I'll Be Back...

So today would be the day that I would update you on the pregnancy since we are now at 24 weeks.  Well there really isn't anything new and exciting.  Since I am leaving tomorrow for vacation I have also decided to not blog until I get back home.  I promise that I will make up for the lack of blogs in December with some exiting stuff in January!

I hope everyone has a great Christmas & New Year and hopefully I will see some of you when I get to WI!

23 Weeks

The Scoop:

Weeks Pregnant ~ 23 weeks, Day 1

Size of Baby ~ 11.5 in, size of a large mango

Baby's Weight ~ 1.1 lbs. according to my app but again last week the baby weighed 1.5 lbs. so I am not even sure why I bother with this section

My Weight ~ umm....I actually haven't weighed my self lately so I am guessing I gained another pound but who knows

What's New ~ I now have experienced awful heartburn, I mean almost in tears awful! So here is to hoping that my new best friend Tums saves the day. Apparently there is an old wives tale that if you suffer from heartburn your baby will have lots of hair...I checked the last ultrasound pictures and couldn't really tell if there was hair or not but maybe the next one will show us.

Purchased Items ~ Still going strong and not buying anymore baby things!

Again sorry there is no bump pic this week

Thanks!!

Well Nicki has been gone for almost a week now.  I really do miss her cooking for me!  But soon enough I will be on vacation in WI for the holidays and then the Man will be home.

When Nicki decided to come and live with me for 4 months I wanted to make sure she actually got to do some cool/fun shit.  So now that she is gone I thought I would recap some of the notable things that we did.

August:
- Motley Crue & Poison concert
- She got to meet the baby for the first time

September:
- Went to Las Vegas for a night

October:
- Watched the Blue Angels at the airshow on base
- Dad came to visit
- Went to Yosemite National Park
- Went to Monterey Bay & the Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Saw the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra perform the Wizard of Oz

November:
- Went to San Diego for the weekend
- Got to experience 2 hours of stand-still traffic on our way to San Diego
- We found out the sex of the baby
- Had our first Black Friday shopping experience

Overall I think we did a lot of fun things.  So I have to say thanks to Nicki for only taking 1 college class this semester so I wouldn't have to live by myself for so long.
  

22 Weeks!

I am sorry to say but there won't be a bump pic this week or next week, my photographer left!

The Scoop:

Weeks Pregnant ~ 22 weeks, Day 3

Size of Baby ~ 11 in, about the size of spaghetti squash

Baby's Weight ~ well for this week my app tells me 1 lb. but when I had an ultrasound on Monday they informed me that the baby weighed 1.5 lbs.

My Weight ~ I have gained 1 lb. since last week, which puts us at a total weight gain of 16 lbs.

Whats New ~ There really isn't much new.  My belly is getting larger and a few random people not strangers but random people have touched the belly.  I also think my caramel addiction is no longer present, junk food in general will make me happy now!

Purchased Items ~  The stroller & car seat combo that I had my heart set on was on sale, so I bought it.  Then my Dad informed me that he wanted to buy that for me for Christmas.  So technically I have not purchased anything new for the baby...I am very proud of this since there are so many fun, cute things out there.

Round Two: 4D

Today I had another ultrasound appointment to check the growth of the baby.  Everything is looking good with the baby and he is still a boy my other OB told me last week that he still thought I was having a girl, we were a little nervous!  Just like the last 4D ultrasound baby Jackson is weighing in on the bigger side...he now weighs 1.5 lbs. the norm for where I am in pregnancy is around 12.6 oz.  Jackson was really having no part in letting us see his face but the tech managed to get part of his face.  So enjoy the more human-like and less alien-like pictures :)

 One of the few times he turned his head 

Not having any part of showing us his face, just the back of his head and arm

He was showing his face and decided he had enough pictures and covered his head with his hand

Week 21!

So week 20 totally got away from me and I didn't take a bump pic...sorry!

The Scoop:

Weeks Pregnant ~ 21 weeks, Day 2

Size of Baby ~ 10.5 in or the size of a banana

Baby's Weight ~ 12.7 oz. again probably not accurate but we will find out for sure next week at the OB appt.

My Weight ~ So I decided to add this section, not really sure why.  1st Trimester: gained 5 lbs.  2nd Trimester: so far I have gained 10 lbs.

What's New ~ I have figured out that Jackson loves to move and kick me when I am relaxing and trying to get ready for bed.  Love feeling him move and kick more, not always as excited about the timing of when he likes to kick me in the bladder.  Also for the first time I have looked in the mirror and wondered where the heck did those hips and badonkadonk come from yep thats right  I am pretty sure I went to bed with a nice sized butt and woke up with J-Lo's!  

Purchased Items ~ I am super excited to add this area since it is now after 20 weeks and I can buy cute baby items!!  I was lucky that 20 weeks came around Black Friday because I scored some great deals at the Carter's website and I got our high chair from Babies R Us for half price!  Now to try and stop buying EVERY cute baby item I see.  To help with this I decided to create a couple baby registries, even though I won't be having a baby shower, it allows me to baby window shop and secretly hope those things end up in my house :)

Bump Pic ~

  I really wanted to wear jeans in my bump pic, since every one is in leggings but it didn't happen because my new sweater came in the mail and the want to wear it trumped the want to have a picture with jeans!

Here it is

Now that we are officially at 20 weeks I thought I would unveil our baby boy's name.

In case you forgot you can read about all the name options in the Explanation of Names post

While Josiah and I were Skyping we decided to talk about the 2 boy names we were thinking about.  We both were hoping we would decide on 1 name but we were both ok with not being able to decide until the baby was born.  Well it took us a whopping 2 minutes to agree on a name. We both love the name, the reason behind the name and the potential nicknames.

Our baby boy's name is Jackson Henry

20 Weeks!!!

OMG!!  140 days down, 140 days to go...

The Scoop:

Weeks Pregnant ~ 20 weeks, Day 1

Size of Baby ~ 6.5 in, size of a small cantaloupe

Baby's Weight ~ 10.6 oz. again this is probably not accurate since we were at 10 oz in week 18

Whats New ~ People are now commenting on the baby bump...instead of thinking I was just getting fat from eating to much while the Man is gone. I started wearing a belly band so I can still wear non-maternity jeans and dress pants awesome invention! Also ordered some tummy honey to help prevent stretch marks, so lets hope that works.  It is also getting more and more difficult to bend over so glad I wear ballet flats almost everyday! not sure what I am going to do when I go to WI in a month. I also feel like for the first time I have NO control over my emotions lets hope this phase will pass very soon!

Again I have to apologize for not having a bump photo for this week but I really wanted to do this post today and I just posted a bump pic on Saturday.  So look for a new one in the next couple of days!

19 Week Bump Pic

So as promised here is the 19 week bump pic!

I was on my way to the Half-Way through deployment party...I LOVED my outfit but found that the belt kept creeping up because of the belly :)

19 Weeks

The Scoop:

Weeks Pregnant ~ 19 weeks, Day 3

Size of Baby ~ 6 in, the size of a heirloom tomato

Baby's Weight ~ 8.5 oz obviously my baby does not weigh this since last week he was at 10 oz

Baby's Sex ~ In case you didn't get the memo IT'S A BOY!!

Baby's Name ~ The name has been decided and will be blogged about soon :)

What's New ~ This week has been interesting to say the least.  I now get the hiccups or burps after I eat anything that is not candy...super annoying and frustrating but I am not sure how to prevent it, so if any of you have any ideas let me know!  Also this baby boy has decided that I do not need to sleep at all...now for anyone that knows me I am NOT a happy person when I don't get my much needed sleep I might have blown up at Nicki for very little things this week oops! The Man also got to see my belly for the first time, well sort of, it was via Skype but none the less it wasn't a picture that was received 12 hrs later.

Sorry I don't have a baby bump pic for this week yet, its been a crazy week so far.  Hopefully I can get one in the next day or two.

Best Week Of The Month

This week has seemed to be eventful and crazy but yet some what relaxed Yes I know that doesn't make much sense But the best part of this week was getting to Skype with the Man!!  Some of you may be thinking its not that great of a thing or gag but it really was the best part of the ENTIRE month!  Before Monday & Tuesday's Skype dates I hadn't seen the Man's face or heard the sound of his voice since September...in case you forgot November is now half over with!  We were lucky enough to be able to Skype for 3 hours between the two days the last time we Skyped it was only for an hour and the internet was HORRIBLE. 


Best Parts Of The Date:
- Seeing the Man's face
- Hearing his voice
- Seeing his face when he saw my baby bump for the first time he has only seen the weekly pictures I have taken before this
- Deciding on a baby name for OUR baby boy
- Talking about the future and how lucky we are even though we have/will spend 90% of 2011 apart

Sorry if this made you all gag from the sappiness, I am blaming it on the hormones!  I really can't wait for him to get home.

4D Ultrasound

At the appointment yesterday the ultrasound tech was awesome enough to also show us 4D ultrasound.  I guess normally they don't do the 4D until the baby is weighing at least 1 lb. because it helps the baby look more human like and not so scary those were her words not mine!  But we wanted to see if the baby's nose still looked as big as it did in the ultrasound at 13 weeks. Don't judge!  I actually think the 4D pictures make the nose seem smaller than it did at 13 weeks.

Pregnancy Fear

The entire time that I have been pregnant I have had this fear that I could have a very large baby.  To me having a baby over 8 lbs just doesn't sound like that much fun.  These fears come from the fact that I was an 8 lb. baby and the Man was a 10 lb. baby...not cool!!

Well today those fears are becoming more of a reality! They weighed the baby and where I am at in the pregnancy the baby should weigh around 6 ounces.  Our sweet baby boy weighs 10 ounces already!!!  He is measuring a week ahead of schedule but they are not going to move my due date.  So here is to hoping for a happy healthy 8 lb. baby!!

Surprise It's A....

GIRL!!

Well at least that is what I thought for the past week.  Last week I had an ultrasound at the hospital on base, their ultrasounds do not provide the clearest picture for the record.  On base they do not tell you the sex of your baby but I thought I would ask anyways.  And sure enough my doctor said he would try to tell me.  After some searching he came to the conclusion that I was having a sweet baby girl.  He did say that he was only about 90% sure and that my OB out in town would be able to see a better picture and give me a much more confident answer.  

Nicki & I left that appointment all excited that Josiah & I were having a girl.  We told the rest of our families and even a couple friends.  Nicki made me take her to Target so she could buy the baby something since we finally knew the sex, we came home with 2 outfits that should be boy clothes but would work for a girl and a grey tutu.  Josiah & I have been going back and forth all week long on what we should name this baby girl and finally decided that we would have to wait till she was born to make a decision because Scout and Harper just represent two different types of personalities. 

Now today was my appointment out in town with the MUCH better ultrasound.  And we told the lady that we wanted to know the sex of the baby and that last week our doctor thought it was a girl.  Within 10 seconds of starting the ultrasound she was like you are having a boy....wait what?? a BOY!!!  Yep Josiah and I are happy to announce that we are having a baby boy!  I am pretty sure that he was not impressed that the whole past week we were calling him a girl and even picking out girl clothes because he was determined that we would see EVERYTHING and know that he is a boy and NOT a girl.

18 Weeks!!

Wow I can't believe we are already at 18 weeks...we are almost half way done!!

The Scoop:

Weeks Pregnant ~ 18 weeks, Day 1

Size of Baby ~ 5.6 in, the size of a sweet potato or bell pepper

Baby's Weight ~ 6.7 oz.

Baby Names ~ Since we are now 95% sure on the sex of the baby it is just between the two names.  You will find the sex out soon!

What's New ~  I actually had something to put in this spot earlier today but I have forgot it now!  Oh wait...I have now gained as much weight as the entire first trimester in these few weeks of the second trimester.  I still eat about 6 different meals/snacks a day but now the portion sizes are increasing.

What I Should Have Previously Posted But Forgot ~ hmmm...so far I don't think I forgot anything last week

Food That Makes Me Happy ~ Anything that is not healthy!  Laffy Taffy, Sweetarts, dill pickle chips, oh and lets not forget caramel.

Bump Pic ~

Have you noticed that I am wearing leggings or tights in every picture? I couldn't live without them!!

Hopeful Black Friday Sale!

For the first time EVER I am going to attempt Black Friday shopping.  Now last year the Man and I went to Target on Black Friday but we didn't get up early or any of that jazz.  We just randomly decided to go check it out that afternoon and ended up coming home with a blu-ray player.

Now this year with a baby on the way I decided I am going to try and take advantage of all the savings.  I even managed to talk Nicki into going with ok maybe I guilted her by saying that it was for the baby and if she was going to be a good aunt she had to help.  

I only have one thing that I really want to get...the Graco Quattro Tour Reverse Travel System Stroller. The one I want is at Babies-R-Us and conveniently there is a store located 30 minutes away! I really have my heart set on getting this EXACT travel system and here is why.  This stroller allows you to reverse the seat so the baby can either face the outside world like a normal stroller OR you can flip the seat so the baby will then face you.  Now the one I picked out is $300 for the combo and there are similar types of strollers that are cheaper.  Here is my problem with them. On all of the other ones I have looked at the stroller handle is what flips, which then makes the back wheels become the front wheels....the problem with that is that the back wheels don't turn so now you can really only push your stroller straight when the baby is facing you, LAME!!  The stroller I like the whole seat flips, leaving the handle in place so the front wheels always stay the front wheels.  So in case you didn't understand anything I was just trying to explain you can read about it on the Babies-R-Us site.

San Diego Trip

This past weekend Nicki and I decided to visit a friend of mine down in San Diego.  Part of the reason for picking this exact weekend to go was that the Packers happened to be playing the Chargers there.  So we thought it would be fun and exciting to watch the game together.

The entire weekend was amazing!  We did not have ANYTHING planned besides to watch the Packer game on Sunday.  Oh I lied Nicki and I did have my friend Ali make us appointments to get our hair cut while we were down there.  If you saw how my hair turned out the one time I had it cut in the almost 2 years of living here you would drive any distance to get a good hair cut and eyebrow wax :)

I had to work Friday morning but we managed to leave the house by 1:30 which our ETA was 6:30 or somewhere close to there.  Little did we know ok well we kind of figured but didn't think it would be as bad as it was we hit L.A. traffic at 4 p.m.  So our scheduled 5-6 hour drive turned into an 8 hour trip!  It wouldn't have been so bad except for 2 1/2 hours we drove a total of 18 miles ANNOYING! Even that wouldn't have been so bad except I was tired, hungry & had to pee!  Like every trip we take over 15 min long Nicki and I packed some snacks...I am pretty sure I ate 90% of the snacks we had in that 18 mile stretch and I might have even told Nicki that she was not allowed to eat ANY of my crackers.  Sorry Nicki, I know you were hungry too but at that time I was not willing to share with anyone.

We finally made it to our destination at 9:30 p.m. The next day we went to our hair appointments and we both now feel so much better about life  who knew a haircut and eyebrow wax could do that! Then Saturday night we went out downtown to the Gaslamp District. Nicki got to ride a mechanical bull while having a bunch of random Packer fans cheer her on and was easily the best bull rider of the night at least while we were there.  We went to a few other places and overall just had a really relaxing night people watching and listening to good music at a few different types of bars.

Sunday morning we decided to travel to Coronado to go over the giant bridge and check out Coronado Island.  It was a little on the cold side but other than that it was very fun seeing the ocean/beach and the Hotel del Coronado. We also checked out Seaport Village which is full of all sorts of shops.  And then it was time for the big game!  Happy to say that the Packers won :)

Our drive home was SO much better than the drive there! We made it home in 5 hours and that included 2 stops along the way.  We did have to leave before the game was over to beat the traffic but I think Nicki would agree with me that it was worth it.

I really should have taken some pictures while I was there but it was such a relaxing weekend that it didn't really occur to me.  So sorry that this is such a long, wordy post!

Explanation of Names

I have had a few different people ask where or how we came up with the 2 girl & 2 boy names.  I know I gave a slight explanation for most of them but I decided to recap all of the names on our list.

Jackson Henry: The middle name is after the Man's father, he is already an amazing father & grandfather and I know the Man would love to have a son like his dad.  Now the name Jackson is a little more confusing so bare with me. It is after my Grandpa Jake I know what your thinking, you just said his name is Jake.  Well his real name was John but we always called him Jake.  Now my grandpa's brothers & sisters apparently always called him Jack  who knew Jake & Jack were short for John!  Since I already have a cousin Jacob and I feel like every boy that is named John is really naughty, the Man and I decided that we really like the name Jack.  Jack then turned into Jackson and I am sure we will call him Jack for short if our baby gets the name Jackson Henry.

Josiah David:  This name is a little easier to explain.  The baby would be completely named after the Man.  I would love for our baby to have his name.  I do struggle with what we would call the baby then because I feel it could be slightly confusing having two Josiahs.  And I have a fear that people would call our son Jo for short and that would drive me crazy...I do not like the name Jo at all and would NEVER want people to call our baby Jo ok that last part might have been a little over the deep end but deal with it

Harper Marjorie: Again another easy name to explain.  There is no meaning or reason behind the name Harper besides the fact that the Man and I both really love the name.  Now the middle  name Marjorie is after both of my grandma's.  They are both kind, amazing, strong women and I would love to have a daughter take away qualities from both of these women.

Scout Marjorie: I already explained the middle name under Harper so I won't repeat myself again.  This is the name that people have the most questions about.  I have loved the name Scout since I was in high school and read the book To Kill A Mockingbird.  Scout is the little girl in the book and I always thought to myself that I would want a daughter to be just like her.  So since it has been a couple years since I have read the book I plan on rereading it if we are having a girl I will just put the cliff notes on here about her character sorry its so long!

Scout is a very unusual little girl, both in her own qualities and in her social position. She is unusually intelligent (she learns to read before beginning school), unusually confident (she fights boys without fear), unusually thoughtful (she worries about the essential goodness and evil of mankind), and unusually good (she always acts with the best intentions). In terms of her social identity, she is unusual for being a tomboy in the prim and proper Southern world of Maycomb.

One quickly realizes when reading To Kill a Mockingbird that Scout is who she is because of the way Atticus has raised her. He has nurtured her mind, conscience, and individuality without bogging her down in fussy social hypocrisies and notions of propriety. While most girls in Scout’s position would be wearing dresses and learning manners, Scout, thanks to Atticus’s hands-off parenting style, wears overalls and learns to climb trees with Jem and Dill. She does not always grasp social niceties (she tells her teacher that one of her fellow students is too poor to pay her back for lunch), and human behavior often baffles her (as when one of her teachers criticizes Hitler’s prejudice against Jews while indulging in her own prejudice against blacks), but Atticus’s protection of Scout from hypocrisy and social pressure has rendered her open, forthright, and well meaning.

At the beginning of the novel, Scout is an innocent, good-hearted five-year-old child who has no experience with the evils of the world. As the novel progresses, Scout has her first contact with evil in the form of racial prejudice, and the basic development of her character is governed by the question of whether she will emerge from that contact with her conscience and optimism intact or whether she will be bruised, hurt, or destroyed like Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Thanks to Atticus’s wisdom, Scout learns that though humanity has a great capacity for evil, it also has a great capacity for good, and that the evil can often be mitigated if one approaches others with an outlook of sympathy and understanding. Scout’s development into a person capable of assuming that outlook marks the culmination of the novel and indicates that, whatever evil she encounters, she will retain her conscience without becoming cynical or jaded. Though she is still a child at the end of the book, Scout’s perspective on life develops from that of an innocent child into that of a near grown-up. 

Week 17

The Scoop:

Weeks Pregnant ~ 17 weeks, Day 2

Size of Baby ~ 5.1 in, the size of an onion

Baby's Weight ~ 5.9 oz.

Baby Prediction ~ I have had a few people tell me they think it is a girl...so as of right now there are more votes for a girl than there is for a boy.  Hopefully we can find out soon!!

Baby Names ~ the Man and I haven't talked further about names, so they are still the same.  I am sure once we know the sex of the baby we will have more talks about the names we have picked out so far.

What's New ~ There really isn't anything 'new' from last week.  Belly is getting bigger, pants are still not fitting...I am very thankful that leggings are in style at the moment. Still feeling the baby move on a daily basis.

What I Should Have Previously Posted But Forgot ~ Last week I had my first experience with someone other than myself or my doctor touching my belly.  I am not sure how I felt about it...not going to lie it was a little weird and creepy.  At least it wasn't a stranger and I knew the person....I don't think I could handle a random person just coming up to me and touching my belly!

Food That Makes Me Happy ~ Right now I think Nicki runs to Burger King to get a caramel sundae at least 3 times a week....those things are AMAZING!!

Bump Pic ~

Again not the best picture, I just woke up from a 2 hour nap

Monday Market

So this past week Nicki and I were lucky enough to have our Dad come visit us.  While he was here we did a few different things.  One of the small adventures we had was going to the Monday Market in the neighboring town.  I have always wanted to go but was honestly to scared to go by myself...so I made my Dad and Nicki check it out with me.

The Monday Market is a flea market type event that happens every Monday from 6 a.m. till 2 p.m. Because it is there EVERY Monday I didn't think it would be a very large thing but was I ever wrong!  This was probably the largest flea market I have ever been too.  I wish I would have taken more pictures of how many people were there shopping and with booths set up.  You could buy things like fresh fruit & veggies, spices, clothes, purses, jewelry, new furniture, garage sale type items, dish network, or if you really wanted there were a couple people selling birds.  It was crazy and never ending.  We ended up purchasing some oranges, grapes and churros.  Oh and we also tried Cocos Frios....it is a cup of cut up fruit (we had watermelon) that they then put some spices and lime juice on top of it the only reason we tried it was when I first moved here someone told me that I had to try cocos frios because it was amazing....They were wrong!  Watermelon should not be spicy and salty with a hint of lime.  So we ended up throwing most of it away but at least I can say I tried it.

Ok enough with the words and on to some photos!

baskets of peanuts

Candies

Baby Window Shopping!!

I am not sure if I mentioned this in an earlier post or not but the Man and I decided early on in the pregnancy that we would not buy anything for the baby until 20 weeks.  When we first made that decision I didn't think it would be that hard to wait but at 17 weeks, it seems like it is taking FOREVER to get to 20 weeks!!  So to help with my urge to purchase tons of cute/fun baby stuff I have been online window shopping.  On that note I thought I would start to share some of the things I like and maybe someday will make mine :)

Here are some things I have found on one of my favorite sights Etsy all pictures link to product

I love this quote and think it would be perfect on a chalkboard wall in the baby's room

If only we didn't rent so we could make a chalkboard wall...maybe a large chalkboard table will have to do

I think getting a hanger with our baby's name would be awesome to have for their baptismal gown

Is this football hat not the cutest thing EVER!  Is California too warm for a crocheted hat???

I am not sure if I would buy this or try to recreate it myself but I think it would be perfect for our baby

So true! These words will some how make it into our home

How cool is this! You scan them an ultrasound picture and they hand paint it on to a canvas in the colors of your choice

I am hoping to have the Man make something similar to this for our baby.  I want to use it as a changing table on top and then storage bins below (not wooden but the ones from target) I haven't told the Man about this little project yet but I am sure he will be thrilled to help make my idea come to life :)

Week 16

The Scoop:

Weeks Pregnant ~ 16 weeks, day 3

Size of Baby ~ 4.6 in, about the size of an avocado

Baby's Weight ~ 3.5 oz.

Baby Prediction ~ The same as last week...I think girl, the Man thinks boy

Baby Names ~  Again the same as last week

What's New ~ So I have decided that I was probably lying to myself last week and even the week before. I kept telling my self that I hadn't popped yet and that the baby bump was not very noticeable....I have now had a reality check...I have popped and the baby bump is much more noticeable than what I thought in my mind.  So now I have to break down and probably buy some jeans and dress pants, since most of mine do not fit anymore.

What I Should Have Posted Previously But Forgot ~ So I had to make this section because I am pretty sure I will always forget to post something.  Anyways I have been able to feel the baby move since week 11.  At first it was not very often or for very long periods of time.  Well this week I started to feel the baby move daily, if not multiple times a day and for longer periods.

Food That Makes Me Happy ~ Candy, Caramel, Taco Bell

Bump Pic ~

Sorry for the not so great photo but I was running late for work this morning

15 weeks and counting

The Scoop:

Weeks Pregnant ~ 15 weeks, day 3

Size of Baby ~ 4 inches, about the size of an orange or an avocado

Baby's Weight ~ 2.5 oz.

Baby Prediction ~ I think it is a girl. Nicki things it's a boy. The Man thought it was a girl until 13 weeks, so now he is on the boy bandwagon

Baby Girl Names ~ Last week the list would have looked like this: Harper Marjorie, Scout Marjorie, Madalynn Marjorie, or Kennedy Marjorie.  Well this week the list looks like this: Harper Marjorie or Scout Marjorie still love the other two names, but I guess we have to start cutting them down sooner or later since our baby can not have 4 different first names I should say that the middle name is after both of my Grandma's both amazing women

Baby Boy Names ~ The list has been the same since August: Jackson Henry or Josiah David.  Jackson would be after one of my Grandpa's it is actually kind of confusing as to how that works since his name is actually John and I called him Grandpa Jake but just trust me on this one and the middle name Henry is after the Man's dad.  The other name well is pretty obvious that it would be after the Man.

What's New ~ This week I had to go out and buy some more leggings and shirts to wear with them...belly is growing but I don't think it has 'popped' yet, so waiting to buy dress pants and jeans till then.  I still sleep anywhere from 10-14 hours a day, that includes a mandatory nap. I was a horrible speller before I got pregnant and now it seems I am even worse. I ask Nicki all the time how to spell the simplest of words, even there it took me 5 different tries to spell 'simplest'  If I don't write it down I will not remember it, even if it is 5 min. later.

Food That Makes Me Happy ~ Caramel....I love everything about caramel. Cheese balls are amazing you know like the fake Cheetos. I prefer beef foods over chicken.  I will eat chicken but it normally does not taste very good unless ALL of the fat is cut off of it. Claussen pickles are also a favorite...well they were before I was pregnant too

Bump Pic ~ 

Flashback: weeks 4 - 13

As promised here is the first part of the pregnancy

Baby Bumblebee @ 4 weeks

Baby Bumblebee @ 7 weeks

Baby Bumblebee @ 11 weeks  This one is more of the heartbeat than the actual baby

Baby Bumblebee @ 13 weeks

Baby Bumblebee @ 13 weeks

Baby Bumblebee's Heartbeat @ 11 weeks

For the record to get the heartbeat on this post was not very easy and took a lot of brain power but its up and it should work.

Flashback: 14 weeks

So it's a week late but here is the first baby bump picture taken last week at the airshow!

Secrets No More...

It is officially no longer a secret so why not blog about it :)

The Man and I are expecting a baby!!!  We are both extremely excited/nervous/excited/scared, did I mention excited, about everything going on.

Here's the Scoop:

~ We have known for a while now but decided to keep it a secret until a couple weeks ago when we informed our parents and siblings.

~ We are 15 weeks along, with a due date of April 10, 2012

~ There have been lots of doctor appointments which equals 4 ultrasounds by 13 weeks  I will post those later


~ I would love to keep it off of Facebook but know that, that really isn't possible in today's world and there will probably be something on Facebook very soon  which I promise I won't be mad about


~ Everyone can thank the Man for all of you finding out about our little secret.  I wanted to keep it a secret till Christmas


~ We found out that we were expecting a week after the Man deployed

~ We will be finding out the sex of the baby because the Man HAS to know, so he can call the baby by its name  even though right now we call the baby bumblebee, I guess that just won't work for the rest of the pregnancy


~ I have been feeling pretty good.  very tired but over all pretty good.  I was nauseous for about the first 10 weeks.

~ I can't touch raw meat or cook it for that fact.  I can eat it if someone else cooks it for me.  Same with touching unwashed potatoes....its not going to happen!

I think that pretty much sums of the basics as to whats been going on and hopefully also explains why I have not blogged in forever.  Everything going on in my life seems to revolve around this pregnancy and it was a secret, so I had nothing to talk about :)  I can't wait to see what the up coming weeks have in store for us.

Celebrating 100 years of Naval Aviation

I decided to finally blog about something other than saying sorry I haven't blogged in forever!

This past weekend Nicki and I were able to go to the airshow that was held on the Navy base to help celebrate 100 years of Naval Aviation.  I was really excited about everything the airshow had to offer, since I had never been to one before.

Events of the day:
We had to get up way too early on a Saturday...6:30 a.m.  The gates opened at 8 a.m. for everyone to start coming onto base and to check out the booths at the show.  The actual airshow did not start until 10 a.m.  Well Nicki and I were on base by 8:15 we were both very proud of this!  Once there we set up our lawn chairs and then headed to check out all the different jets and planes.  All the events of the airshow ended at 4:30.  Yep we were there from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. granted it would have been that bad except it was at least 90 degrees!!!  Needless to say Nicki and I both left a little sun burnt oops should have bought some sunscreen before we went

Up & Down: Blue Angel Jets

Up: Hang-glider that just landed

Up: World War II planes

Overall I had a fantastic time and the Blue Angels are amazing!!  If you ever get the chance to see them definitely go.  The day was a little long with the heat we were dealing with but it was still worth it.

Love for Wisconsin

In case any of you did not know I happen to LOVE Wisconsin.  Now all the awesomeness happening in WI sports just makes me love it even more.

Let's recap the past couple weeks in WI sports:

- Brewers are in the playoffs and I must say they are doing AMAZING only 1 team stands between them and a trip to the World Series!!!  And to top it off I actually get to watch these games and can see the Crew in BEAST mode!

- Badgers are now ranked #4 after destroying Nebraska last week...another amazing game I was ecstatic to be able to watch!

- The Packers are 4-0 and currently leading Atlanta in the 4th so I am making an early prediction of 5-0 


I hope all of you are excited as I am about how well the state is being represented right now. Just wish I could attend one of these games.  Sorry if that was not as good of a recap as you were hoping for I was distracted by the Packer game and really wanted to finish this post!

Vegas...the city of lights, the city that never sleeps, or in my case the city that takes all your money in a very short period of time!

Earlier this week I had the privilege of driving to Las Vegas for work.  We would only stay one night and my hotel was completely paid for.  Being the good sister that I am Nicki has never ever been to Vegas I decided to bring her with for the 2 day trip. 

Here is about how the trip went:

~ Drove 6 hours with 2 stops along the way

~ Found our hotel in North Las Vegas not near the strip but very close to the base I was working at the next morning

~ Took a $45 cab ride to the strip Yep thats right $45 one way cab ride just so I could let my sister experience the strip for the first time

~ Saw some crazies while walking along the strip

~ Gave Nicki $20 so she could actually gamble You guessed it, she came to Vegas with $12 in her pocket...she some how managed to lose her debit card & drivers license in the 2 months she has been living with me 

~ Walked the strip closer to our hotel in hopes of a cheaper cab ride back...Took a cab back and paid in cash this time so it only was a $35 ride

~ Went to bed, woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed whatever that is suppose to mean

~ Gave Nicki the iPad, $20 and the spare car key and told her to wait for me at the food court till I was done with work.  I worked over 4 hours.

~ Left Vegas to start our 6 hour journey home but decided to stop at the casino on the Nevada/California border for lunch.

~ Decided to try our luck at gambling again. Nicki lost what she had left from the money I gave her earlier and I ended up winning $35.  

~ Drove the rest of the way home. Had to wait in road construction for about almost an hour.

So that about summarizes our 2 day trip to Las Vegas and back.  It was a lot of fun jamming out to 'family-sing-a-longs' during the car rides.  The only part that sucked was having to get up super early the rest of the week to work...but I guess thats life! 

Picture Time

It has been awhile since I posted something that had pictures with it, so here is a post with a bunch of different pictures from my trip back to WI in August.

One person I ALWAYS make sure I see when I am home....G-ma and I

We took a trip to our local zoo, not much at the zoo but I did get this picture with my niece and nephew :)

The Bride and I while bar hopping

The Bride & Groom

The In-Laws took some time for a picture at the wedding reception

Skype Date

Sunday & Monday I was lucky enough to be able to have a Skype date with the Man.  Who would have thought hearing someone's voice and seeing their face could make someone so happy.  Before this Skype date I had not heard the Man's voice or saw his face since July for anyone that thinks that is not a long time it really is Now we didn't get to Skype all day or anything like that but we did get to talk for about a total of 2 hours.  And let me tell you it was a much needed 2 hours for both of us.  The Man and I both agree that the very rare Skype dates we do get to have are bittersweet...LOVE seeing and talking to each other but hate saying good bye again Lucky for us we both agree that the positive out weighs the negative big time.  

So for this I am grateful for the very rare Skype dates I have and will get to have with the Man while he is gone.

Journey to Become a Reader

As I have mentioned before I am really trying to become a person that actually enjoys reading daily/weekly/monthly/yearly.  I am probably somewhere between the yearly and monthly stage right now.

About a year ago I started watching the t.v. series Pretty Little Liars and I really enjoyed it.  I know it is probably aimed more for people in middle and high school but I won't lie, I DVR it.  After watching a few episodes I decided to buy the first book in the series.  It took me a couple months to actually finish this book but I did end up actually buying a book and reading it all on my own!  most people might not be as excited as I was about this but I really think the last book I read was in high school  Once I finished that book the Man convinced me to go out and buy the next one in the series right away and OMG I finished that book in days this also is a completely new experience for me!!  So as you probably figured I bought the next one in the series and the next one.  I am now on the 5th book in the Pretty Little Liars series and I am loving the fact that I am becoming more and more of a reader each month.  


I am not sure exactly what I am going to do once I finish the last books in the series but hopefully someone else that knows some good books will tip me off.

OMG!

It just hit me today that it is September already!  What the heck happened to August???  I love that time is flying by but seriously where did August go?!?!?!  I was not a very good blogger in August and maybe that has to do with the fact that I just realized that it has been September now for over 3 days.  I am really going to have to make blogging a little more of a priority.

HUGE downfall

This time of year makes me really happy for a couple reasons: 1.) love the fall weather 2.) getting closer to hunting season & the holidays 3.) football begins

Now living in WI is the reason I fell in love with all of those things and living in CA is making it really difficult to enjoy all of those things!!

 Average high temp where we live is in the 100's with a low in the upper 60's...this does not equal the hoodie weather that I enjoy once 4th of July is over with.  


Now hunting season and the holidays are not even close to the same experience they were just a couple years ago.  No large family get togethers with 10 different Christmas' and 3 different Thanksgiving dinners....just 1 of each and usually with only one or two other people. 


Football season is the reason I wrote this blog entry.  I LOVE to watch Packer & Badger games and now I am stuck watching 3 California teams that I could really care less about.  Which forces me to watch the games online, not exactly the same experience. 

one year and some

A little over a week ago was my One Year Anniversary at Kraft.  I can not believe that it has been a year already....I feel like I just started months ago!!  I haven't talked a lot about my job but I really love what I do. I am not sure if this will be the job that I do for the rest of my life or for a few years until something else comes along, but I do know I am not ready to leave it yet. So here is to hoping that the second year goes as good as the first!

Roommates or Bust

As stated yesterday I am catching everyone up on basically the whole month of August!

Almost 2 weeks ago I took another trip up to San Jose, this time it was to pick Nicki up.  Her internship was done for the the summer.  In case some of you might not know before she even got the internship we had already worked out an agreement that she would come and live with me from August till Christmas.  This way I wouldn't have to be all by myself while the Man is gone.

So far I think we have only actually seen each other for a week...3 days after I picked her up she had to take me to the airport for my trip back to WI, more on this later.  The short amount of time we have actually seen each other is probably for the best.  Nicki and I have a history of not always being the best of friends...don't get me wrong we ALWAYS have each others back but we are not always friends.  As we are both getting older this is starting to change and we are more friends than we are not.  BUT she still drives me crazy and I can guarantee I still drive her crazy...different personalities, what are you going to do!

So far it has been really awesome having Nicki here.  She has been a big help in cooking meals and even cleaning the bathroom...I think as long as I keep funding it she will keep helping 


I am excited to see what the rest of 2011 has in store for Nicki and I.  I am hoping the two of us will get to experience a lot of new adventures together.  And I will try to blog about them all!

Again....Sorry!!

To anyone...I think there might be a few people that faithfully read my blog....I am super sorry that it has been so long since I have posted a blog of some substance  I am not counting this one


There has been a lot of stuff going on that really needs to be blogged about: a concert, Nicki moving in, a trip to WI and being at my job for a year.


Hopefully I will be able to get all of these blogs and more done this weekend.  So please be patient with my blogging.

Now What To Do...

Now that the Man is gone I have been trying to keep my self busy it's not working very well!  But one of the things I have been doing is figuring out things that I want to do while Nicki is here.  Now I don't think we will get to do everything on the list and I am sure more things will get added but check out what's on the list so far. these are in no particular order


1. Go to Yosemite National Park


2. Go back to Sequoia National Park


3. See Glee 3D  don't judge I know most of you probably love Glee as much as I do


4. Get tickets to see the Packers play the Chargers in San Diego


5. Go whale watching

6. Check out Monterey Bay Aquarium I know I was just in Monterey but I didn't get to do that and I was told it is really awesome!


7. Check out the Farmers Market in the neighboring town

8. Go to Las Vegas

9. See Motley Crue & Poison in concert

The last two are not really fair to add to the list since we already have tickets to see Motley Crue & Poison in 4 days and I have to go to Las Vegas for work in September

Lunch Date

Yesterday I had the privilege of having lunch with Lu Lu and Lance.

I was super excited when Lu told me they were making a trip out to CA and road tripping from San Francisco down the coast to San Diego!  The closest they would get to where I live was Monterey.  Again I was very excited by this because I have heard great things about Monterey but I had never been there.  So naturally I agreed to meet them there for lunch....now anyone that happens to know where I live and then knows where Monterey is probably thinks I am crazy! hey now keep your comments to yourself!  It is about a 3 hour drive one way....ok so maybe I am a little crazy for driving round trip 6 hours just to have lunch.


I have to say lunch was amazing! We ate at the Cannery Row Brewing Co. If you ever get the chance to go to Monterey this is defiantly a place to check out.  


I did end up spending about 3 hours in Monterey between lunch and walking around the boardwalk.  Very cool place and I am hoping to go back with my sister this fall to check out the aquarium.

Here are a few photos from the trip!

The bathrooms where we at lunch were in the basement and the walls down the stairs were 

chalkboards for everyone to write on