My Birth Story

Obviously, everyone has a "birth story"...but I suspect not everyone knows (or cares to know?) theirs. Since becoming pregnant, I've read a few people's baby birthing stories...and I have to say that if I'd read them before I got pregnant...I would probably have waited a little longer! :o)

All fear aside...

Last week my dad said a couple of things that I want to share with my bloggie friends.

When my brother was going through his date book the list of names we couldn't name our child...my dad went up to Dave with a drink in his hand and toasted him saying "Here's to the two men who made Uncle Rob Uncle Rob." (how cute is that?)

The other is my birth story. I knew the very very end of it, but think the parts I didn't know are kinda funny. Here is Dad's perspective of the story:

It was after midnight, and Dad was sleeping well when Mom woke him up to say that her water had broken 3 or 4 hours ago, and she was pretty sure it was time to go to the hospital now. While she got her stuff ready, Dad ran across the yard to get Grandma (his mom) to come along and "catch" if necessary. They lived WAY out in the country, and "town" was a million miles away. Mom and Grandma were in the backseat as Dad tried to get that old car to go faster - he wasn't very pleased with 90 miles an hour at that point. But he figured Grandma had had 5 babies of her own, and as a farmer's wife, she'd helped to deliver lots of calves, so she was well trained in case I came out before they got to the hospital. :o) Then they finally got into town, then through town (that hospital was in the middle of town, so they had to maneuver through the streets and lights).

They got to the hospital at about 1:30, and they put Mom in a wheelchair and took her to the delivery room right away. Dad said "times had changed from when Rob was born" and he could have gone in with her, but chose not to. :o) I'm guessing she was pretty far along because I was born at 1:57 am!

Does anyone know if "speed and ease of birth" is genetic? They say stretch marks are (woo.hoo.)...but what about birthing? I know first babies take longer, but maybe it won't be so bad for me?

Here's hoping... :o)

Creativity Abounds

Today we get our new sofa (sectional) and entertainment center. Yay!! Then tomorrow, we get our shipment of stuff we had in storage in Colorado the last 3 years. I have NO CLUE what's in there! None! :o) Maybe 2% of it is known to me. Maybe.

But, I still haven't found the can opener. Dave found the spatula, which is nice...but no can opener. I know it's here somewhere! So, when fixing dinner last night, I needed a way to get into the green beans. What I found :o) was a pointy contraption thingy that I think is from when my dad was in basic training in the '60s! It mostly opened the can...but after about 10 minutes and only 3 inches around, I decided I needed heftier reinforcements, and went to the garage and found a pair of pliers.

:o) A photo of my ingenuity for your viewing pleasure - jagged edges and all:

The Big Reveal (with photos)

Happy Black Friday! Anyone dropped from their shopping, yet? I opted to stay home today and sit on my kiester rather than brave the crowds! I decided that there isn't anyone on my Christmas list that needs a gift bought today. Call me "chicken" - I don't care!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and for those of you still celebrating, Enjoy! :o)

Dave and I are in Houston spending T-Day with my brother and aunt and uncle who live here. It's great because it's the first time in a year that Dave has seen most of my family, and my dad and his wife drove over from Mississippi to be here, too, and it's been 3 years since he's seen them!

We had a non-traditional Thanksgiving combination at the dinner table this year. Well, we've done it this way a few times before, but most families don't do it like this. Around the table were my dad, his wife, my mom, her partner, my uncle, my aunt (Mom's sister), my brother, Dave and I. Non-traditional is great, though, because you get to see everyone at once! :o)

And this year, that was extra important because we've been gone so long. It was such a blessing to hang out with everyone all mixed up together. I only wish my grandparents could have been there. But, good news, Grandpa is home from the hospital now, so it's more important for him to be home.

And (as some of you know), as we gathered around the dinner table, before anyone got up for seconds, I made the following announcement:

"Um, since there's a lull in conversation, Dave and I have an announcement to make. I am 3 months pregnant, and we're going to have a baby in May. And I have ultrasound pictures." (which I gracefully flung into the middle of the table because I was so scared!)

Everyone was VERY excited. There were squeals, and tears and hugs. (Hmmm...come to think of it, I think everyone forgot about seconds!) I wish I had my little camera set to video, though, because I don't remember anyone's facial expressions! I was very nervous!

I don't know about you guys, but for me, this was a BIGGIE!

Mom was happy about the news. But the last time my mom and I discussed pregnancy, I was 15, and Mom and I had "The Talk". I don't remember much, except that the beginning went something like "So-and-so's 15-year-old daughter that goes to Harrison, is pregnant. And I better not hear about you getting pregnant." :o) Yes, I'm a grown woman, and I've been married to a wonderful man for the last 8 years, but for that to be the last impression I had about me and pregnancy...I was a wee bit nervous to tell her.

And Dad was happy as well. Honestly, I don't think Dad and I have ever discussed pregnancy or having children. But I'm a card-carrying Daddy's Girl, and there's something about saying "I'm pregnant." to my dad that is just plain scary. Maybe it's the part where he knows, now, that I'm no longer a virgin? :o) Yes, I'm a grown woman, and I've been married to a wonderful man for the last 8 years, but dads aren't supposed to know that kind of thing about their little girls. :o) I know there are some of you out there that feel my pain! While I'm on the subject, later on, some of us were in the kitchen, and I said something like "Well, thankfully, we didn't have to 'try' too long." And Dave said "Yup, put me in, Coach. I'll make the goal. He shoots, he SCORES!" To which I said "Shh, honey, my dad is in the room. Let's not talk about how it happened." :o)

We won't know it's gender until after Christmas. I'm not sure here if it's picking it's nose, or if it's doing the "thumb-on-nose-waving-fingers" thing. :o) But the doctor said it was growing well, looked healthy, has a good heartbeat, and happy just playing around in it's little world. There are no real concerns about my age ('cuz I'm so old, ya know).

My aunt and mom are convinced it's a girl because in the picture below, they say "she" is reclining in her "I'm a goddess, come worship me" pose. But my brother and step-mom swear it's a boy because they think "he" is reclining in his "I'm watching football, bring me a beer" pose. :o)
They spent a good hour bantering about with name suggestions...mostly saying what we couldn't name the baby! At one point, based on my brother's list, I had to ask him if he was going through his date book! :o) I'm glad they had so much fun!

Dave also called his family, and everyone was very excited, and very pleased! Dave has a 15-year-old nephew, and then all the other grandkids are "steps"...so they were overjoyed at the thought of welcoming another new baby into the fold. Everyone (on both sides) said that our announcement "made their Thanksgiving." And we even heard a few "best Christmas present you could give"...which is super cool, because now I can cross them off the Christmas list! :o) Ha ha!

I promise not to make this strictly a "mommy blog" - I intend to have other interests and share other stories not related to the growth in my abdomen...but beware, I'm also going to want to keep the far-flung family and friends updated about my expansion, and this is going to be my way of doing it! So, just know, you're bound to get a little of all that's going on in our lives.

I also promise to share belly-expansion photos. I've been keeping a bit of a journal, so I'll electronify that for you all one of these days. :o) I've had some nausea, and lots of fatigue, but nothing extreme, and nothing out of the ordinary...and for that, I am very thankful!

I think that's it! Now the Bloggie World knows our news. Have a great weekend!

3 Week Gestation Period...

Yup, not 9 months, only 3 weeks!

My dear friend Katie has just gotten the call from the adoption agency that she and her awesome hubby, Keith, have been "chosen" by a birth mother to be the best Momma and Daddy that little baby could ever have. They adopted a 2-year old from Russia a few years ago, and have been working and praying for another baby ever since.

Her latest post is here at Roses are Red, Violets are Violet. You should check out the rest of her blog, too, if you've never been there. She's a great writer, and a fabulous storyteller, and an all-around stupendous person.

She's going berserk, though, because, in God's will, they'll be bringing the baby boy home in just 3 weeks! They don't have a nursery put together, they haven't chosen a diaper disposal machine, they haven't bought a newborn car seat... Can you imagine your life changing THAT DRASTICALLY in only 3 weeks? Most people get 8-9 months to figure out stuff like formula and diaper changes and the most comfortable rocking chairs.

But, man, is she excited! And scared. Justifiably so. The birth mother will have 14 whole days after the baby is born to change her mind. Keith and Katie ultimately want God's will for that little baby, and they are praying for him no matter which house he ends up in. And they are praying for the birth mother - for an uncomplicated birth, and that she follows God's will, too. And they are praying that they can accept and be at peace with it if the birth mother decides to keep the baby she's been growing for the last 38 weeks.

Adoption is such a wonderful, amazing, miraculous blessing. This woman has the power and capacity to bless Keith and Katie (and son Daniel) in a life-altering way. She's not choosing to give up an unwanted baby, she's choosing to allow that little boy the chance to grow up in a house filled with love, and kisses, and hugs, and to feel cherished beyond imagination. What a blessing.

I tell you all this because, if you are so inclined, I am asking you to pray along with me about this adoption. I know God hears our prayers, and I would love for Him to get inundated with prayers about Keith and Katie's new addition.

I will also try to update you when the time comes...but you will have a much better time if you jut read Katie's blog. :o) She's gifted.

Thanks!

6 Minutes

That's all I've got to update you. I promised Dave I'd try to be home by 6:00, and it's 5:54 now...thankfully the Starbucks is right around the corner from the house! And, well, there's always the caveat that "I tried!" right? :o)



We still don't have internet access in the house. Supposedly PhoneMonopoly&T is sending a technician out tomorrow. Not holding my breath...I feel really disconnected from the world! It's like an addiction, and I know you know what I mean, because you're all reading this, and you're all addicted too! But, the Starbucks is right around the corner (wish I'd thought about this days ago!).

We are still really loving the house. Loving that there is a garage door that opens at the touch of a button, and we can park 2 whole cars (and random crap) in it at the same time! Loving that with the flip of a switch, dinner's cast-offs can be ground up to a pulp and zipped away forever! LOVing that there are screens on the windows so I can open them and let fresh air in and not fear that fresh kitties will get out! Loving the dishwasher! Hoo-wee! Loving the pressure in the shower.

Not loving the 350 bajillion boxes that stop me from getting through my house, though! :o)

We now have a washer, but the dryer gets delivered next Saturday. So, in a moment of creative genius, I fashioned out my own clothesline this morning. We aren't supposed to have them in our yards, so I made one on my patio. I took our garden swing (with a canopy and poles on the top), and placed it about 6 feet from our "privacy fence" (which is a 6-ft tall, 6-ft wide fence blocking the neighbor's view of us), and zig-zagged some rope back and forth between the two! :o) Totally loving it! I hung out the sheets this morning at about 8:15...BUT...
when we were pulling out of the garage at 10:15 to go to church, I noticed some sprinkles on the windshield, so we had to run around real quick and take the sheets of the garden swing ropes. :o) Now the sheets are draped over doors. Drying. That's all that matters.

My time is more than over (took 10 minutes). Hope you are all well! And I'll be back with pictures when I have more time!

Update (as promised)

Okay, I promised to update you on our arrival into "sunny" LA. I apologize for the delay - we've been a leeetle busy.

What with finding a great house (in base housing), and then finding out the next day that we couldn't have that house (bummer!), and then going down to the housing office 3 days in a row looking looking looking for another acceptable house...and then finding one that (maybe, probably, maybe) is better than the first! Yay!

The best part about the house is that there are no houses blocking our view of the O-Cean! We're not right on the water...in fact, we are about a mile from the water...but our view is line-o-sight to the ocean. Dave says the view is "primo." :o) We get the keys tomorrow morning, and our long-lost household goods will be delivered mid-morning. Then we will be swimming through a sea of cardboard boxes. Woo and hoo.

We've been furniture shopping a couple of places. Dave has been a Star Shopper...trying out how the recliners work, and trying to talk me into the cushiest sofas, making sure they were "nap-worthy," etc. We haven't decided on anything for sure, but we're closing in on some good-looking things. We need to get some final measurements of the living room to be sure, then we'll place our big, humongous order!

Dave retrieved his beloved, Miata, that he shipped from England in mid-September. It was the only sunny day we've had so far. He, of course, put the top down first thing, and then drove from the port to our hotel along the Pacific Coast Highway...slowly soaking up the rays and the sea-breeze all along the way. I think his smile was permanently affixed to his face for about 2 days! :o)

We know that we know 4 families in base housing already, which is nice. And there is a great possibility that we'll know even more! That's the cool thing about the AF...you never go somewhere you don't already know someone. :o) (Even on our remote tour to England we knew people!)

What else don't you know? I'll post pictures in a few days (once our phone/broadband/lifeline get set up in the house) so you can ooh and aah with us. :o) And for those of you that actually know me...I'll be sending an email with our contact details in a day or so.

So, if you don't hear from me in 10 days, send a search party...we've obviously been swallowed by the Box Monster! :o)