a day off

i've been out of town.

ronnie and i drove up to illinois to visit ronnie's family.

a seven hour drive in the car with back problems is not fun.

i do, however, enjoy today off with no car ride.

i'm spending the day doing laundry

and running errands.

i have to return a tunic to old navy that i bought in a large.

i guess i'm now an x-large.

freakin awesome.

i also have to go pick up a new cable box

because we've been living without dvr since last week.

that is so 2008.

 

sorry about my lack of blogging.

hopefully this will tide you over.

 

running errands

in my new maternity jeans.

 

24 weeks 

game night

i know i'm a day late and a dollar short,

but i have a really good dip recipe

for occasions such as the super bowl

or any game night/group gathering.

 

my friend at work made it for us

and she just calls it corn dip,

which made me skeptical.

but if you look it up on pinterest

i think the official name is cowboy caviar or cowboy dip.

 

1 C sour cream
1 C real mayo
1 can rotel
2 cans mexican/fiesta corn
1 dash sugar
2-3 bunches green onion, chopped
1 C shredded cheddar cheese

 

mix it all together and chill for a couple hours.

serve with frito or tostito scoops.

 

trust this.

its so good.



[insert joke here]

we interrupt this baby story for a mildly suggestive ronald commercial.

 

 

 

ronnie has been going to school for 5 years.

he will finally be done in may and he's super excited.

 

this semester he actually has to go two nights a week for the first 9 weeks

because they're having him take a welding class.

ronnie kind of bitched about having to go since he knows how to weld

and apparently he thinks he's awesome.
too awesome for a class.

 

until he got home from week one, 

and his instructor told him that he needed to work on his

penetration and angle.

 

i almost spit up when he told me.

 

that's right people,

ronnie sucks at penetrating and his angle is all wrong.

bah ha ha ha ha

feel free to make fun of him.

send jokes.

destroy his manhood.

 

it can't be worse than the stuff i came up with.

happy friday!

 

 

update: 22 weeks

i'm twenty-two weeks.

weight? last i checked i had gained 7 lbs. i'm trying not to eat like crazy and make healthy choices.  ronnie does a good job of making sure we have fruits and vegetables to snack on and i make sure we have ice cream.  hopefully, it balances out. he also bought me pickles because he heard pregnant women liked them, which i thought was hilarious and yet i find them to be a good snack.

cravings?  nothing new.  i don't freak out about really wanting something.  the things i've always liked, i still do. and the things i never really cared for, i still don't.  my biggest challenge is still soda.  i think this is the longest i've ever gone without it and i still totally miss it.

side effects? the last time i did an update was a month ago and i was bragging about not really having any side effects.  i felt good... no, i felt pretty great.  now, the tables have turned.  a week ago saturday, i started getting back pain and it literally has not stopped.  it's constant, its painful and a couple days ago it moved to my abdomen as well. it feels like a pulled one giant muscle that wraps around my body.  not cool.  i finally called the doctor office this morning because it had been 10 days and nothing was really working.  she suggested what i already do: tylenol, lots of fluids, and a heating pad. i seriously have been living with my heating pad. it goes with my everywhere.  i plug it in at work and at home. but the pain never fully goes away.  my nurse did make one more suggestion. a pregnancy belt.  i ran out as soon as i got off work and bought one. have you seen these things? they're hideous, but if it works i'll most likely be sporting mine for the next 4 months. ohhh sexy.

baby? according to my baby books, the baby will have broken the 1 pound mark by now. wahoo!  i can officially blame a pound of my weight on her.  and she is about 8 inches long - butt to brain. she also has eyebrows, eyelashes and some hair. it makes me wonder if she will come out with a lot or a little hair.  my mom still talks about how she was always the last mom to get her baby after i was born because the nurses were putting bows in my massive amounts of hair.  i'll have to ask ronnie's mom what his hair was like.

preparations? i bought some maternity clothes, my back belt and i used some coupons i got from motherhood maternity for a car seat cover, breast feeding cape and a wrap. i got them all for $30, so they might be crap, but i'm excited to get my first purchases in the mail.  besides that, i know my friends and family are working on baby showers for april, so i have a ways before i need to register.  ronnie and i are still discussing names but while on a dog walk tonight, ronnie did refer to her as brette.  score one point for me!

the best thing? i still fit into most of my dresses so my wardrobe has not suffered completely.

the worst thing?  the tube of pain i seem to be wearing.  pray that this belt thing i bought tonight works. in fact, i think i'm going to go try it on.

so there it is. 

 

me at 22 weeks.

 

 

seventeen weeks vs. twenty-two weeks

 

wanna see my amazing back belt?

just picture a weight lifting belt... it's pretty much the same.

 

 

 



 

 

 

things coming my way

this post is more for me than you.

i'm trying to wrap my brain around some of the things i know are going to happen.

 

 

1. i will be in unimaginable pain. 

that's freaking scary.

it can't last forever,

and i'm hoping my inexperience and excitement will get me through.

 

2. my daughter's favorite color will probably be pink.

it was my favorite color.

most little girls love it.

and since i put it out in the universe that it's not my favorite,

she will most definitely find a passion for it.

after all, what kind of daughter would she be if she didn't go against her mom?

it's what we do best.

 

3. she might not like her name.

i don't know anyone that really l.o.v.e.s. their name,

and here i am trying to figure out the perfect pairing.

in 15 years she will most likely ask me what i was thinking,

so really, i should take my dad's advice,

name her ethel

and call it a day.

 

4. i am going to be a mom.

ronnie is going to be a dad.

yes, these guys.

please remember this picture when i do something you question.

i am just trying to figure this out as i go.

it will not be pretty or perfect.

but i hope its fun.

 

5. i am going to constantly wonder if i'm doing things right.

though, i also have this amazing sense of calm about raising a child.

i know in the end, no matter what...

if i hold her too much

use formula instead of breast milk

use the occasional curse word or turn into linda turner,

(i remember my mom calling people fruitcakes when she was mad.)

make her sleep in her crib or have her in my bed until she's five,

 

she will be okay.

 

so yes, i have a lot to think about.

decisions about what i want to do,

what i want to buy,

how i imagine this is all going to go down.

 

but this is a reminder to myself:

it doesn't really matter,

all that small stuff (her name, my parenting style, her love for things i hate) won't break her.

because ronnie and i will always give her what she needs the most.

 

 

all our love.

 

 

 

the name campaign

if anyone sees ronaldo out and about,

feel free to call our little one brette.

i have started this little campaign at home

and it seems to be working.

we still throw around other options,

but i mostly just talk about needing to figure out

brette's middle name.

hopefully, one day he will also refer to her as brette

and then i can claim victory.

(insert evil laugh)

 

also, notice i changed brett to brette?

i thought a lot about it

and i think since brett could be a boy or a girl,

i wanted to spell it so that if you've never met her,

-if its on a teacher's class list, her resume, online dating site -

the person reading it would automatically know she is a she.

adding an 'e' to the end does that.

 

i think it might save someone a lot of confusion,

and maybe an awkward first date,

in the future.

ps- people have been sending me so many name ideas.  i love it!  keep them coming because the middle name is up for grabs. (well, technically the first name is too, i guess... but not really)

the ultrament

i didn't really get to say much about the ultrasound

because i was too busy announcing that a little girl

was on her way. 

but i just wanted to put it in writing that the ultrasound

is by far the best part of the pregnancy.

the. best.

it's amazing to get to look inside your little baby.

to see her heart and spine.

to watch her get the hiccups.

and then flip over again and again.

we measured her little legs,

and head
and bones

and brain.

right now she is about the size of a large banana

and weighs in at 10 oz.

the tech said that all her measurements were on track

and my original due date of the 12th is still right on.

she did say that she has long legs,

so i'm wondering if that predicts a tall little lady?

i'm hoping she's more like her 5'4 mamma.

but we'll see.

she's also weighing in 1 oz over the norm.

of course.

my child would have to watch her weight right away.
ronnie just thinks she got the "turner head"
and the extra oz. is in her ol' noggin.
(that's a really just his way of saying she might
 have a huge head like my dad and me)

 

but basically i just feel really excited,

and ready.

and i am jealous of everyone having ultrasounds.

i wish i got one every week.

 

ps - i have a video of the ultrasound i am working on downloading it to you tube, but it seems to be having difficulty so i'm not sure if i'll ever get to share it.