Tis the season

I must start out with the hilarity that is my dog at each Christmas. My wonderful in-laws always take care of her with a new "baby." (This year there were 3 that we are choosing to give her one at a time.) Well, Christmas night, we came home and gave it to her. This is what went on for at least an hour:

(I hope it works) 

She doesn't let it leave her side. This morning, I woke up and Soco and I were in the living room when suddenly she started walking around the house very distraught. I just watched her and she came prancing out of our bedroom with her baby in her mouth. 

She also makes sure she has it when she takes naps on the couch. 

 

Right now, she's snuggled up against my leg, sleeping with her baby right in front of her head. It's really sweet until she gives it too much love and the stuffing comes out. 

...at least she has 2 more when this one's is over-loved. The weird thing is that even after we think we've thrown away all pieces of babies, months later, she will bring us a random ear she had hidden somewhere. 

*******

Our Christmas tree started out as a butt of a joke for Derek and me. Last year, our tree stand broke. Despite our MANY efforts, we couldn't fix it and had to go out and buy a new tree for the year. We opened the box with great anticipation because of the "awesome deal" we got on a pre-lit tree only to find that you can see right through it. From every angle, no matter how much fluffing is done, you can see the stem of this tree. We laughed it off, decorated it and were thankful we had a tree for the year. We also had a goal of buying a new tree after Christmas when they were on sale. 

Well.... we forgot. We took our tree out remembering the wonderful pre-lit-ness of the tree and began fluffing. Then it all came back and we started laughing at how Charlie Brown it looked, especially with no decorations on it. Since our Friends' Christmas is at our house, and was only 2 days later, we decorated as best we could and made a promise to buy a new tree this year after Christmas. (We still haven't)

Well... here's our tree. It doesn't look so bad in pictures. :-) 

What you don't notice in these pictures is that Derek and I are both about a foot taller than the tree. 

Here is a picture from last year of Soco in front of the tree 

She looks enormous, but the tree is just so small. 

*******

Who knows if we really will get a tree, or if we'll just forget about how small and sad this tree is once again until we open the box next year. 

One thing I do know... next year there will be much more excitement surrounding Christmas. We'll have a 9 month old baby to celebrate with! 

a head in the shower

I forgot to write about my first and really only HUGE emotional breakdown of pregnancy. It's quite hilarious when I look back on it. 

A few weeks ago, I was taking a shower. I was washing my hair and my eyes were closed because I was rinsing shampoo. Well I opened my eyes to see a HEAD in the shower with me! Derek snuck into the bathroom and poked his head in the shower, pulling the shower curtain tight around his neck and making a weird face at me. I gasped and he was about to laugh when....

I immediately started SOBBING. I'm talking hyperventilating, tears streaming down my face, coughing, and in between breaths and realization that I was being overdramatic, I would laugh. I literally could not stop sobbing for the rest of my shower. It was like when a little kid cries and for 10 minutes after, they have that sad breathing thing where you think they're done and then they have this hard breath/cry sound that comes out. 

I guess my weirdest fear was realized that day. I remember when I was little, I had a dream, or my brother tried to scare me, or something that someone was standing in between the shower liner and outside shower curtain. I forgot about that until that day. 

Moral of the story: Don't scare your pregnant wife in the shower.

My rotisserie baby...

I can't believe there are 15 weeks left. It's flying by so far! Here's my belly this week: 

I think my former PJ shirt needs to be retired until the baby comes because for some reason, it's just not quite as comfy anymore. It seems to have gotten a little too small. 

It's super crazy that next Christmas, we will be putting gifts under the tree for the baby, too! 

The baby has chosen to hang out on my right side these days. About an hour ago, actually, I felt its entire back along the right side of my stomach. I felt like I was holding the baby or something because I could feel so much of it. 

He/she has also been acting like a rotisserie chicken. That's all I can think of to compare this feeling to. It feels like it's spinning around in there and it's almost nauseating. I don't mind it though because movement is comforting and helps me remember he/she is doing good! 

Ugly sweater party time is almost near, so I must go get tacky.... 

Five foods

Five Foods... this should be fun! 

5. Cotton Candy Ice Cream

This ice cream is not only delicious, it is also medication. I have been on a cotton candy ice cream kick for the last month or so, and one day, I had a horrible headache. I took tylenol, I rested, I drank water, I drank caffeine, I turned off all the lights, nothing. Head throbbed. When I had my nightly bowl of this wonder, the head ache immediately disappeared! Meijer, the wonder ice cream! 

4. Greek Salad

I haven't had this in a while because feta is a pregnancy no-no, but I will admit, I had two of them since getting pregnant. I always get this sans olives and onions, but, the picture doesn't show beets and banana peppers. I can't perfect this salad at home for some reason. Maybe because I never have all the ingredients? lol 

3.  Panera bread. 

It's so exciting to go to Panera since Derek passionately hates it. Apparently it is not enough food for his growing body. But I looooove it. I could eat it everyday. I always get a turkey sandwich on asiago bread with broccoli cheddar soup. 

2. Arabic Food

I love me some garlic. We go all out when we eat arabic. It started in high school when I'd go with my girlfriends. We would easily take on two bowls of garlic with out meal. Who cares if we stink for days after? Now I have recruited Derek to be in on the fun. I get the same variation of foods each time I go. A chicken shawarma sandwich, fattoush salad, rice with almonds, grilled veggies, and of course, the bread and garlic. I don't get all of these, but the sandwich and bread are a consistent part of the meal, the rest are my choices for sides. Yum! 

1. Sweet Potato Fries

Not just any sweet potato fries, but the ones from The Barrel Room in San Diego. I'm not even surprised that they had a picture of these delicious fantasies on google. I dream of these and I am salivating as I stare at them. Anyway, we went to this restaurant while we were waiting for our friend to be done at the emergency room on vacation. (long story) I thought I was going to starve that night because the menu is mainly burgers and I was burgered out at that point.... not to mention the RABBIT SAUSAGE and mac and cheese dinner that was a specialty at this particular restaurant. (SICK!) I opted for sides. I ordered a side salad and sweet potato fries. Hands down, this was the best meal of the entire trip. 

This was a tricky game for a pregnant lady to play today. Needless to say, I am now starving and have very particular ideas on what I'd like to eat. If it weren't Black Friday and I know most places I could go to get these things will be jam packed with holiday shoppers, I would be in my car right now...or on a plane on my way to San Diego. The grilled cheese I had planned for lunch just doesn't sound so appealing anymore. Ah, well. I'll use my imagination. 

6 places

I just realized I never completed the "10 days of you" blogging from way back in August. I ended with 7 wants, and now I have to do 6 places. So I'll continue! I'm not sure exactly what this one means, so I'm going to make it my own. 

Places I want to go back to: 

6.  My wedding. I would love to go back to that place. It was honestly the funnest day of my life. Here is a video example of the fun. I don't know how to post just the video up since it's not mine, it's my cousin's. (I have to explain that the tradition in my family is that the men roll up their pant legs during shout. You look like a fool if you don't roll your pant legs up. I love my family.)

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=736618259165 

5. Mine and Derek's first date. I just want to be a fly on the wall and feel like I felt on that day. I don't want to go back and stay there, because I love where we are now, but I'd love to see us then. It's hard to believe that was 7 years ago! ...this picture is our 1 year anniversary of dating.

4. My house where I grew up. I don't just mean visiting the house because it's only 5 minutes from where I live, but I'd love to go back and live a day in the life of me as a 7 year old on Lucy Street with the crew of kids my brother and I hung out with. We had the best street, there were so many kids and we were always outside playing. It was awesome!

Places I've Been. 

3. San Diego. I would love to go here once a month if I could! I've been there twice now. Once for our honeymoon and once this past summer for a vacation with friends. It's so beautiful and just means relaxation to me. Palm trees equal vacation. I don't know that I'd want to live there, because where can you vacation that it looks different from where you live? (Of course you could vacation in the northeast, but who wants to vacation in the snow?) Maybe we will retire there someday. 

2. Aunt Carol's condo in Florida. The warm pavement of the driveway under our fresh, non-calloused feet that are used to cold winter and socks, oh it's calling to me. We did 2 family spring breaks there, it was in Fort Meyers, right by the beach. I had one great spring break with Mandy and my family there. Driving there was so fun because we would watch the temperature rise from the 20s to the 80s. Driving home was awful because it went from the 80s to the 20s, but the fun part was making fun of Ohio (of course that meant we had to drive through Ohio and we hated that!). Derek also went there with us for Senior year spring break in high school. 

A Place I Can't Wait to Go. 

1. My baby's birth. I can't wait for the excitement and fear that place will hold. I want to know where I'll go into labor and who will be in the waiting room while we wait for our precious arrival. I can't wait to see Derek's face when he meets his son or daughter. I can't wait to see my dad holding my baby. I can't wait to see my mom fall in love with another grandchild. I can't wait to see Derek's parents lay their eyes on their first grandchild. I can't wait to be in that place when my brother becomes an uncle and my sister-in-law becomes an aunt. Most of all, I can't wait to be in the place where I'm first a mommy. That place. That will be the best place. 

A well behaved fetus

I'm officially 20 weeks and 1 day... over halfway there, right?! 

We had our ultrasound today and Gunther behaved perfectly. The ultrasound tech kept saying, "Wow, this baby is giving me perfect shots and doing just what he or she needs to do for measurements." She even took an extra picture for herself of his/her aorta. Way to go, baby! 

Here are our newest pictures of baby Shupe. 

 

I can NOT wait to hold this little bean in our arms and know if I have a son or a daughter. I know I could have found out today, but then we wouldn't hear, "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!" When he or she arrives. I can't wait for the best surprise of my life. 

we have a kicker!

I didn't have work today, so when Derek left for work, I watched the news in bed for a little while. As I laid there, I suddenly felt a small jab in my stomach, but just accounted it to gas since Derek and I were joking about kicks this morning. I didn't think anything would happen like an hour after our conversation. Well, about 10 seconds later, the same thing in the same spot! Then again a few seconds later! 

Ahhh! We've got a kicker, ladies and gentlemen! I want more, I feel like an addict now. I seriously didn't move from that position for 10 minutes hoping that I'd be kicked again, but no such luck. Hopefully that isn't the baby's choice time for kicking because I'm always at work by then.