reading different things...some say this is the beginning of the second trimester and others say NEXT week is. ??? Either way, I'm trucking along!

Second appointment

I had my second appointment today!

We met our doctor for the first time. Unfortunately, she's notorious for running behind with her appointments. I was warned of this by the nurse when I first called to make my initial appointment. She described three different doctors to me and I opted for this particular lady because she said she's very patient and will sit and answer questions/concerns all day if she had to. The nurse wasn't kidding. My appointment was supposed to be at 2:30...she didn't come into the room until nearly an hour later! For those of you who know me well, you know that lateness is one of my biggest pet peeves...am I going to be able to deal with this for the next six months? Hopefully so. If she wasn't such a sweet lady, I would probably have to fight her. As long as she isn't late for my delivery...

Aside from all that, the appointment went really well...extremely quick considering how long we sat and waited! We did a weight check and tested blood pressure...both good/normal. She said all my blood tests from the previous appointment (remember the gallons of blood I had to give last time) came back normal. I learned that my blood is B-positive...I never knew that. She checked my tummy and then the part I was looking forward to--listening to the baby's heartbeat! While Dean and I were waiting for the doctor, I admitted that I was a little nervous about the appointment...I just wanted to hear that everything was still okay. I stress myself out a little too much sometimes. So when we heard the heart beating, it was reassuring. It was beating at over 160bpm. It was sooooooooooo cool!!! Every few seconds, we heard a "whoosh" noise and the doctor said that was the sound of the baby kicking or moving its arms! How crazy that it's THAT tiny and already dancing away in there. I can't wait to FEEL that!

I'm continuing to feel better...the nauseating afternoons and nights are happening less frequently, which is AWESOME and I also feel like I'm getting some of my energy back. I still would rather go to bed earlier than later and naps are still my friends...BUT I no longer feel like I did in the beginning when I swear my appendages all had weights on them and I couldn't stay awake for normal amounts of time. My job keeps me pretty active...I'm on my feet, walking for 3 to 7 hours a day. I think it's good for me, but I can tell that I already get tired a little more quickly than before which frustrates me a bit. So many people tell me to "take it easy" and "slow down" but it's kind of hard to do that while working at a restaurant. I know that if I really need to relax, I will...but for now, I think I'm good to go.

Let's see what else...oh yes...chicken is totally nasty right now. It's so strange because that was all I ever ate. It's actually been a couple weeks since I've eaten it because I'm afraid to try it again. It's grossed me out twice so I figured I'd give it a rest for a while...at least until the thought of it doesn't make me gag. The only way I can describe it is how fish can taste too fishy sometimes...somehow chicken tastes too chicken-y at the moment. Blechhh. Yuck. You know what DOES taste good though? Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese. I can't get enough of it...this baby is going to come out orange like the powdered cheese. (Don't worry, I'm still eating plenty of healthy things, too!)

So far the most difficult thing about being pregnant is not being able to be out with Dean and our friends when the weekend rolls around...and it's not at all about not being able to drink...I couldn't care less about that. I just miss being OUT and being with my friends. It's entirely my choice because I refuse to sit in a stinky bar and breathe in all that disgusting cigarette smoke. At first, it was kind of nice to come home from work and relax and have some time to myself...but every once and awhile I get pretty bummed out. Tonight's one of those nights. Boo. Pity party for me. (I felt a little better after I purchased a few pairs of shoes online. ) It's just usually when I know a bunch of people are together for specific things...today is my friend, Tom's birthday. Dean offered to gather some people and go to a non-smoking bar, but I was already in my pjs and I don't need a bunch of people to change their plans because of me. I'm definitely looking forward to some warmer weather so I can take advantage of all the outdoor patios. Here's a picture of a contract that our friend, Chrissy, wrote for Dean while they were out tonight:

But anyways, I totally rambled with this entry...

All in all, everything is going very, very well...it's hard to believe that in six months, I'm going to meet this amazing little person, who in a couple of short months, has already taken me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. I can't wait...

I've been TAGGED!

I've been tagged by Meghan to list 10 random things about myself...

K, here goes:

1. I'm obsessed with my dog, Kody...I probably love him more than some people love their children. He's cute, he's always happy to see me, he listens to everything I have to say, and he never talks back. What's not to love?

2. My absolute favorite place in the entire world is St.John, U.S. Virgin Islands. When I'm sitting on one of its gorgeous beaches, I'm at my most relaxed, stress-free state. When I win the lottery, I'm going to pack up Dean and Kody (and Baby) and move us down there.

3. I don't like wearing flat shoes. I know there are a lot of cute flats out there these days, so I'm becoming more okay with them...but if I have a choice, I'd rather wear my four-inch heels any day. I realize this may not work out so well as my belly continues to grow, but I'm going to wear them while I still can.

4. I like cheese. I could eat it all day.

5. I hate being hot. I love warm weather and being on the beach or next to the pool...that's all great. I don't like when I'm sweaty and my clothes start sticking to me and there's no immediate way to cool off. THAT'S when I freak out...ask Jamie, she knows.

6. I'm really bad at throwing things away. It's something I've been working on. I just don't want to get rid of something if someone gave it to me or if it's not broken or...I could come up with all kinds of reasons. I'm in the process of cleaning out our guest bedroom so we can turn it into the nursery...I'm trying really hard to get rid of stuff we don't need!

7. I love, love, love Husker football...I'm super excited for the upcoming season! I won't get to go to any games this year since I'll be in the last couple months of my pregnancy...our comfy couch and surround sound will have to do.

8. Sometimes I wish I could find a job where I could sit in a room by myself and not have to talk to anyone all day. After nearly 11 years of working with the public at our restaurant, I need a freaking break. People often leave me speechless because they are so rude, mean, or clueless. [sigh]

9. I love watching Dancing with the Stars and wishing I could move like the professional dancers...they're amazing. I'm one of the least coordinated people you will ever meet, so ballroom dancing is not in my future.

10. I don't like swimming in lakes, rivers, or ponds...it grosses me out if the water's so murky, I can't see my feet. Blechh. Who knows what else is down there.