Anne of Green Gables

LOVE the story of "Anne of Green Gables" by L. M. Montgomery! I don't know exactly when I was first introduced to it, but I fell in love with it and it feels like it has always been apart of my life. (I feel like I'm a little like Anne!!) My mom was given the VHS (yes I know I'm old) a long time ago of "Anne of Green Gables" and "Anne of Avonlea" and I probably watched them 100 times, if not more. I loved to put in one of the four tapes and just fall into the world of Anne, Matthew, Marilla, Diana and Gilbert. I would pop in a tape when I had had a bad day, when I was sick, or when I just needed to get out of the real world and be encompassed by the adventures, mishaps and "highfalutin mumbo-jumbo" of Anne.

My confession...as much as I love the story, I have NEVER actually read the stories. I have only ever seen them as a movie. Seriously, what is wrong with me?

All of this brings me to my new discovery today. I have a Kindle (which I love so much!) and I needed something to read today at lunch. Kindle offers free books all of the time. "Anne of Green Gables" was one. I started reading it. Wow, it is so well written and an amazing story! I am so looking forward to encompassing myself in the world of Anne through written word! (Probably won't get much of anything else done either!)

Food Cravings

I wouldn't say that I am having the cravings like pickles and ice cream (not sure those really exist) but I am getting suck on a certain food each week. At the beginning of July it was Frito Chili Cheese Wraps with mustard from Sonic! I could not get enough of them. I would eat one for lunch and for a snack (or two) and sometimes even for breakfast! Now the thought of one of them makes me so sick.

A few weeks before that I think it was just chips a cheese or maybe it was fruit, but I can't really remember since I just noticed my pattern this week.

For two weeks, nothing sounded good. I really was having a difficult time eating. When food did sound even remotely good or I knew that I should try to eat, it was only Mexican food. Even then only nachos with beans, cheese and jalapeños! I never ate all of it, but it sure tasted good when I did eat.

This week has been pasta. I've only had it twice, but that is what I want. I rarely if ever get Alfredo sauce and interestingly enough that is what I have ended up eating and ordering. Matt picked up dinner from Fazoli's and I thought that cheesy lasagna sounded good. But as soon as I opened it up, the smell hit me and I could not eat it. My sweet husband had some Alfredo and he gave it to me and ate my lasagna even though I know he really wanted to eat the Alfredo. I kind of like that guy!

The one thing (or many things) that does not sound good is meat. Yuck. I am not a person that has to have meat all the time anyway, but boy it has not sounded good at all during the last two months. I have forced myself to eat some chicken, knowing that I need to protein but it was difficult to get down. I did eat one hamburger one night, but felt very sick afterwards. My family is having a cookout this weekend, hamburgers and hot dogs, not sure how that is going go. I may have to pretend that I am not hungry and go get Mexican!

Wow, as I read back over this to see if I like how I have worded things, I see a very distinct pattern... CHEESE! Man do I love cheese so this is not shocking news, but to look at how much I have eaten over the last month, it is sort of impressive or disturbing (depending on how you look at it)! This baby will love cheese, I'm sure of it (even if it doesn't, he/she won't have much of a choice because Mama loves it and loves to cook with it).

It is anybody's guess to see what I will be eating next week!

Can't Take Him Anywhere

Yesterday was my first appointment at my doctor's office to begin prenatal care! Matt decided he would go with me so I could ask questions and he could listen and maybe ask a few himself. We just saw the nurse this time and will have the first appointment with the doctor on August 2nd.

The nurse came in and she asked some questions about my medical history and then gave me some information. She left the room to see if some test results had been received and while she was gone Matt went crazy. The room is not very big and he was pacing around it. He started playing with the curtain that sections off the area where women change for exams. AND he started investigating the model for the NuvaRing. Seriously!

When it was time for the nurse to take my blood (remember the room is small) he stood up and kept getting in her way because he wanted to watch. Watch? It's just blood. Nothing exciting. Surprisingly I didn't get embarrassed, I just decided I can't take him anywhere! I am grateful the nurse Lisa, just laughed about it. I think I am really going to like her! If she can put up with Matt, she's a good woman.

Matt is going to go to my next appointment with me when we meet the doctor. I don't know what he is going to behave like then. I'm sure I'll report.

Feeling Fat

I know that I am just a few weeks along, but I am really starting to feel fat. I can't fit into any of my clothes which makes getting ready for work very difficult. I have started leaving pants unbuttoned or taking a pony-tail holder and looping it to keep jeans a little more secure rather than being uncomfortable. So far it is working okay but soon I am going to have to find some other alternatives. I wish I could find some clothes that I could "grow" with over the next few months, but I hate shopping and finding anything that I like and will work is difficult. Wish I had a personal shopper.

Over the weekend, I tried on a few maternity clothes, but really I am not ready to wear that and it doesn't look good since it really is for women who are actually showing, not just gaining weight. I feel so lost on what to do.

Desperate, the other night, I went to Target to see if I could find anything that would be good for work that I would be comfortable in. I found a skirt that makes me so happy!

"Morning Sickness"

The last week or so, I have been really nauseous. It typically is only in the morning, but several of the days have been all day or off and on all day. I don't think I like this part of pregnancy very much. I know the end result will be wonderful, but can this part stop? I laid on my couch all day Sunday because if I moved, I felt like I was going to throw up. I am not a throw up kind of person. I have to be extremely sick, like on the verge of death, to throw-up. I will do whatever I can to keep from having to experience that. Hope that doesn't start up in the next few weeks since it seems to be getting worse as the weeks pass. I would like to make it through with only having to stay still or eating toast.

Speaking of toast....I purchased Melba Toast to have around when I start feeling sick.

Matt saw me eating them with cheese one night and has decided that his now his new favorite snack. On Sunday, I asked him to bring me a piece and the sweet husband that he is, brought me one. A little later I asked for another one and it took him a while to come back. I listen carefully and I hear the crunch crunch as he eats a piece himself before bringing me one! To top it all off, my sweet puppy Sulky tried to eat my piece! It was in my hand hanging off the couch. I feel the toast move and know that her teeth have tried to snatch bite. I'm the one sick and everyone else in the house is eating or trying to eat my toast...well except Griffin, our other cute little dog. He just "vacuums" up the crumbs.

I am going to have to hide the next package so I will have it when I need it.

"Morty"

I Googled "Morty pictures" today. The images that kept coming up were of cats, cows and strange looking men w/ cats. Really thats what my husband wants to call our child?

It's Raining It's Pouring.....

Seriously we have had so much rain over the last few weeks. I just heard that the flood warning has been extended AGAIN until 11pm. I love the rain!!

Keeping the News Quiet

It has been really difficult keeping this information quiet. I have decided that it would be best to not tell anyone until the first of September for many reasons even though I want to tell everyone I see. I am sure some have some suspicions but I am trying really hard not to let on. The only people that know are my husband, the tanning salon and one friend. It sort of slipped out to her. I have to say it was very liberating to tell the tanning salon. They don't care who I am and won't tell anyone I know, so it felt great!

We have decided to tell our families at the end of July. We will be with my entire immediate family one weekend and that is a perfect time to tell them since we probably will not all be together until Christmas. We are also going to tell my in-laws the same week. Matt wants to think of a creative way to tell them. I am going to leave that up to him. We are going to do our best to keep it quiet after that and not tell other people until September. It will be difficult, but we will do our best!

We went out to dinner with our friends Jason and Krista last week and they asked us what was new with us. We just smiled and said nothing. Sorry Jason and Krista!

What do I do now?

What do I do now?

For those of you that stumble upon this blog and know nothing about me, let me tell you a little bit about what I do for my grown up job. I work as a counselor for an adoption and foster care agency. I have been doing this for two years and work with birth mothers who are considering placing their unborn children for adoption.You would think that with a job like mine, I would know exactly what to do, what to expect and how to react. WRONG. When it comes to my job, I am logical and can rationally think through what needs to happen next and can find resources as I need them (because it doesn't have to do with me). My own situations....well let's say it all emotions. I am definitely a planner, but wow the emotional side takes over. I wasn't sure what to do first.

I have a doctor that I have been seeing for the last four years for female stuff that I have not been overly happy with. I just found her on my old insurance and have stuck with her. I had my yearly appointment already scheduled for late August so I figured being a previous patient, I could call, get a prenatal appointment set up and it be more at the end of July or the first of August. Let's just say the conversation did not go as I hoped when I asked that it be changed.

Scheduler lady: "I am not sure that we can do that. Are you sure that you are pregnant?"
Me: "Yes."

Scheduler lady: "Did you take a home pregnancy test or do you just feel that you are?"

Me: "I have taken three tests and all said that I was pregnant. AND I have the symptions."

Scheduler lady: "Are you sure?"

Me: "Pretty."

Well my first prenatal with that doctor is scheduled in September. I could still have my yearly, but I would not have the opportunity to do prenatal stuff since my appointment for August was not blocked for that. I was pretty upset. I had no idea what to do. I didn't really like the idea of changes doctors but I want to feel like my situation is important t my doctor and to feel that the staff is going to treat me well. Now...this is where my skills as a counselor came in handy. I know which doctors in OKC that I like and which ones I would never go to, but finding one that I like and is on my insurance AND is taking new patients is a bit tricky. I have always liked this smaller hospital in OKC that is specifically for women, but know it is very hard to get into a doctor there. They are all well liked. So in my best counselor voice I called the doctor's office and asked if they took my particular insurance and if any doctors were accepting new OB patients. God is good...yes to both!!

I now have my first OB appointment on July 22nd. Thank you job skills.

Positive or Negative?

At the end of June I was starting to be very crabby, VERY tired and a little nauseous every morning. Matt kept saying that he thought I was pregnant. I kept saying I wasn't (more to protect my emotions) because how could it have happened so fast?? We just started trying. In my heart, I felt that I was pregnant, but I kept telling my head and Matt that we could not possibly be already and that we would wait a few weeks to take a test. What I really wanted to do was run to the bathroom and take a test right then. Sometimes I'm too practical for my own good!

I took a test late on Monday June 28th (I couldn't wait!). It was one of those Dollar Store ones that you don't mind using if it is negative since it is so cheap. Learned that one from my friend Lora! Let me just say, pregnancy tests are hard to figure out what they are trying to say. Two lines, one line, colored lines, +, -, pregnant, not pregnant (well the last four are easy!). Who designs these things? A positive test with this particular one was two pink lines one dark pink the other light pink. The dark pink showed up fine, the light pink was there but very faint. We both got a little excited...after we figured out it meant positive...and then I tried to calm us both down because false positives happen. After Matt went to the other room, the reality that it could be happening set in. I got excited, giddy and then extremely nervous and overwhelmed. Me a mother? Am I really ready for this? I'm too young. What if I am not a good mother? Matt popped back in to snap me back to reality and tell me that it would be okay and we had plenty of time to prepare (me...worry). I went to bed, but could hardly sleep. When I did sleep I had strange dreams. We had decided to not take a test until Wednesday, but I couldn't wait. At 6:15 am on June 30, 2010 the more expensive test said "Pregnant" within seconds! I ran in to tell Matt. I cried a little bit, and smiled a ton and he said "Great! I am excited! Morty 's a little guy. Now I'm going to go back to sleep so it doesn't overwhelm me."

And now the real fun begins. Wow, we are going to be parents! God give us what we need and protect that little baby growing inside of me.

Morty, sorry in advance for all the times we embarrass you...because we will...A LOT!

Morty

Since Matt and I decided that we were going to start trying to get pregnant, he has been calling our unborn child Morty. Really Morty? I am not fond. No, I detest that name. But that is what he keeps calling it.

I have a feeling names are going to be difficult to decide on.

To our unborn child: I will do my best to not let you father name you Morty.

Communication Issues

When Matt and I were going through marriage counseling, we talked about starting a family. Apparently we did not communicate very well. We both were saying two years for a family but meaning different things. I meant to have a baby in two years and he meant to start to have a baby in two years. Guess we should have clarified with each other!

Fast forward on year later. After a few months of discussion and a great vacation, we decided to start trying. Poor Matt, he had to deal with the crazy up and down emotions of going of the hormones! Wow I was a mess. Glad he is still with me! Thanks honey for putting up with me for those crazy weeks. Sorry for taking the laundry comments to the extreme. I will start doing your laundry again (you need it)! Looks like we still need to work on communication!

1st Anniversary

After an amazing first year of marriage, my husband and I took a vacation to Costa Rica. We wanted to celebrate our first year as well as get away from our stressful jobs. We could not have picked a better time or place!
We left Dallas on May 29th in the morning and arrived in Liberia, Costa Rica just three hours later. We landed to a muggy open-air airport. Customs was so easy! We stood in a line for about 10 minutes, picked up our bags and went through a "check" area. It literally was just two 8 foot tables set up and two men just looking at our bags very quickly. We left that area to be bombarded by 100+ men yelling "Taxi" at us. The men were only held back from jumping on us by a small metal fence. It was a little overwhelming. I am so glad we had transportation already arranged. We got on our bus and off the the resort we went.
Neither one of us has ever been to an all inclusive resort before. We had no idea what to expect. It was more wonderful than we could have ever imagined! Our room was not ready when we arrived, but we were met with a fruity concoction. That made everything better. We walked down to the pool area and ate lunch at the snack bar. Ana, our waitress, brought us banana daiquiris. And there my husband fell in love with fruity frozen drinks. Ana became our favorite morning/lunch waitress who knew our names every time she saw us.
Our room was ready. We had an ocean view over looking the bay. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We changed into our bathing suits and off to the pool we went....and that is where we stayed. Everyday we would wake up, eat breakfast and stake out our place around the pool. We were armed with sunscreen, Kindles loaded with books to read and of course frozen fruity drinks (strawberry banana were the best!). I loved a local drink called, in English, Live the Life. It was so good! I read four books in five days. Now that's what I call vacation. We ate lunch at the snack bar each day and rotated between the buffet, Italian and Asian restaurants at night. We took a kayak trip around the bay one day. Let's just say Matt and I will not be entering into any kayaking contests anytime soon...or ever. We do not make a good team!
We celebrated our first anniversary by laying by the pool and eating a three course Italian meal. Matt was not that impressed by the food, but I liked it.
We left on June 3rd ,and will be going back again!

Flowers that greeted us each day.

Our first view of the bay!

Dinner on our first anniversary.

Laying by the pool.

View of the bay from our room.

Sunset over the bay. Can't wait to go back!

The Beginning

So this is the beginning of my blogging career (however short it might end up being). It could end up being as short as my first job at a nursing home when I was 16. I had to do the bed linen and gown laundry for all the residents. I'll spare you the details, but I saw more colors and consistencies of poop than I ever care to see again. Needless to say, that job lasted a whole 2 weeks and I was begging to do something different, anything.

Now that I've taken that misguided trip down memory lane, I guess I will see where this blog ends up. Here's to lasting longer than two weeks!