My dad makes me laugh

So tonight I had a chat with my dad. He is one of my favorite people and I realized that I think I got my sense of humor from him. My sense of humor is one of my favorite things about me, and I have always wondered if it was learned or inherited. I will never know, but I do love the fact that I can call him up and joke around.

I remember this one time he bought me a tape recorder. It was the first one I ever had and I spent the entire day pretending I was a newscaster - gave weather updates and all. I took my new device out to the garage where my dad was waxing his car. And he proceeded to improv with me about a bunch of nonsense. Now that's a good dad.

All I know is there is no way the bean is escaping - she is going to grow up in a group of jokers. Poor girl :)

Making the rounds

Today we had our next dr. appt. Everything looks good... or should I say sounds good! We got to hear our little bean's heartbeat and she has one strong heartbeat!!

We also got to meet with another doctor today. Since our doctor works in a group, chances are she may not be the one delivering our baby. So on her suggestion we are making our rounds and meeting all the doctors she works with, including her there are five of them total.

The doctor we met with today was great! She seemed very experienced and I felt comfortable with her. She was kind enough to prescribe a chiropractor for my "ass pain" this way our health insurance can cover the visit. Hopefully a chiropractor will be able to get the kink out!!!

Our next doctor visit is the end of May so we will be meeting with a 3rd doctor, so far I'm enjoying the opportunity to get to meet each member of the team!

Attention shoppers! Bean on aisle 4

Something I think about lately are my traits that I learned from my parents and what I want you to learn from me. Sure there are important things like being fair, having ethics, and not lying. But what I am talking about are the more subtle traits. Let's start with shopping. Here is a short list that my mom taught me.

1. Correct the cashier when he forgets to ring up an item. You must always call the mistake. If he lets you have the item for free, then you can have it.

2. Return the cart to the cart area. Don't be one of those people who leaves it out for it to take up a parking spot.

3. Put items you don't want to purchase back where they came from. No leaving the peanut butter by the face scrub.

4. Let the lady with 2 items in front of you when you have a cart full.

5. If you drop and bruise an apple, don't put it back in the pile. No one wants to get home to find a bruised piece of fruit.

A game of find the bean

Let you in on a little secret, I talk to you in my head while my hands rest above you. I figure you can sense the good thoughts I am sending your way. One of my favorite things is poking your mom's stomach in search of you. Sometimes you are on one side or the other. It is like a fun game of find the bean. Tonight I am convinced I had you cornered in one spot and attempted to "hug" you with my hands. I am just trying not to squish the bean, but I figure you are in water and really quite safe. Soon I am sure I will feel you push back.

Prenatal Yoga

So last week I decided to try going to a prenatal yoga class.

With some luck I actually found and unpacked the box that held my yoga mat! And, lucky for me work out gear is stretchy so I still fit in my yoga pants!!

My girl had did some research for me of different yoga places and suggested this place:

www.allpeopleyoga.com

So I committed to going, Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:15 PM. I was however quite worried about what the hell kind of stretching we were going to be doing for an hour and fifteen minutes... Yoga classes at my work's gym were forty five minutes and the last half I was always wishing for the end to be near.

I resolved to go anyway. And found that prenatal yoga is more focused on meditation of sorts and not so much on extreme stretching. Upon first going into the room, I was absolutely and completely uncomfortable.... the class sits in a circle facing in to one another, no comforting solitude of a row in sight. I stood firm and stayed and I am happy I did. We did a few poses after an informative discussion about how to avoid being induced, an opportunity for a round table of sorts and a lot of time focusing on you and your baby sharing space. I found it relaxing and fulfilling.

I am really looking forward to going again this week.

20 Weeks and 2 Days... that's halfway!

So I have made it to the halfway mark and here is my 20W2D belly shot. I am starting to look pregnant!

I actually started to look pregnant around week 18, my tummy just kind of popped out. Which by the way does come with some muscle stretching pain!

I still feel like I can get around with ease, especially since I have gotten my energy back! With my re-found energy I have been finally getting quite a bit done around the house, it is in fact starting to look like we live here.

I have discovered that I am getting more cravings, and being in a new city it is hard to figure out where I can easily fulfill them... Lucky for our pocket book I haven't had much luck and have resolved myself to cooking what I'm craving or dealing with it not being fulfilled.

So most women by week 20 have felt the flutter of their developing little one, I however am still waiting. Being that this is my first go round many say that it's okay that I haven't felt anything yet, most first timers don't know what it will feel like and don't realize they are feeling it when it happens. Being the competitive woman I am have grown quite impatient with waiting and am pretty sure my abdomen is just clueless to what is going on in there!

On to something I am feeling.... my sciatic nerve. BAHH! That seems to be a constant and quite literal pain in my ass.

The Craving ... Undercooked Meat Sandwich.... Yes Please

Here it is, my mouth waters for the idea of it, Pit Beef Sandwich with Tiger Sauce. Where do you find it?

Baltimore.

I've searched online for some restaurant in Indianapolis to at least offer it... but haven't found one.

I don't even know if I could have found this in Colorado.

Yet, here I sit, after seeing it on television, it's tantalizing my taste buds... Maybe my body needs the iron that the beef all bloody and hot can provide. Or maybe I like to torment myself with cravings not easily fulfilled.

I found a recipe for it.... It recommends marinating the beef for 3 days for the best flavor... I don't know that I can hold out for 3 days, not too mention... what are the odds I will still be craving it! BAHHH!

Im going to the store momentarily to get what i need to make this.... I will marinate it until tomorrow and then it's grilling time... and OH YES eating time.

Here is the recipe:

Baltimore Pit Beef Sandwich

For the rub:



2 T. seasoned salt



1 T. sweet paprika



1 t. garlic powder



1 t. dried oregano



1/2 t. black pepper



For the sandwich:



1 3 pound piece top round 



8 kaiser rolls or 16 slices of rye bread



Horseradish sauce 



1 sweet white onion, sliced thin



2 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced (optional)



Iceburg lettuce, thinly sliced (optional)



Combine all ingredients for rub in a bowl and mix. Sprinkle 3 to 4 tablespoons of rub all over beef, patting it into meat. Place in a baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. You can marinate beef for a few hours, but for maximum flavor, marinate for 3 days in refrigerator, turning once a day.



Heat grill to very hot. Grill beef 30 to 40 minutes, or until outside is crusty and dark golden brown (even black) and internal temperature is about 120 degrees (for rare; somewhat higher for medium-rare or medium). Turn beef often with tongs. Transfer to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Slice beef as thinly as possible across the grain, then finely chop with a cleaver.

To serve, pile beef high on a roll or bread thickly slathered with horseradish sauce. Garnish with onions, tomatoes and lettuce. Serve immediately.


OOH Im a lucky one!

There are a couple other blogs I read, and one of the blogs I follow belongs to Mrs. Grant who is from what I have read a very strong and blessed gal!

She was also sweet enough to give me this :)


I've never received an award for writing... blogs included so Thank You, Mrs. Grant, so much for passing it my way!


The rules for this award go as follow:

* Accept & thank the fellow bloggie who gave this to you
* List 10 things about yourself
* List 5 additional things that you don't like
* Award this to 10 other fellow bloggies

1- I will preach away at how horrible processed food is and then hypocritically indulge in my love, Nachos, with the most processed cheese you can imagine.

2- I think of myself as a traveler, but have never gotten a passport

3- I secretly love going to the dentist! (Im leaving this one, Mrs. Grant, I too love the dentist!)

4- I am horribly shy in large groups, and will blush if I think any attention is pointed in my direction.

5- I miss New Mexico everyday and sometimes think about moving back.

6- I love teen movies... the cheesier the better... one of my all time favorites is Parent Trap 4: Hawaiian Honeymoon

7- I have a couple golf balls on my desk, but can't and don't golf.

8- I bought myself my dream car for quitting smoking.... it worked like a charm haven't touched them in over 2 yrs!

9- I love puzzles!

10- I feel so blessed to have been given the bean, conception is a miracle, and I can't wait to meet her!

Now for 5 things I don't like:
1- Spiders
2- Olives
3- Coconuts
4- Sharks
5- Dogs that don't listen

Now, I shall pass on this award to the following lucky ladies and gent (dont worry he is gorgeous):
Mindy
Mrs. Grant

Luke B.

I currently only read 3 blogs as Im not allowing myself to read more than that until I get the house unpacked.... yes the house is still not completely unpacked!

So Mindy & Mrs. Grant perhaps you both can pick up my slack if you have 7 additional bloggers you would like to award?

Love you Mother Earth!

Some of you may or may not know that my New Year's Resolution back in 2008 was to be more "green" and eco conscious... It is a resolution I am happy to say I have stuck with and still work on achieving with every year that has passed. It is something I've achieved in phases, it is not something that you can just do all at once as it is a HUGE endeavor as a whole.

So ever so often I pick a new life choice to work on. Like doing a worm farm for compost, or planning a small garden to eat as local as it gets, your own backyard. Giving up the convenience of paper and plastic bags for reusable bags. Giving up eating fish that are being overfished to the point of unsustainability. Changing the products you use to those that are less toxic to the environment.

I especially love Earth Day, because it brings what some of us work at bettering everyday in our little subculture to mainstream! Entire communities come together to chip in and volunteer to make the day better. Of course the recycler in me would argue that picking up trash along the highways and byways of America and putting it all in a landfill doesn't really make the earth better... but it makes people feel like they are improving their world and that is the first step, making a conscious effort to make your world better.

I am surprised at how being pregnant has made my efforts to be "green" all the more important. The changes I have made were to help future generations.. but now it is my very own future generation. I want her to live in a beautiful world where she doesn't have to worry about what carcinogens are being used around her or in the products she chooses to use. I want her to be able to breathe with ease and drink water without concern.

She gives me all the more reason to continue to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Quilt of Love

I got to chat with my Mom today, and when she is not teaching math to high schoolers or working on getting her license to be a principal... she quilts.

Growing up she was the Aunt that started a tradition for all my cousins, she used to do a hope chest for each girl when she graduated high school in it were items to start your first home like doilies and place mats. She also did quilts for special events like weddings or babies!

Me being her daughter, watched many quilts go out the door for other family members... but not to worry I got my fair share or more than that at times. I have received several quilts from her during my life, some marking special events and some just because my room needed a new look.

Over the years, as our family has grown and her plate continuously runs over, there has been less quilts... but Im happy to say... Our little girl will be blessed to be given her first quilt!

She is working on a design now!

Cloth Diapers It Is

I had been going back and forth about disposables or gDiapers... I didn't think I could handle cloth. My girl suggested researching a cloth diaper service, that seemed reasonable, at least that way Im not doing all the work.

So I researched, and like research goes you end up on a website you didn't knew existed that gives you a plethora of great information.

This website for me was:

http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/

It is a retail site that sells you guessed it cloth diapers. But they have a very helpful tool on the site which is a cloth diaper tutorial...

Just so you know this tutorial is not a video... it is a guide that you read filled with a lot of helpful information.

The big seller was the money comparison tool that compares the cost of cloth to disposable. Cloth is cheaper WAY cheaper. The downside is upfront cost, you haver to buy a good amount of your diapering supplies up front... but the savings over 3 years is between 1300 and 1900 dollars depending on the type of cloth diaper you go with!

Cloth Diapers have come a long way, they still have the prefolds with covers, but they also have fitted diapers, pocket diapers, all in one, and one size diapers. Like cars they have low end economical and high end better than a disposable could ever dream to be.

In addition to cloth diapers, your diapering accessories are also reusable like cloth wipes! They have special detergent that is eco friendly! And you can make your own wipe solutions!

Yay to doing our part to make our earth a better one for our kiddos!!

Lastly, how can you go wrong with cute marketing... they have names like kissaluvs, happy heiny's, fuzzibunz and Bumgenius! So cute!

So we are gonna do it! No diaper service here I will handle the brunt of poopyness!! And oddly enough Im excited about it!

Bye Bye Belly Ring

Well, I did it. I removed my belly button ring which I have had since I was 20. I was surprised at how attached I have become to a metal hoop... It's just become a part of me I suppose.

I knew this was coming and now that my tummy is going through what seems to be a growth spurt, I figured I better get it out before things get to tight!

This marks the end of my peircings, all are now gone. At least I still have my ink, that will always be here to stay!

Adopting the bean

So, as a planner, I have started the process of adopting my favorite bean. After doing some searching I found a checklist to adoption. I do love checklists so what could be better. It is as follows:

1. Educate yourself and your family members. - Done. Some family members are quite surprised that I have to go through a formal adoption
2. Decide what type of adoption you want pursue. - Done - I want a second parent adoption which, thankfully, is legal in Indiana
3. Investigate ways to handle adoption expenses. - I had no idea the costs but it looks to be about $1400 for the home study and about $500 for court fees and the lawyers is estimating $2500. So the bean will get fewer toys for awhile.
4. Select an adoption agency/facilitator and/or attorney. - I have a meeting already set with an attorney, but am wondering if there are other options. $250 an hour is steep and makes me wish I was a lawyer
5. Complete an agency application form. - Not started
6. Begin the homestudy process. - Ticked off that I even have to do this
7. Attend pre-adoption and parenting classes. - Am assuming this will be good for me to learn
8. Be matched with or locate a child. - Done. There is only one bean and she is my bean
9. Prepare for your child's arrival. - Picking up baby stuff this weekend.
10. File a petition to adopt. - have to wait until the baby is born to do this
11. Finalize the adoption. - I will be buying a cake to celebrate
12. Post-adoption services and education. - Not required

Phew - that is quite a list but it could be worse ... I could live in Florida when I wouldn't be able to adopt the bean at all.

Our Second Ultrasound YAY!

We have a very active little girl, here she is giving me a kung fu kick to my tummy!

Here are her cute little feet, I love all the little toes!!

Here is one of her legs!

Here is her side profile and cute little nose!

Here she is using the 4D ultrasound, pretty amazing!

Here is another 4D of our little girl, you can see her little arm by her face!

Quick, teach me how to french braid hair!

Now I can finally tell my story. A couple of weeks ago I was in the grocery store and I felt this voice telling me about my little girl. I felt this overwhelming joy. And today it was confirmed it is a girl! God is amazing and am I convinced that my little girl already has a soul and is a child of God.

So .. now my biggest concern is over ... trying to teach someone to pee standing up. Yup you heard me. I was worried about if we had a boy how would I teach him to be a boy. What would I do when he had boy type questions. I don't think I could survive puberty. LOL

So as I was high from the Dr appointment and getting to see my favorite bean on the screen, it slowly started to occur to me.... all the things that girls require that I can't do. For example, I don't know how to braid someone elses hair (or really my own for that matter). I am not the best at matching makeup colors. I really couldn't tell Prada from Dolche or what their brands look like for that matter. Peeing standing up is starting to sound easier.

Some of my favorite people on this planet are men, my dad, my friend Ray, MJ's brother, so I would have been happy either way. But I am thankful that now we get to buy clothes and things that a little girl will love. Please I just know the dogs will thing she is the best thing ever

The Tally is In!

So the total tally was:

BOY: 17

GIRL: 11

And wouldn't you know it... it was the underdog!

We are having a girl!!!

We are both very excited!

Now we don't have to figure out how to explain things to a little boy... like how to pee standing up??!!

For now, we would of course welcome the challenge down the road!

Presently we are in love with our little girl. And wondering if we can get away with minimizing just how much pink she will be subjected to!