I Survived!

Can you believe it? Well, I almost didn’t make it. Denny was right beside me, and I put my head on his chest and closed my eyes and held onto him (I honestly would not have been able to do it without him there). I didn’t even know that the needle was in my arm until the nurse told me - why she told me, I still don’t know. But she was wonderful - she knew that I was scared and she kept asking me questions to help keep my mind off of what she was doing. When she was almost finished, I began feeling a little faint, and I got dizzy and hot and started sweating a lot. I had to lay down for about 5 minutes, and then I was ok. And you know what? It didn’t even hurt. It was all in my head.

Now, on to other, less scary issues.

I LOVE the birthing center! It feels just like home! They are in a brand new facility in Savannah, and it is so nice and relaxing. We toured the birthing suites - there are two - and they are a lot like hotel rooms, just without the maroon carpet and floral wallpaper and border. They have regular beds - not hospital beds, a rocking chair, a jacuzzi tub, a kitchenette with fridge and microwave, and a huge bathroom. There is also a walking path outside, complete with flowers and the like, that laboring mothers can venture outdoors and use. And the best part? The midwives! We only met one of the three yesterday, and she was amazing. She was so nice, and so genuinely concerned about me and my questions. She even gave me a hug when I was finished with my blood work. Now, how many doctors have given you a hug, especially after something as simple as a blood draw? I didn’t think so.

And I know you all are dying to know - did I have an ultrasound? Disappointingly, no. They only do ultrasounds on Tuesdays (I don’t know why, but it’s probably because they have someone come in just for that day to do them - they don’t really have a lot of patients, so there is no need to have someone there every day). But I do go back in about 2 weeks, on August 5th, and they will do an ultrasound then. I can’t wait to see my baby!

Tears For Fears

It’s coming, sooner than I would like. This upcoming Friday, for the first time in my life, I will have my blood drawn. I am scared to death. I can think of numerous other things that I would rather do, like for example, give up chocolate for the rest of my life. Yeah, that would be a good trade-off. In case I haven’t mentioned it before, let me make it very, very clear: I hate needles! Just thinking about a needle in my vein sends chills down my spine, along with waves of nausea and an uncontrollable urge to cancel my appointment and refuse any prenatal care. I can just picture it now. I will either cry hysterically, pass out, or have to be sedated. Or a combination of all three is also very likely. Let me also mention that my choice for using a midwife as apposed to a doctor is based largely on the fact that a midwife will not be poking me with IVs and foot-long epidural needles when it’s delivery time (I know what you’re thinking, and don’t even say it). Oh, the things mothers do for their children……

Morning Sickness? Ha!

Why do they call it morning sickness? ‘Cause it surely isn’t limited to the morning hours. It’s pretty much all day and even the middle of the night sickness. But why should I complain? I have yet to puke, although I constantly feel as if I am about to at any moment. You know that feeling, when you are really drunk and lightheaded and it feels like the room is spinning? Yeah, that’s how I feel just about all day long. Oh, and one more thing. I think I have figured out why people get this dreaded morning all day sickness: There is this constant, nagging thought that another person is actually growing inside of your body, and that is just freaky crazy! And on top of that, you are responsible for its well-being and safety, and that is a lot of pressure! I think I’m losing my mind. Time to go eat again…………….

Daydreams Really Do Come True

                              

I didn’t know it at the time, but as I was writing my “Daydreamin” post, I was already closer to making all of those decisions than I thought I was. That’s right - I’m pregnant! Denny and I are going to have a baby! We found out this past Saturday after doing not one, not two, but three at home pregnancy tests. We were so shocked that we couldn’t believe the first one, and so we rushed back to Wal-Mart to buy two more. We are so excited! It was a complete surprise - we weren’t trying yet, even though we had planned to start trying in a few months. I am about 5 1/2 weeks along, and my due date is February 21st, but that might change once I go to the doctor next month (I’m pretty sure that it will change to the 25th. Trust me, I know exactly when it happened). So for now I am just taking it easy, eating healthier, and drinking plenty of water. No morning sickness yet, thank goodness!

Millhouse Misery

This past Friday night, Denny and I, along with our friends Paul & Megan, went to dinner at Statesboro’s new Millhouse Restaurant. I for one, will not be returning, if I can help it. Every aspect of our dining experience was no less than appalling. Our server was slow - it took too long after we were seated for him to stop by and introduce himself, and then it was an even longer period of time before our drinks arrived. We had already finished the basket of bread that had been placed on our table, and the bread wasn’t even that good. The menu is impressive, I will give them that much credit. With everything from italian pastas to cajun and creole spice to down-home southern food, they have it all, including steaks. Maybe that’s why the food isn’t good - they make so many different things that they don’t have time to perfect the flavor. To make a long story short, I brought my leftovers of my chicken parmesan home to Magnum, which was at least two-thirds of my food. Denny’s steak was dry and the bottom nearly burnt, even though he ordered it cooked medium. And Paul & Megan weren’t exactly raving about their food, even if Paul did eat all of his. Maybe it’s because they just opened, but it isn’t like this is the first of its’ kind. And to top it all off, the prices were a bit expensive. We could have gone to a much nicer restaurant, for example, my new favorite 119 Chops, and had much better food at a cheaper price. But don’t let me stop you from going - see for yourself, if you don’t believe me!

Daydreamin’

For the last few months, Denny and I have been discussing the possibility of us becoming parents. And before I go any further, no, we are not pregnant, and we are not officially trying to become pregnant either. We just like to daydream about it and talk about it for hours each day. But each and every day, it seems, our dreams are crushed by the other person and all talk of babies goes down the drain - until the next day when all previous dream-crushing is forgotten and we are back to la-la land. You see, our dreams of having children are two very, very different extremes. I dream of a super-chic nursery, decked out in all of the latest must-haves and that season’s trendy colors, which involves absolutely NO theme. No ABC’s in red, blue, green, and yellow, no zoo animals, and certainly no heavy equipment. I dream about picking out a furniture ensemble that complements the nursery’s colors and fabrics perfectly. I dream of cool and sophisticated baby names that haven’t been used 5 million times before, and won’t cause confusion once my little one is off to school because there are 4 other children in his/her class with the same name. I dream of edgy, spunky baby clothes, and not the pastel, cutesy stuff that every other baby wears, especially if our baby is a boy. But Denny’s dreams are the exact opposite of mine. Denny dreams of a nursery themed with John Deere tractors, Honda 4-wheelers, or even better - both. Denny dreams of finding a crib on Craig’s list or in the pennysaver - and he could care less if it matches the rest of the furniture. He dreams of the ultimate redneck name, like Leroy, Hank, or his personal favorite, Bo. Yes, you read correctly - Bo - like one of the Dukes of Hazzard boys (to which I constantly remind him of the unlikelihood that our son named Bo will ever become an educated, successful member of society with such a name). And finally, Denny dreams of camoflauge clothing, regardless of the gender of this child. The only thing that we can agree on is that we do want a child. The rest will be decided as the need arises. But the way I see it, I have much more pull in the decision-making. You see, I will be the one who grows this baby inside of my body for 9 months, and I will also be the one who pushes it out of a teeny-tiny orifice that can barely accomodate something much smaller than a baby. So I think that I should get to have all of my dreams come true, don’t you agree? Or maybe I’m being too selfish. Oh alright, I’ll let him put a small, hot wheels sized tractor in the nursery. And he can dress the baby in camo when I’m not home. I think that’s fair!

The Redeemer

He might be loud, annoying, and really, really dumb.

He greets me with jumps and scratched up legs each day when I get home from work.

He often chases the golf cart and the 4-wheeler like a psychotic wild beast. 

He usually gets wet when his daddy uses the bathroom outside (don’t forget, we live in the middle of nowhere) because he can’t wait for him to finish before he must re-mark his territory.

He sometimes digs up the mulch in my flower bed, which drives me INSANE!

He used to jump on top of my car and leave scratch marks, but thankfully he has gotten past that stage.

He also used to pee on everything in sight- including the toaster (yes, the toaster, that sat on the counter top in the kitchen. We have since gotten a new toaster.), laundry baskets, couch, flower pots, bags of groceries that I had brought inside and sat on the floor, etc. - and this is the reason that he is now an “outside dog” for the rest of his days.

But there is one thing that he does that I will never complain about. Well, actually two things. Whenever we have a visitor, he makes sure that we know that someone is approaching long before we can ever hear the vehicle pull up outside. This most often is the UPS man. I wonder what he thinks of this crazy little dog?

And the second, and most important job of his, is the Snake Patrol. If and when there is a snake in the yard, my little Magnum gets super protective. He even has a distinct Snake Bark which instantly alerts Denny and I that there is indeed a snake to be killed.

For example, a few nights ago, Denny and I were sitting on the couch playing a game, when all of a sudden, we heard the dreaded Snake Bark. We jumped up and raced outside, BB gun in hand. A few minutes later, the moccasin was history.

But the scariest part of all this? No less than 2 minutes before, I had been outside, walking just feet away from where the snake was. It was dark out, and I easily could have been bitten. Thank goodness for my annoying, dumb, leg-scratching, territory-marking Magnum.

 

Enough is Enough

I used to be skinny. I used to have a body that would make most women jealous. And I had all of this when I was 16. Well, guess what. I’m not 16 anymore. 8 years and 15 pounds later, I’ve had enough. I am embarassed to wear shorts in public, because my thighs have (as my husband call them - he’s so nice) leg titties. Or in other words, I have saddle bags. Grandmothers have saddle bags! Not 24 year olds! I don’t even feel comfortable wearing a bathing suit at my mother’s house. I’m embarassed to be seen by my own family! So enough is enough. It’s coming off. And I’m telling you all about it so that I might actually stick to my word. Plus, I’m sure it’s no secret that I WANT A BABY and I don’t want to be carrying around extra weight when I get pregnant. It will just give me more to lose once the baby is born. And it wouldn’t hurt to start eating healthier since I will be growing a human inside of me either. I am more motivated now than ever before to get in shape, and by god, I’m gonna do it! Wish me luck!

Just Another Ordinary Day

So it seems that I have reached that point in my life in which birthdays are just another day. That day was yesterday, and it was, just another ordinary day. I no longer need everyone under the sun to know that it is my birthday. I don’t need parties and gifts and cake and ice cream. It’s just not that big of a deal anymore. Does this mean that I’m getting old? Gosh, I’m only 24………….

Sorry it’s been so long. I have been doing absolutely nothing for the last three weeks, so nothing to write about. Well, I did graduate, but there really isn’t much to say about that. I went, I sat there for 2 hours, I walked across the stage, I left. And ever since, I have been bored out of my freakin’ mind! As a result, I began looking for a summer job, and I found one! You are looking at the new Extended Care Coordinator for Bulloch County Parks & Recreation Department’s Summer Day Camp. Which means that Monday-Friday, from 2:00 - 6:00 (I don’t have to wake up early! Perfect!), I will be in charge of scheduling activities for the kids who attend day camp  and are staying late until their parents can pick them up (hence the term, “extended” care). How awesome is that? It’s gonna be so much fun, I will probably forget that I am working. Plus, since this is the last week of school, I am going to work for the After School Program at Brooklet Elementary for the rest of this week, to get a feel for what my job will be like. I am so glad to be getting out of the house! Oh, and the paycheck will be nice too. But that’s not the best part. This is a huge opportunity for me to get my foot in the door at a local school (I haven’t found a teaching job yet). Since my boss knows and works with all of the principals at the schools in the county, I will hear about job openings and have a better chance of getting hired. She even called a few schools yesterday and tried to get me in. So wish me luck. I really, really want a job in Bulloch County, and this is my ticket to ride. Now if a seat would just open up……………..