Update

Hi everyone! I know it's been a long time, so I thought I'd do some updating real quick.



Amélie was born on May 5th, 2008 weighing 7 lbs 13 ounces. She was born at 6:24 AM and was 21.5 inches long, after 20 hours of labor. Everything went great and it was a natural and unmedicated birth. About an hour after she was born it was apparent she was turning a tad on the purply side so we went to the hospital where she was put on oxygen. While there, she was unable to breastfeed for 24-28 hours so she was connected to an IV and we had to stay in the hospital for a week. To be honest, anything after she established breastfeeding was a crock of crap, but let's not get into that quite yet. I'd like to just enjoy my baby girl :-)



Amélie now weighs over 9lbs and is over 22 inches long. She is 7 weeks old and smiles a lot and is very cuddly, like her daddy. She's a great baby, especially if I can stay away from Jellybeans lol and rootbear. I never had cravings like I have now tee hee. She has so much personality ... kind of like mine though (yes be warned she likes it her way) and eats ... whenever the hell she wants lol. She mostly sleeps anywhere from 2-4 hours in a row and is starting to get a set schedule, but we aren't holding our breaths. She used to sleep in her bassinet, then slept with mommy in the big bed and is now in her own room in her crib.



I can't believe how quickly she's growing and I'm always surprised when I have to put her clothes that are too small away and pull out new ones. She's growing up so fast, but I can't help but be excited for her to be 6 months old :-)

Amelie's birth story ~ the edited/soft version

Amelie was born on May 5th, 2008 @ 6:24 AM.

It was My 4th when I went into labour, believe it or not I thought it was kinda funny. Trust me ... it didn’t last too long, but surprisingly through my whole labour I did keep my sense of humor ... mostly. By the time Lisa, our doula, got there, it was 6:00 pm. Seriously ... I thought she would NEVER get there and I was definitely in active labour. We had decided I would labour at home as long as possible. So, ... it didn’t look like I was going to have a 6 hour labour lol. Meh. I can shrug it off now, but ... at the time there was no shrugging. Labour continued on, making me wonder why women ever had children, why men were so annoying ... why Corey kept trying to rub my back after I threatened to kill him at LEAST twice ... I also pondered Lisa’s sanity at being a doula. She must be insane to deal with women like me all the time. They kept lying to me to keep my spirits up too. Almost done. Almost done. Right. I totally believed them every time too. POFFFFFT. Lisa kept making me move around. I hated her at this point, but I knew she was right. I again wondered at her sanity, but she kept at it and Corey kept at it and I seriously had no choice but to keep at it lol. I remember asking JellyBean for a time out and I did get a few. Finally, my water broke – okay I broke it with a push around 3 ish (I know you’re all dying to know about this lol) And I mean 3 am on May 5th by the way. Corey kept telling me I was doing great so I figured I was. And then I had to push and push I did. I didn’t get those on TV urges and I seriously could not hold my breath and push. Who DOES That anyways? I would have passed out for sure lol. It took 2 hours and 20 minutes, some very cool positions, Lisa and Corey telling me ONE more push (again .... they were lying) and FINALLY Amelie was born. If you ask Corey to tell you the story of Amelie being born, it’s very hilarious lol. I remember looking down and seeing my BEAUTIFUL little girl, and immediately feeling smug that I was right. Mom’s always know and now I know what my mom means when she says she ALWAYS knows.
We went to the hospital after a quick bath and cuddle and Amelie got the little extra help she needed with oxygen. She was put on antibiotics (turns out she didn’t need them) and and an IV. There was nothing scarier than seeing your little angel being poked and prodded, but she’s a fighter and she did great. 24 hours later, she got jaundice ... joy ... FINALLY, after the inquisition of nurses, doctors, strangers ... and after the ridiculously long and pointless stay in the hospital we FINALLY got to take our little miracle home, where she was born. I am very upset by our treatment in the hospital, but when I look at my baby girl I know one thing for sure. They can never take away the most amazing birth story ever. And they can NEVER, ever take away how special she is to us. And no matter what they accuse us of, Amelie will always know the truth, and that we did the best thing for her. God gave us instincts and I used mine. The best thing I did was have her at home, then bring her to the hospital. Now when I look at her, sleeping in bed as if she’s sunbathing, I think about how she’s everything we’ve ever wanted. A homebirth, a healthy and happy baby ... and so far ... daddy’s little girl and mommy’s little angel.

JellyBean guesses

Hey everybody if you want to guess JellyBean's stats head over to JellyBean's website and make a guess!! :-D You have until April 18th then we'll see who wins :-)

32 week checkup

Well ... that was fun :-) Other than the stunning 10 lbs weight gain lol. I have to admit I was stunned. I had been under a lot of stress, wasn't eating, nor sleeping and I thought for sure I wouldn't gain more than a few pounds. Boy was I surprised lol. Oh well. JellyBean is facing down, butt towards my belly button and legs out to my right side, kicking and elbowing and kneeing and ... all that stuff. I'm thinking ... 7 lbs ... 7lbs 10 ounces I think. Heartbeat is 132 so for all those people who are making guesses ... that may help, and JellyBean is carrying very low, ... trust me lol.

Other than that, the renovations are coming along :-) Check out the pictures on facebook ;-) tee hee.

The LIST :-)

Finally, the list everyone's been asking for. http://jellybeanbabylist.blogspot.com/
The link will also be on the side ... where it says links ... lol ... and will be updated/changed regularly.

7 months

Only 10 weeks to go!! Hooray!! Although it looks like JellyBean is actually a basket ball ... I'm pretty sure he/she isn't. I have already gotten to my 130 lbs goal tee hee. So I decided to CHANGE it to ... 140 lbs. A nice round number.

JellyBean has turned head down and is lying very low in my body lol. Sometimes I think JellyBean is trying to escape! This has prompted quite a few people to guess that JellyBean will be born before my due date. I don't know. I have no guess for that ... but I don't think I'll be super late ;-).

I am very tired and a very tiny amount of patience for things. It doesn't take much for me to get frustrated, but luckily I am easily placated with a tomato sandwhich, goodie rings, strawberries and lemon water. Yes ... I realize these are all strange to eat in combination, but you're just going to have to trust me when I say it's very good. We are very excited for JellyBean and can't WAIT to meet our little baby Linfitt.

Oubliette

Now ... if anyone isn't familiar with what an oubliette is ... it's a deep, dark whole where mean people would put bad people to forget about them. These days, we call it prison, but ... there are also the though oubliettes, which float around aimlessly and prey on innocent people like me. I seem to be forgetting where I put a lot of things, which has led me to believe ... I have an oubliette floating in my house.

It wouldn't be so bad if I was only forgetting where I put something .... it's that I'm forgetting where I put something and that I can't even remember what I'm looking for lol. So you see ... sometimes it takes a while for me to find something, luckily it's usually in a pretty obvious place and someone else usually finds it for me. The more popular items for me to lose are my cell phone, my work keys, my car keys and my cup of water or my banana. Corey has taken to simply putting everything in my work bag (minus the water) and then he knows where it is when I start to look for it.

It's also come to the point where I will eat something and forget I ate it ... or do something ... then try to do it again. I guess I get a lot of walking done as I try to remember things :-) Hopefully my memory comes back once JellyBean is born or this ... could be a bit of a problem. I might need to invest in a beeper for my baby lol. (just kidding)

Advice

I know there are a lot of pregnant people out there who feel the same way I do. Especially first time moms. Now ... I know my dreams probably seem unrealistic to a lot of people. Corey and I want a natural birth with zero interference. Corey and I also want a healthy baby with a great birthing experience. I don't know why so many people are adamant that THAT is impossible. Believe it or not ... it is a realistic dream. It will take determination, heart and a the right support. Corey and I have hired a doula, her name is Lisa and this is her website. http://www.birthrhythm.com/ You can read up on doula's on your own time.

I am SO sick of hearing that ... I don't know what I'm in for. My experiences in the hospital (2 of my 3 miscarriages) were horrible. If they are anything like what my birth experience is going to be like, I'd rather stay home. The labor itself wasn't so bad, but I will admit I did ask for pain medication and I am SICK AND TIRED and ready to snap at the next person that says I'll need an epidural because of this. There is a WORLD of difference between laboring for a baby you will be taking home ... and laboring ... only to go home empty handed and broken hearted.

I am dreading the hospital. I don't want to be controlled and I do not want strangers touching me in any way shape or form. Although I am prepared to need help and I am prepared to accept help, I am not prepared to deal with any rudeness, or lack of respect while I am there. I firmly, very firmly believe, that birth is a private miracle that the hospital is PRIVILEGED to host. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that there have been so many advances in medicine because there is always the what ifs. I know there are great nurses and bad nurses. I know they've seen a lot of labor and usually have good advice, and if they are suggesting a position or possibly helping me breathe ... I hardly think I'll be annoyed ;-) On the other hand, if they start trying to push an epidural or criticising... I might lose my cool.

I AM nervous about childbirth and labor and I DON'T need to hear horror stories. If you have a story about how you dealt with nosy nurses or if you have a story about how wonderful the nurses were I'd LOVE to hear it ... but I don't just want to hear how great they were I want to know WHY they were great. I want to know if I ask them to leave the room, if they will. I want to know how they deal with people who don't want certain procedures until absolutely necessary, such as an IV, although I know an IV can be a great way for hydration, let's just say I would rather not at the time. I want to know how many nurses are there during delivery. I know these questions can be asked at the hospital, but I want to hear the truth from people who have experienced it. And when someone tells me that I'll hardly notice how many people are there ... let me tell you ... I have NEVER forgotten how many people invaded my privacy during my miscarriages and I will NEVER forget how disrespected I felt. If I had to compare it to something I would compare it to rape.

I have decided to stay away from negative influences or people who are having a bad time of things. I don't need the extra stress or tension and prefer to surround myself with supportive and positive people. I know this all seems rude, ignorant and ... arrogant but if you take a minute to look at it from my point of you I think you'll understand why I feel the way I do. I want to be as relaxed and confident as possible going into this experience because it is the most important thing I am going to do for my baby. No matter what the outcome, natural, medicated or C-section ... it's very important to me to feel as if it was Mine and Corey's labor experience and that everyone else was just there to help when we needed it.

Since I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with the nurses there, they are the ones who will be monumental in my experience, I am VERY open to hearing advice on how to word things so they aren't insulted or angry. I am VERY excited to hear of anyone who has good things to say and even if you had a bad experience I don't mind hearing about it and how you would have changed it. I don't want to hear ... how you ABSOLUTELY needed the epidural ... I want to hear how you were treated every step of the way. Is it too much to ask for ... to be respected during one of the most natural and amazing experiences of a person's life? I know things won't be perfect and I'm not refusing any type of help that I may need if absolutely necessary to save my baby. I am not willing to get a procedure just to speed things up. So please, if anyone has a good story ... I really could use the cheering up. In the end, it's in God's hands, but he gave me a mind, strength and a heart for a reason.

6 months :-)

6 months FINALLY. Honestly ... is it May yet? I know. I shouldn't complain and ... I feel a tiny bit bad about complaining, but I can't help it. It's like I've been pregnant for 2 years ... SERIOUSLY. This month has definitely shown some growth ... outwards and ... sideways. JellyBean is lying transverse currently ... how do I know this ... because of the punches and kicks I get on either side of my stomach right now. I'm a bit relieved that the rib kicks have stopped, but I hope JellyBean turns the right way in time for delivery.

I'd like to point out that I am carrying low ... not high. I had a debate about this with some ... family members ... ;-) I compared my picture to OTHER people and have decided, whether y'all like it or not ... that I'm carrying low. I will compromise to ... in the middle. I have developped what might be called a craving for cucumbers and tomato sandwhiches. I've always liked them, but ... last night I had to wake up at 2 AM to have a tomato sandwhich. It was ... SO good, just so you know.

Although I have heard of this ... nesting phase thing ... obviously nesting has never been implanted in me. Well possibly in spurts or when I'm ... ready to deliver it might kick in. Now that we've finished renovating the new office, I look at the old office in dismay. It will eventually be the baby's room, by far the most important, but I get started in there and ... wander somewhere to hide after about 30 seconds. Or I get distracted by pictures. Or I get hungry ... Or I need to pee. There is endless possibilities really. Corey said he doesn't mind right now because he'd like to pay off some of the office renovations before starting on the baby's room and this gives him a little break. (He's not allowed to touch the papers in the office so he can't help. That and he gets distracted as easily as I do right now ;-)

On the work side of things, I seem to get spurts of ambition and spurts of ... non ambition if that's a word. I honestly miss the repeating work of numbers and calculations. I LOVE my preschool class, don't get me wrong ... but I don't thing event coordinator is my strong point. I'm pretty sure it's not. Yup ... definitely not. Obviously ... since I should be coordinating something right now and instead I'm here ... sigh.

The Sugar Drink

Simple. Right. Drink this juice and wait and see how your blood handles it. Okay. I can do that. Other than it's a pain in my butt to sit at the hospital for an hour when I could be working. I was supposed to do it last week, but I didn't get around to it until yesterday. This ... is how it went.

I got to the hospital around one o'clock. Very unconcerned and feeling pretty positive about the whole thing. It was just a routine test after all. I put my paper in the little metal basket and had a seat. About two minutes later a nurse called me back and had me drink this super sugary orange pop. It was very carbonated. I mean seriously. Did I drink this as a kid? So feeling very hyper within seconds and a little lightheaded from gulping it down lol ... she told me I had to sit in the waiting room. No walking, eating ... drinking ... or chewing. So ... I sat.

Within about twenty minutes, I was dizzy and hot. very hot. So I took off my jacket and my boots. I know. Strange. Within another twenty minutes I was ready to throw up. I stood up and went to find a nurse, only to need to sit down. I sat there and told her I needed to lie down immediately. She called for another nurse who attempted to take me to a bed. I say attempted because we never made it ;-). I decided to lie down on the floor. Once on the floor I felt a lot better I have to admit. Within a few minutes I was up and in the room, lying down. I felt a whole lot better, although vibrating because of the sugar and JellyBean was on a sugar high too. Great.

When she came to take my blood I was doing better, but still very uncomfortable. I was told to stay until I felt better. Well ... I decided I felt better. I got my jacket and boots back on and left to go outside feeling very depressed that I had gestational diabetes. I was SO bummed and sad and blamed myself for eating chocolate. SIGH. I called the doctor and asked that he call me with the results on my cell phone tomorrow because I wouldn't be home. Sure thing. The receptionist even sounded bummed for me when I told her what had happened. The other receptionist passed on the message that I should walk and stay in the fresh air for a bit, try to keep walking so my blood works the sugar out a bit quicker.

The whole day I walked and walked and got fresh air trying to burn off that extra sugar. Finally, about the time we needed to get to my niece's birthday I was starting to feel decent. Luckily Corey was with me all afternoon so that if I felt like I needed to walk he could walk with me. We shopped for office furniture (that's another story lol) We went to the birthday and by about eight o'clock I was feeling very tired. On a downward spiral actually I think.

We were leaving and I talked to Deanna who mentioned that sometimes when you're really sick it means your body is handling the sugar properly. I felt a glimmer of hope. I went out to the car to wait for Corey and saw I had a message. I checked to see who it was. THE DOCTOR had called. I panicked. He called quite late in the evening. Something must be wrong. I checked my messages and grinned! I had a GREAT result! I shouldn't worry and if I had questions to call him back. I ... was SO relieved! Corey looked over at me and guessed the result. We were both very happy, well ... he was just because I told him if we had to get rid of all the sugar in the house he was going to have to suck it up. lol.

It was an interesting experience to say the least. PHEW. Glad it's over with lol.

Early mornings

You know, at first (yesterday) I complained about having to wake up at 5 am to be able to drop Corey off at work at 6:30 am, but ... it's kinda peaceful being at work early. No distractions, nobody asking me irrelevant questions, no students asking to go to the gym ... it's nice. Of course, I don't mind working in the half dark and definitely don't mind the quiet. Other people, like my husband, would lose their minds. I seem to always find something to do in the morning and in the afternoon all I want to do is sleep. Probably because JellyBean is usually napping.

I have also decided that for the amount of coffee I have had during my life time. An extra large, Café Mocha twice a week, is hardly going to damage my unborn child. You all have to remember that chocolate also has caffeine in it and although I'm not a big fan of chocolate, in fact I'm really sick of it, I think I've gotten an addiction. It's pretty bad when you buy chocolates for your husband ... and then eat them. Corey has to cleverly hide his chocolates in places like the freezer. I hate frozen chocolate (unless it's a fudgesicle) (realizes she forgot she even had fudgesicles). Also, if caffeine doesn't give us a baby with ADD, just having us as parents is bound to be recipe for a chaotic child, of course, every once in a while God gives parents children that are complete opposite of them. I'd like to see that happen. Corey and I are similar, but we are also very opposite lol.

On the work side of things, I'm really liking my preschool job. In fact, I really don't want to leave, and although I know the principal was kidding when he said come back in September. It's really tempting ... even in January ... but ... probably not until April. Sigh. Little does he know ... when I go back to work is when we will probably start trying again lol and it WOULD be nice to finish a year. I've been at the school for three years now and I haven't finished a year yet. The first year as a teacher, I missed the last week because of a miscarriage. The second year (last year) I missed the last 4 months because I was helping out in Bellevue ... THIS year lol ... I am missing the last TWO months because of JellyBean. I guess when I come back it'll be the first year I finish ... and I didn't even start it. (meh)

Other than that, I have to say that Corey and I can't WAIT for May. Does it seem that long for anyone else? when you or your wives were pregnant ... did it take forever? I swear I've been pregnant almost 2 years now and technically I have, but I can tell you now if JellyBean decides to take 2 weeks after the due date ... we will be having a discussion about rudeness. Either way ... I can't wait! Only 3 and a half more months!

24 weeks!

Finally, 24 weeks! YEAH! I have gained a good weight (120 lbs so far) and although the nurse, the doctor and Corey tease me all the time about it ... I ... love it because it's all in the RIGHT places. Okay a little bit has drifted to my bum, but that's just for better cushioning you know. So I had a good Christmas! The heartbeat is still really great and JellyBean is right on schedule. Not like that matters right? Unless we have reason to believe that something isn't right, there will be no 20 week ultrasound. It's usually used to verify heart condition and we've already had two (one at 9.5 weeks and the other at 12.5 weeks). The heart was developing very well in those ultrasounds and therefore there is no reason to assume something is wrong. I am very happy, but disappointed lol. I REALLY wanted to peek at whether the baby was a girl or a boy. I guess it'll be a surprise. Sigh.

Now that I am 5.5 months pregnant, things are starting to feel better too. I know ... almost into the third trimester before I started feeling energetic again, but oh well. Another picture will come up when I'm 6 months pregnant! For now ... I will enjoy my belly and little JellyBean to myself :-D

The Car Starter

I got a remote car starter for Christmas! Yes. I am thrilled and it works from inside the school, THRU the walls. Trust me ... that's amazing. It also works from our house thru our quansit doors, which is far by the way. I ... am very happy. I have to remind myself not to start my car with it for fun because ... it's a very addicting thing.

I never guessed what it was. Corey had it wrapped under the tree for nearly a month before Christmas and I shook that box so many times. It felt like paper. FINALLY, Christmas came and I tore into it like a kid in a candy store and stared at the box. YES!! I love you honey!! Hugs and kisses and I opened the box and ... was incredibly confused. I pulled out the key chains and looked at him.
"Honey ... where's ... the other part?" I asked him, concerned he hadn't looked at it first.
"In your car," He replied easily, trying on his Oilers bunny hug. I blinked at him a moment, then laughed.
"No really, Corey, look," As if to prove a point I showed him the box. He took out one of the keys and pressed a button. I saw lights flash and I went to the window, followed by my brother who was staying overnight with his new WII system. We looked at each other.
"Wow ..." We were in awe.
"When did you have time to do that?" Devon asked, "And ... when is it going to blow up?" Corey rolled his eyes. His repairing or ... putting together skills need some improvement and he knows it.
"I had it installed that day I didn't bring you lunch until 3:00," Corey seemed completely unaware of our concern. He tried on his new oilers hat, "Don't they know that one size fits all, doesn't actually fit all?" He smiled though, "But ... it fits my head."
"Honey, you are almost always late for lunch," I pointed out, then remembered a day in particular that he said he had to WAIT in line to get my present and I gaspd, "That was a MONTH ago!"
"Yup," He seemed quite proud of himself. He nearly died that night. AS those of you remember how cold it was in December and I trudged down to the quansit every morning to start my car. Devon thought this was hilarious and started laughing and making fun of me, "Didn't you see the little antenna?" Corey asked me.
"Antenna?" I repeated.
"I thought you'd see it for sure," He pressed another button and the car shut off. I swiped the key chain from him with a huff and put them away. He grinned, "Thanks for the hat and bunnyhug."
"I got you plenty of presents you big bully," I didn't really mean it, but he did nearly have an unfortunate accident. I hardly remember anything else he gave me, other than my pro choice horse boots, which my poor boy horse is going to be stuck wearing during training season this year.

GRIN What a silly husband.

5 months!

Officially 5 months pregnant, almost 5 1/2 by the time I post this. Sooooorrrry for not having internet out in the middle of nowhere down a valley.

I know, it's cute isn't it. (ignores the comments saying anyting otherwise) I had decided to try on my bikini from mexico, it's not even a year old and I found that my bottoms fit real good, but my top ... well ... it barely covered what it needed to cover. :-D I also noted my belly button ... is almost all the way popped out. Nothing I do, keeps it in, therefore I've convinced myself it's always been that way. JellyBean likes to push right at my bellybutton and people keep telling me I'm carrying high. Let me tell you where I'm carrying ... (rolls eyes) JellyBean thinks it's a game to push on my bladder and kick up at my ribs. I'm still thinking it's a little salamander. I'm always amazed at how JellyBean can be in two places at once. The most hilarious thing is when JellyBean is rolling or turning (I don't know if the difference matters) My WHOLE belly moves with the shift. It's kind of gross, but even the cat likes to put her paw on it and sniff the movement. I'm pretty sure Molly thinks I'm carrying a HUGE rat around.

During the past few weeks, I've also realized ... that I am probably the only person in the universe that is excited for labor and delivery. lol. I mean ... I'm not excited about the whole idea ... YEESH! give me a break. Corey and I are just SO excited to meet JellyBean. Because of that, we are sure JellyBean is going to hang out forever and take hours and hours to deliver. Ugh. Either way, I'll be happy to meet him or her.

JellyBean is by far going to be my best birthday present ever. Only 4 months to go!!!!

Morning Ritual

I thought I'd write a little story about how long it takes me to get to work in the mornings now that JellyBean tags along.



I used to wake up at 7:30 but after being almost late five days straight, I changed it to 6:30 am. So the alarm sometimes gets to ring, but not lately, even with the body pillow. JellyBean is usually up first. I roll out of bed with a sense of style and trip over the clothes I've left on the floor as I try to make my way quietly to the bedroom door. By the time I get there, I usually have sworn a couple times and looked over to see if that woke Corey up. Usually doesn't. I try to ... sneak the door open, but if you've been to our house there isn't a door IN the house that does anything quietly. Then I trip on Odie as I step out into the hallway. He casually gets up and follows me to the outside door to be put outside. Maggie is a morning dog and is very bouncy when I let her out. Then I literally toss Molly outside because she won't go out willingly. Cats.



I get myself a bowl of cereal and start the shower. Yes ... I eat my cereal in the shower. Deal with it. By this time it's at least near 6:45. I usually shower for about 15-20 minutes, but now that the braces are in it sometimes drags on and on. FINALLY somewhere between 7:00 and 7:30 (really anytime in there) I get out of the shower and trod into the bedroom. No longer caring if I wake Corey up. I warn him I'm turning the light on ... usually after it's already on and then proceed to get dressed. See ... the caring thing to do would be to pick out my clothes the night before but ... NAH. So then, I go between the dryer and the bedroom at least twice, finally dressed I make my lunch.

Lunch is made! Yeah! Grab my coat and put my boots on and go outside. Realize I forgot my lunch, my bag and my keys, I go back inside. Outside again I go to the quansit and literally squeeze myself inbetween the shrinking space that is there to start my car. Once started, I put my things inside and try to open the doors. A futile attempt, but one that must be made so that I can say that I tried. Then I go back up the hill to the house and stomp over to Corey, who by this time already knows what I'm coming to tell him. Grumbling he gets dressed. By now I'm in a pretty cheery mood (if I didn't fall on the way back up the hill and if I didn't have to stop breathing in order to squeeze into the quansit). I realize that I left my phone in the house so I grab that ... and the REST of my lunch that I somehow forgot to pack into my bag and follow Corey back down to the quansit.

Finally, the doors are open and I kiss him goodbye and leave the yard. I still manage to make the 40 minute drive at a decent calm speed and sometimes make it there before 8 on a good day. It's interesting anyways. lol.

Halfway there!!

Finally halfway done! I am SO excited and so is Corey. JellyBean is definitely kicking and squirming and takes up that entire bump in the picture there ... and probably some of my butt ;-). We had our doctor's app't and JellyBean was kicking or punching the doppler and pushing up against the measuring tape. Making it known that she/he is there. JellyBean is growing like a weed and my hope to have a nice, quiet and calm baby is starting to fade away. I have a little hockey lover in there. One who likes loud music and really loves to play with people's hands. I can't wait to meet you Jelly Bean and neither can your papa!

In other news, Christmas is ALMOST here!!! Corey has had my present tauntingly under the tree for a while now. Anyone who knows me, knows I like to be informed and so Christmas usually wreaks havoc on my self control. I haven't peeked yet, nor have I peeked in my stocking, which is also filled up. I have Corey's presents under the tree and he doesn't even care ... or does he? Either way, it'll be a good Christmas either way. I could get socks and panties (which I really need) and still be thrilled. JellyBean is the best present ever. I could do without the stuffy nose, but at least my back isn't sore anymore. LOVE the body Pillow! My new best friend.

J. J.

Yesterday, my 2 1/2 year old colt, J.J was gelded. I've been trying to get this done for quite a while now and finally we were able to coordinate everything to work out for yesterday.

JJ knew something was up the moment we threw hay over the fence (by we I mean Corey), but he came up like a good colt anyways with his good buddy Tinky. For those who have met JJ, he is the most calm, quiet, polite colt ever. He is very careful and follows perfectly whether you halter him or not ... or ... at least he used to.

I went to work the next morning, completely pleased that he would be gelded under the careful supervision of my neighbour and good friend Tanya, who coordinated the whole event. Secretly I just didn't want JJ to hate me. (lol) When I came home our yard was plowed even better than before, which I thought GREAT! Then I saw Tinky's head poking out of the barn and remembered JJ. I left Corey to fend for himself against the quansit doors and trod on over to the corrals. I called for JJ and Tinky came out happy as can be. JJ ... did not bound out anywhere. He more like ... stumbled out of the barn, and if a horse could glare ... he glared.

I felt horrible, but my curiosity got the best of me and I convinced him I wasn't the one who ... cut him. He was easily convinced with a kind word and a reassuring pat he was my best friend again. I gave him a hug and then peered under to take a look. It was very nicely done and I told JJ so. I don't think he cared really. He followed me back the way I had come and acted like his normal self, other than a bit of shivering and ah ... I can't really blame him.

Once inside the house, I called Tanya to check on how he did and find out if I could feed and water him. Apparently, JJ was a booger to catch. He was being a pest, which I had to admit ... I probably also would have done if two people were trying to catch me and cut my-. Anyways, once he was caught, he was a gentlemen. He took the shot of sedative very well and laid down perfectly. The vet commented he was very large and when I was told this ... I had to laugh. Tanya and I used to laugh about him all the time. For what he lacked in height ... he made up for in ... well ... other places. Once it was all said and done he didn't want to stand up (do you really blame him) Finally he did and stumbled behind Tanya back to the corrals where she and the vet watched him for a bit and played with our dog Odie.

We went outside and fed JJ (we as in Corey) and he seemed even better than before after some food and water. This morning I went to turn him out and felt a little bad, so I kept him up for one more day. After all ... he did have major surgery (snigger). A surgery which I will undoubtedly threaten Corey with during labor and deliver of our little JellyBean. Maybe I should ask the vet to come out again?

18 weeks!!!

18 weeks!! Hooray!!! There are some bared belly pics on facebook for those who want to look. I managed to convince myself to put them up, they are pretty amazing. I can't believe how fast everything is going (secretly I'm very happy) Corey and I are SO excited to meet JellyBean. JellyBean is a little mover too! Especially at night, which is quite normal apparently. I have found some nice maternity pants, cheap but nice and some bras too! Thank god ... I thought it was just me but my chest is definitely expanding. Luckily, not at the rate my belly is. There is a great debate over how big I`ve gotten. Some people say I'm HUGE already, and others are really looking hard to find it. I guess JellyBean is already playing games with everyone :-). My ribs are already sore and so is my lower back so I am booking massages, but I'd really prefer a nice ... gentle ... massage lol. Corey needs something a little tougher ... so I guess so different massage therapists would be nice.

In other news, I had a fight with our Quansit, but neither of us is ready to talk about it.

Not a Gambler

Corey bought a new game for our PS2 called High Roller's Casino. I bought a new game called Final Fantasy X, figured it was appropriate after I played Final Fantasy X-2 already. My game doesn't work, so instead of watching TV, I thought I'd try Corey'S game out. I've officially decided ... I'mnot a gambler. There are all sorts of games, including slots in this game and I ... suck at them lol. Seriously ... I finally won a game of Omaha Poker and I'm still not sure how I did it. Either way, I didn't play very long. I went to my computer and started fiddling around, then into the soon to be new office where I tidied up a bit more and contemplated my next job (stripping the wallpaper) anyone wanna help???

The baby bump

I love my baby bump. It's gotten quite hard now and the baby's movements are easier to see. Corey and I have compared the baby movements to fishing or when jigging for Walleye. Sometimes you get a little nibble, and every once in a while you get a big BITE! And that's EXACTLY what it feels like :-D I know that's a weird way to describe it, but it fits.

Apart from baby news, I'm a sucker for my puppies. Odie is SUCH a baby with his big brown eyes and shivering. He only shivers when you're watching though. I let them in last night and he and Maggie just vegged out, sprawled in various parts of the house. They are pretty pampered pooches. Winter is harder on them this year. Maggie is getting arthritis in her hip and Odie is living through his first winter. Although they love it outside, they don't really care for the cold. Molly and Miloh pretty much just do what they want. Miloh owns the quansit and keeps the mice out, so we keep him with cat food and a warm place to sleep. Molly goes to the bathroom outside and sleeps inside. She doesn't have anything to chase in the house because she's already eaten all the mice there lol.

In other news, Corey is rarely around. It's hunting season in case you didn't know and I will soon be making fun of ... er ... posting some of his ... prey .... on the blog site. :-D