"Idleness Is Not Doing Nothing. Idelness Is Being Free To Do Anything."

~Floyd Dell

Happy Halloween! What wonderful Trick-or-Treating weather we had today! I think the neighborhood kids had a good time! What started out as a less-than-stellar morning turned out to be a very nice, relaxing day! Instead of going to church this morning as I had originally planned, I stayed in bed because my stomach (not the baby portion) was just feeling a little under the weather and I seemed to be consumed with fits of coughing and a general sense of "blah." I napped until noon while listening to episodes of FRINGE in the background while Tony played games and worked on his online homework. We even had Cinnabon cinnamon rolls for breakfast...yummy goodness!

After organizing some hand me down clothes that got passed to Peyton, emailing, doing a bunch of dishes, re-submitting stuff on Craigslist to try and sell, allowing FOUR political calls to roll to voice mail, figuring out who I was officially going to vote for on Tuesday, organizing our file cabinet for expired items, it was time to eat dinner and get ready for the onslaught of candy handing out and costumes in all sizes. I dressed up as a witch, borrowing a wig, gloves, and makeup from my mother in law and using a bridesmaids dress (the only "maternity" costume I could come up with). There were a few really adorable trick-or-treaters: among them being a 1 year old little red riding hood, a 2 year old witch with the best manners in the world, a little 1.5 year old Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz (who's hair was too short to do pigtails, so they ended up looking more like spikes), and a family who had their 5 year old daughter dressed as a scarecrow, complete with scary pitchfork and the mom, dad, and younger 2 year old sister were all dressed up as crows. I was a little sad that more kids didn't turn out. We probably had a total of about 40 kids come, such a change from what I remember when we were kids. I guess I can be safe to buy a normal size bag of candy for next year (instead of from Costco like this year) OR plan on handing out double or triple what I handed out this year.

Tony made homemade pomegranate juice tonight-yum! We did dishes together tonight and I feel so much better after my shower and shaving my legs (no easy feat when your belly hides your bottom half). Now we are watching Prince Of Persia that we borrowed from Tony's mom.

"Women Wish To Be Loved Not Because They Are Pretty, Or Good, Or Well-Bred, Or Graceful, Or Intelligent, But Because They Are Themselves."

~Henri Frederic Amiel

At midnight tonight I posted: "Something is wrong with this website and it won't let me post...I will write today's blog sometime tomorrow...hopefully, if it let's me in..."

In the morning (today, Sunday) Tony figured out that it was a computer issue that I continue to have. Once he cleared my cookies and "cash," all of my google applications began working properly again. What a pain!

Okay, so now to recap Saturday as promised. Because I had off of work and it was forecasted to down pour today, I drove Tony into work this morning so that he didn't have to get soaked on his motorcycle. Afterward, I stopped at a Super Walmart to get the remainder of the few groceries we couldn't find at Costco yesterday. While at Walmart, I got a text from a college friend, Jessie. I knew she was visiting her friend in San Jose and she was texting to see if I wanted to join them for a ladies day of a movie, lunch, and mani/pedi. So happy to catch up with my friend and to have a pampering day while it rained, I quickly agreed and joined them down in Pleasant Hill. We met for an 11am showing of Life As We Know It, ate lunch at Sweet Tomatoes (hooray for a buffet for the pregnant ladies-that's right, Jessie is due with a baby boy Charlie Adam about a month after Peyton is due), and got a manicure and pedicure. It was so good to see her and nice to visit with her and her friend Jen!

I drove back up to Sacramento to pick Anthony up after work (he had walked to his Mom's apartment until I could pick him up for a little exercise and fresh air). We visited with her for awhile, dropped off some of her mail, and borrowed some of her "bride of Frankenstein" costume items for handing out Halloween candy as a witch.

Tony made some yummy chicken and brown rice for dinner and then I got ready to babysit. I was a little sad that I started babysitting so late because J was already in bed for the night and I only got to spend a little time with M. K and M had dressed up as the Flinstones for an adult costume party at a friend's house (since their boys were dinosaurs, what a cute family-themed costume idea, huh?). Gosh, I LOVE those boys. I miss them when I head home for the day/weekend. They had a good time and were home around 11:30pm. It seemed like M's hair is getting blonder every day. He was born with such a dark head of hair, I'm amazed when I go to their house every day to see a lighter-haired version of this adorable little man...I wonder what color of hair he'll end up with...

I came home to a dark house, sleeping husband, tired myself, and a computer that wouldn't let me post my blog or even check email. So, I headed to bed.

"Clothes And Courage Have Much To Do With Each Other."

~Sara Jeannette Duncan


A very long, but FUN day! Woke up at the normal time this morning (or technically, yesterday morning as it is now past midnight). Had a great day with the little men I take care of-they enjoyed being dinosaurs at their mom's school parade. Went grocery shopping with the husband immediately following work (as we were getting to the bare bones in all of the cupboards/fridge). After quickly unloading a Costco month's worth of groceries (literally, as that is how we buy are groceries for years now), Tony made some yummy and delicious chicken and rice dinner and then I headed out to Nicole and Darcie's jewelry party. It was SO good to see Nicole again, I miss her! She's been insanely busy and I've been a crummy friend by not imposing my presence on her lately, so it was nice to spend an evening with her and some of her friends and family! Nicole's Mother-In-Law, Aunt-In-Law, Sister, best friend Meghan, and I were gabbing for a long time about pregnancy and her aunt gave us the funniest piece of advice: "...once you have a child, sex is in the back door for awhile..." (she MEANT on the back BURNER, but this was a more memorable quote and i loved it so much i decided to share it with you all)...i know, i know, inappropriate. Anyway, I laughed so hard-and then came home and posted it on my Facebook status. Too funny! Took a shower as I had been running around all day and needed to feel clean. I've been stalking since I got out of the shower (minutes before midnight) and am just finally rolling around to writing the blog. It bugs me that it wasn't written before midnight as it AGAIN throws off my feng shui, however, I am too tired to let it bother me all that much tonight. 


Sorry for the short recap, but I am exhausted. Luckily I have no early morning plans for tomorrow.


In other news, Peyton was summer-saulting or doing some amazing acrobatic feats in the womb all day today that it gave me the sensation of being on a roller coaster and being at the point right BEFORE you drop 10,000 feet. I'm glad she's so active, but it nearly knocked me to my knees every time today...I guess I need better practice dealing with it. It's not that it made me sick...it's just an incredibly, insanely odd sensation. Kinda cool, kinda vomit-inducing :) Way to keep Mom on her toes, little girl!


Okay, now it is REALLY time for bed and to hop in to cuddle with your Dad who has been asleep for hours!

"Strength Is The Capacity To Break A Chocolate Bar Into Four Pieces With You Bare Hands-And Then Eat Just One Of The Pieces."

~Judith Viorst

...Or...in my case...resist the urge to "sample" the Halloween candy waiting on the table for trick-or-treaters because I know that once I start, I won't be able to stop myself...

I am so lucky to have the most amazingly beautiful commute every morning. It's like it is is timed just right to get the most awe-inspiring sunrises coming over the Sierra Mountains. This morning I was blessed with a red warmth that seemed to promise a day surrounded by those you love. It was so hard to keep driving and not pull off to the side of the road and just celebrate the promise of today.

Today was a perfect temperature day...short sleeves, no sweater...and no sweating! Hooray! Ah...if I were into drinking, I would toast to more weather like this. Instead, I will just say a cute little, "yippee!"

The boys and I hung out today, both were starting to get their energy back, but unfortunately both were also a little restless in their nap times today. I fear tonight might have been a hard night on K and M as the boys didn't have their normal amount of sleep. I'm excited about taking them both in their dinosaur costumes to K's school tomorrow to watch the first grade parade and party. I may get off early and have time to do some Costco grocery shopping with Tony (he's off work tomorrow) before heading to Nicole's jewelry party.

Was surprised to get an anniversary card I had sent to my cousin and her husband back in the mail today...supposedly the street doesn't exist. After confirming the address with my cousin's husband, I am trying one more time to send them the card. We'll see.

This morning I woke up at 3:30 because I had had a dream similar to a scene from "Total Recall" where an alien mini-person comes out of a man's torso. I felt like Peyton was pushing and kicking so hard, she would burst through my abdomen while my dad and Tony looked on in shocked entertainment. It startled me so much that I laid awake in bed for another 45 minutes, willing myself to sleep but ultimately got up to go to the bathroom, knowing that it was Lindsay-0, Pregnancy-1. Darn those freakishly vivid dreams.

Either way, I was able to get laundry, 2 loads of dishes, a bunch of emailing and news reading done before my normal wake up time. I even got to Skype with Amy, which was very nice! Wish I could've chatted longer with her, but I had to sign off to head to work.

When I came home, it was time for reheating leftovers and emptying out the garbages. We pulled the bins to the street for tomorrow's pick up, put the clean laundry away, watched an older episode of Project Runway on Hulu, and now we are winding down from the day while listening to a Friends episode in the background (Monica and Chandler getting married-end of season 7/beginning season 8).

Tony's going to hook up our HDMI cables in a moment to my computer so that we can lay in bed to watch our downloaded series of Fringe. With that, I am headed to bed, as my computer work needs to be done before we can watch the episodes via my computer on the bedroom TV.

Excited to head to bed and catch up on the lost hours of sleep this morning. Monkey, thank you for always completing your homework on time-as an educator and your mom, I have to say I am proud to say that you take after your mother. Love you sweetie and thank you for keeping your kicks contained to the inside of the womb unlike my scary dream. I do enjoy your movements! I love you! Less than ten weeks (potentially) until we get to meet face-to-face. Excited!

"Everyone Must Take Time To Sit And Watch The Leaves Turn."

~Elizabeth Lawrence

Okay, so my O.C.D. tendencies are fighting against my nature while writing this blog tonight. If you notice off to the left column of the blog, there is a tally of how many blogs have been written and then underneath that number it splits that total up by the number of blogs written in each month. Well, the current total (previous to tonight) is at a very nice number-75...part of me wants it to always be a nice number. Thus, by writing tonight's blog, my feng shui is all off because what kinda number is 76? Not a "Lindsay" number, this I can guarantee you. I'm sure none of you care about this at all, just know it really bugs me. Its like when the TV volume is at something OTHER than a multiple of five...it simply drives me bananas and is my version of when someone drags their fingernails against a chalkboard. But, I WILL push through because what this number ALSO represents to me, is a GROWING, STRONG, BEAUTIFUL girl who is day-by-day getting closer to meeting her mom and dad!!!!

Today was another beautifully, dare I say C-H-I-L-L-Y day in the Sacramento Valley. Ah, blessed autumn. I have never loved you more! In a bad decision on my part, I tried on some pre-pregnant pants this morning to prove to myself that I wasn't getting bigger (a fact that should NOT bother me, but I will admit to looking for an image boost this morning). Upon discovering that I could squeeze myself into said pants (no small task), I looked at myself in our full-length mirror in the closet and smiled, not bothering to look at HOW these pants made me look. As an ego boost, I decided I would wear these pants for the rest of the day-hence the "bad decision" part of the story. All day I was plagued by uncomfortable  pains in the belly region and on a "smart" move on my part, I had included a belt in the ensemble, hoping that by wearing the belt, I would prevent myself from bursting out of the pants at some unsuspecting point during the day. Lord help me when I had to go to the bathroom any of the two dozen or so times today, as that was the worst. I had the most amazing sensation of relief when I unzipped my pants and then, moments later, the dread of having to "think skinny thoughts" and hold my breath as I squeezed myself back into the small confines of my pre-prego pants. What was I thinking? Apparently, nothing! It was not an ego boost. I should have left well-enough alone by being able to simply fit in them. Never again will I make this mistake! It was totally not worth it. It also confirms my hypothesis that "morning belly" and "afternoon belly" are two completely different bellies, as the pants got tighter as the day went on, instead of getting stretched an more comfortable as I had hoped. I've included the picture in my weekly "belly" shot to the left for your entertainment purposes. Know that from here on out, all pictures will be most definitely in elastic-wasted, maternity wear!

Boys and I had a great day! They are both still having diarrhea, but their appetites seem to be back on schedule and we even got to get out of the house and go to a LDS temple for some Music Time. It was especially fun because they were celebrating Halloween so the kids got to sing Halloween songs AND go trick or treating around their school. J loved it. The noise and constant moving was a little much for M, but I'm sure he'll get used to it. Both boys napped simultaneously for about two and a half hours today-what a blessing! I forgot how relaxing it is to work on house chores uninterrupted and at a leisurely pace. What a great treat!

Got gas and Subway sandwiches for dessert on the way home. Watched an episode of PARENTHOOD on Hulu.com and entered information/weekly update in the belly book I write in every week for Peyton. Now we are going to watch some FRIENDS and cuddle in bed. The heater was officially turned on today, for the first time this season (not my choice, but apparently Tony was cold). I think it is perfect temperature, but I am willing to make some accommodations for the non-pregnant people in the house. We agreed on 74 degrees-I think that is more than generous on my part! :)

It was nice to chat with Mom and my friend Emily today. Hopefully I will get to skype with my friend Amy Mc tomorrow morning before work (she lives in London, so don't think I am forcing her to wake up at the "pregnant" hour like me, it will be afternoon for her). Hope you all are looking forward to your Thursday! For some reason, I'm full of energy today! It was a great day, with the exception of the lesson I forced myself to learn with regard to my choice of clothing.

Okay, tah-tah for now. Sweet dreams, little girl!

"Friends Are The Family We Choose For Ourselves."

~Edna Buchanan

Got to cuddle with your Dad this morning, Peyton. I love this cooler weather! Your mom is FINALLY at a body temperature that seems enjoyable and your dad is all snuggly when he gets cold...I think it's a Win-Win situation, if you ask me.

Got a random text message from Nicole while at work today asking about Tony's shirt size and preferred shirt color, but she wouldn't elude as to why she needed this information...I'm intrigued...

Another nice day at home with the boys...now I'm going to warn you that although this story sounds like it's going somewhere inappropriate, it is not...it is merely going somewhere gross. I promise. After feeding M today (he chugged down his bottle and fell deep asleep in the manner of 5 minutes total) a wide smile came across his face. For anyone out there who has children, you know this is a bad sign. As I recognized the smile of contentment on his face, my crotch area got very warm. And it was officially TOO LATE. I had been poo-ed on. Yup, that's right. M let the juiciest poo ooze out his diaper and all over my big pregnant lap. He was either smiling because of a good dream, 2. because of his amazing aim, or 3. because it felt good to have some of the pressure in his diaper be released. Either way, I was the victim. I knew it was too good to be true that he was having a nice dream. I cleaned him up and luckily was able to borrow some of K's work out clothes while I washed mine. Ah, the things I'm preparing myself for...

Had a late night at work because J and K went to a doctor's appointment that went long AND then had to stand in line for some immunizations and blood work. M and I hung out at home after dropping J off at the doctor's. It was a nice few hours with just him.

When I got home, Tony had heated up some of the leftover stew. I was pleasantly surprised to get Miss Peyton's FIRST letter in the mail from a young friend and former nanny child, Ryan B. tonight AND a letter from Aunt Rita just checking in on us on the pregnancy. It is so nice to feel thought of! Thank you both for the thoughts and cute cards! I've included Ryan's note/drawing to Monkey! How adorable! He addressed the manila envelope: "To Monkey King (Care of Lindsay)." The biggest smile crossed my face as I realized how simple it is to show someone you care. Ryan, you are my favorite 8.5 year old!!! What a sweetie!!! So good to see your art work! 

A monkey for monkey...with my FAVORITE color of blue!

It may be hard to see, but there are EVEN Monkey STICKERS on here! What a "treat" to have Monkey's first Halloween gift AND first Letter all in one package from a dear friend! She's so lucky to have Ryan to look after her! She's going to love it when he gets to teach her things!

Excited to take a shower and watch another episode of Fringe AND get to bed at a decent hour and that is why I am writing my blog at this hour...I was a little tired today after yesterday's late night. Hope you all had a fantastic Tuesday and that you are surprised every once in awhile by the joys of a simple gesture. We are so blessed with our friends and family! Love you all! 

Petyon-Mama was thinking about your cute little nose and smile all day long! Can't wait to see it for the first time! You are already the most precious thing in our lives!

"Keep A Thing Seven Years And It’s Bound To Come In Handy."

~Russian Proverb

Normal day at work, although J is still sick with diarrhea and has a major rash on his diaper area because of it and M is not eating as much as he normally does. Both boys were still very fun to be around and just so darn cute all day! It was nice to spend another day with the boys at their house, just playing and cuddling. Other than that, it was a crisp autumn day-which I was particularly fond of! I made a delicious smelling spaghetti bake for the nanny family for dinner-depending how my sample of the leftovers taste tomorrow, I may have to borrow the recipe.

Came home to find a package from my nephew (sent by my mom) for baby girl King. Gavin had gone through some of his things with Grandpa Wipp and decided he would like to pass them on to Peyton. What a sweet gesture and we will for sure think of him every time we use them!

What a thoughtful thing to pass on to his cousin, don't you think? We will love using all of these! Thank you so much Gavin, Chris, Dan, and Mom! Definitely a personal touch to Peyton's library and nursery that we will treasure! 

Tony and I were going to go on a bike ride after work today, but my stomach was feeling a little under the weather, so we instead heated up leftover meatloaf, watched a few episodes of FRINGE Tony had uploaded, and ate some brownies. We got so into it we didn't realize what time it was and now we are quickly trying to finish up things before heading to bed. 

Miss Peyton has been moving non-stop (it seems like) all day and while we were watching FRINGE, I could feel her elbow and knees sweeping across my belly-I could even visibly see it a few times. She's really active and that's always good to hear. Of course her kick chart homework is complete for the night already, which means the next step for us would be to shut down the computer, turn off the lights and lay down for some Zzz's. With that, we are turning in. Good night! Love and wishes abound, pumpkin! 

"Money Is The Opposite Of The Weather. Nobody Talks About It, But Everybody Does Something About It."

~Rebecca Johnson

Whew...this weather that I have been wishing for was in full force today! It was in the low 60s and rainy all day...what a nice day to cuddle up with Tony! Believe it or not, it was 7:46am when I woke up...miracle of all miracles! I love waking up and feeling like I've wasted my morning-honestly-I feel blessed that Monkey let me sleep in and joy knowing that on some level, I enjoy waking up early so that I can get everything done on a relaxed time line. That being said, I enjoyed my later routine today!

Enjoyed church this morning and the visiting pastor's message about rescuing. Shared some of the girl/maternity clothes with Meghan that Darcie had passed on to me a few weeks back. Walked around Target and "just browsed" the children's section, got a few Halloween items for next week, stopped off at Costco for some groceries, and parked in the garage for the first time. I'm so glad that I organized the garage yesterday as unloading the groceries in today's weather would not have been enjoyable NOR good for my health.

When I got home I chatted with Dad, Mom, and with Nicole (not all at the same time, of course). Tony made some yummy stew-perfect for a day like today. We enjoyed watching "Letters to Juliet" on DVD and a few episodes of FRINGE on the computer and cuddling in the living room on the couch. I love days of staying inside and hanging out with my man! We even had some popcorn to complete the experience. I need days like this every now and again!

Belly feels a bit stretched today, not sure what Monkey is up to but I definitely feel her moving! Sad to say I was unable to figure out how to effectively upload our DVD from yesterday's ultrasound, but at least the pictures found their way into the blog! Now it is time for bed. Looking forward to another good and busy week. I see the weather will hold out and be what I would consider normal fall type weather, and I'm sure Monkey will continue to bless us with movements and growth.

All our love, darling girl!

"You’ve Got To Get Up Every Morning With Determination If You’re Going To Go To Bed With Satisfaction."

~George Lorimer

Well, I keep trying to load the video of the ultrasound we had today. It has been loading for over TWO hours, so I'm to the point now where I need to go to bed. So I figured I'd type this up and see what happens. Perhaps I just don't have the ability to load such a big video file onto this blog. If it DOES work, you will notice a smile right around minute 25 and you will notice her big yawn right around minute 29. We couldn't get her to move so although I know I will never get enough of her, I imagine you'll want to skip through most of the video, and that's okay! No offense taken.

Let me start like usual and go chronologically through our day. Got up, as promised, very early at 5am. Tony made some really good breakfast oatmeal this morning (forgetting I was planning on making cinnamon rolls) and then had to leave for work, shortly after. I got busy opening all the windows/blinds. Even though it was dark and rainy all day, I really enjoy feeling that we're not holed up here in the house. I ran a load of dirty dish towels through the laundry, organized the front hallway, took out garbage and recycling, did quite a bit of online stalking and emailing, organized the garage so I can start parking in there with Tony's motorcycle, got mail, did dishes, cleaned the house, and uploaded a bunch of items to sell on craigslist. We are trying to sell a bunch of men's jackets (5), our sewing machine/built-in table, some art work, and my rollerblades. So far we've hooked no fish, but I have faith that ONE of the NINE things will be bought (okay, I guess HOPE would be more accurate). I tried to keep my mind busy because it was rainy outside and I was trying to resist getting in the habit of napping during rainy days and I didn't want to get ready too early for the ultrasound at 4pm.

Nikki and I met Mikee and Tony at the ultrasound place in Folsom today. Just like the last time we had an ultrasound, Peyton was super content to lay there like a bump on a log and rest. Although it would've been so cool to see her moving and probably would've helped to get better poses/pictures, I'm glad she's peaceful and getting rest so she can continue to grow big and strong. What we did see was MORE human-like than last time AND she was so cute. The technician pointed out her hair (hard to see on the pictures), her big nose, cute shaped lips like her dad, chubby cheeks like me, cute little ears (not quite sure whose traits those are), big head (sorry girl, I was praying you escaped the curse), and even got to see some hiccups, smile, yawn, and listen to her heartbeat. We were there for an hour and she slept the whole time, even though I was moving and the technician was probing, massaging, nudging, poking, jiggling, and pushing on the belly to wake her up. Seems to be the only effect of all of that was to make me have to go to the bathroom even MORE than when the appointment started. We did see more pictures that confirms her gender as girl, just in case any of you were still holding out. I didn't include any of those pictures for modesty's sake.

On our way home we made a bathroom stop AND got some Panda Express in the pouring rain. I always feel bad for Tony when he drives his motorcycle in the rain. We all ate dinner together at the house, and then I got to updating information in the belly book, Peyton's baby book, facebook, and uploading all of the pictures and videos. Took a shower and watched many episodes of FRIENDS in the meantime, and it still says it is uploading the video. I may just have to give up hope of including the video. When I check back tomorrow, if it hasn't uploaded the video, I will add some of the pictures instead. In the meantime, for those of you who are on Facebook, the pictures ARE up there!

I am totally and completely wiped as it is WAY past our bedtime. I have taken out my contacts to give my dry eyes a break and need to quick flush the draino down the bathtub. Tony was a sweetheart and cleaned the toilet for me-one of my least favorite jobs. Glad we got to see our little girl today. We did learn that she is curled up and her spine is lying on the left side of my belly which explains why I always feel her feet in my ribs.  Luckily we've already done our kick chart homework tonight (again under 10 minutes), so I can just snuggle with the sleeping hubby. Hope you all had a fantastic Saturday and were able to share your day with loved ones! I am so happy we decided to elect to have this ultrasound, as seeing her face makes it so real and makes me so much more in love with her than I thought I already was. Good night, sweet pea! *Muah*

"Time You Enjoy Wasting, Was Not Wasted."

~John Lennon

Another "chill" day, in King-land. High of 66 and it even sprinkled this morning and this evening. Oh, the blessed sound of droplets hitting the bedroom window. It just cools everything off and puts all of your stresses off until another day (not that I had any stresses, but rest assured, they'd be postponed on a day like this!). The only disadvantage to a day like today is that it puts you (or me, at least) in a constant state of nappiness. I'm not sure if that is a real word, actually, I'm pretty sure it is NOT. However, that is how I felt. Like I was yawning and ready to crawl in bed and cuddle all day long. That is NOT what I did, but it is what I was yearning for all day. In any event, work went as well as could be expected. Although the boys and I shared a cozy day at their house and they abstained from vomiting, they were both cuddle bugs and still had diarrhea. As it turns out, K woke up with a suspected "pink eye" infection and was able to score a lunch time doctor's appointment. She left school early and although she didn't get the answers she was hoping for from her doctor's appointment (she even had forehead, cheek, and neck swelling by noon time), she did come home with some antibiotics. That means I got to come home at a little after 1pm. Sorry that the family is sick and I hope they are able to get healthy and salvage some part of their weekend!

When I got home, Tony and I went to Target to return an extra crib music maker we had received for some other necessities (Tony had the day off). Tony made some delicious meatloaf from our ground turkey for dinner tonight and I was able to stalk on the computer, pull scrapbooking stuff together, organize a few things, and relax before heading to a scrapbooking crop at a neighbor's house this evening. While there I visited with her and her friend and got some work done trying to make homemade thank you cards for Monkey's upcoming baby shower. They are cute, if I do say so myself, but are time consuming because of the tiny pieces I decided to create for myself.

Got a call on the way home from my aunt and Mom who are in Minneapolis and they sounded like they were out enjoying their evening (perhaps a little too much for a W.O.F. conference, if you want my opinion) and were giving me a hard time about not writing this evening's blog yet. Either way, I hope they are enjoying themselves! I think I appeased my mom and won back some lost brownie points by telling her I was scrapbooking, as she usually gives me a hard time about being so far behind in that department also.

Can't wait for tomorrow's ultrasound, little peanut! I hope you're a little more active than the last time we got the ultrasound, because I would love to see you moving! Now it is time to snuggle with my favorite (and only if I must say it) husband and head to bed because I know my morning wake up (bathroom) call will come at the same time regardless how late I stay up. So, with that said, I love you, Monkey! Hope you have a good "hair day" tomorrow, as it will be your first set of pictures where you will appear to look more human-like and less alien-like! I will post pictures on tomorrow's blog if we get to take them home with us from the appointment (instead of waiting a few weeks)! I'm already falling asleep, so I know it's time to end this thing!

xoxox

"I Would Rather Lie On A Sofa Than Sweep Beneath It."

~Shirley Conran

Hello beginning of the last quarter of the pregnancy! Yes, yes, I know that most people split the pregnancy up by trimesters...which seems kinda silly to me because I like things to be even and 40 weeks does NOT split in three evenly in my book. So...I did, however, notice how nicely 40 weeks can be split into nice, even QUARTERS...hence, my celebration of today being the first day of the last quarter. Talking about quarters makes me think of being back in school and getting report cards at the end of every quarter. If that were the case for pregnancy, Ms. Monkey would get an A+ across the board as I have had a very enjoyable pregnancy, all things considered! Stellar marks, Peyton...Mom is so proud!

Today was a glorious 66 degrees out...although I still wore short sleeves, still had the AC on in the car and the fans on at home...but it was so much more of an enjoyable day without sweating!

With the celebration of being only 10 weeks away to meet our daughter and it being a wonderful day in weather-land, I did however have a challenging day. BOTH boys VOMITED today. Poor guys. I DO have to say that for being as sick as they are, they were both happy go lucky guys, no attitude, no fussing, no grumpiness, and J even still consistently used his manners (which would've been the FIRST thing in MY book to be thrown out the window if I was under the weather!). Long story short, M threw up in the car on our way to Folsom. We had to make a detour at our house while I laundered the car seat liner and his clothes and cleaned up the mess. We got our errands run in Folsom and were at Target when J threw up ALL OVER the table of our lunch (to which he had eaten none-probably because he was feeling under the weather, eh?!?). Clean up on aisle 2, anyone? We got home to have neither boy really nap, J had an explosive diarrhea that we had to have a bath to clean up from and M vomited THREE more times while I was there. Didn't get a lot of my "extra" side jobs done today like I usually do while the boys are napping. Did a bunch of laundry and puke clean up. Just praying that I don't get whatever the boys have. I feel so bad for them. At least neither had temperatures and didn't behave like they were in any pain. I hope K's night went as smooth as possible and that for their sake, they feel better. I just felt so helpless because they only thing I could do was cuddle with them to make them feel better. On a silver lining note, the boys hadn't eaten that much today, most likely because of their upset bellies, and so on a scale of one to ten, their vomit clean up was on the "easier" side than had they actually eaten what they normally do.

I really hope I don't get sick!

Tony came home late from work so I was already in the process of making tacos for dinner (the only meat we still have is ground turkey because we desperately need to go grocery shopping). He took the garbage and recycling bins out to the street and we chatted with Nikki for awhile. Tony got to work on his online courses homework (he takes three classes this semester and four next semester) while I informed Nikki that based off of newly learned information and discussion at our pregnancy class the other night, I rethought my decision to have her and Mikee in the delivery room. After sharing with her the information, she understood and agreed it was probably best to come once I get moved up to the postpartum wing (about 1 hour after delivery). Took a shower as I wanted to wash today off of me and now will be doing Monkey's kick chart and putting away laundry. I also updated the entry in this week's belly book log, took a belly picture, and measured my belly. I know you can't tell from the pictures (and quite frankly, I find it rather hard to believe, as well), but I am supposedly the same circumference as last week. I feel about three times bigger and my underwear that are refusing to sit right no matter what I do today would agree that SOMETHING must be different. It is comforting that I am not as big as I feel, but I really am starting to question the validity of the bear measuring tape I use every week. I would assume you guys can see the difference, too and are asking yourself the same question I am...

I'm totally tired and may not go to tomorrow's scrapbook get together after work depending how the boys feel and how the day goes...I may just want to come home and rest. Am excited that the forecast shows more fall type temperatures in the next week! I better get to the chart and laundry so I can get to bed at a reasonable hour as I am going in early again tomorrow. Good night and wish me healthy thoughts, if you don't mind! I promise to share them with everyone I come in contact with, including the boys! Hope you all are enjoying your start to the weekend! I am glad tomorrow is Friday!

Monkey, Mom would like to put in a kind request to stay as healthy as you can! Think healthy thoughts! She wants you to be strong and healthy and to get as much as you can from being in her belly! You can do it, big girl!

"Believe There Are No Limits But The Sky."

~Cervantes

Started work a little early today to help out K because M flew down to Arizona to be with his family through the loss of his stepfather. The boys and I listened to story time at the library today...boy did someone NOT do their homework when planning out the parking lot of that place! It seems as if there is NEVER enough spots. J had a great time and M slept most of the time-which always makes traveling in his car seat more enjoyable. Did some laundry, cleaning, and school projects for K at work today while the boys napped and although M seemed to enjoy his cereal I fed him this morning (we're starting to try solids these last few weeks), he threw up 3 times before I left tonight and TWO MORE times while the boys were waving good bye...perhaps he ate more than he should have. When K came home, she gave me these beautiful fall flowers as a thank you for helping come in early these next few days. It was a really sweet gesture and I think they are perfect for the kitchen table.

Got home, did dishes, got the mail, took out garbages/recycling, picked the last of the peppers hanging on the tree (we had one rogue red jalapeño on the bush and Tony said it was exceptionally spicy). While outside, Tony flooded underneath the air conditioner to see what "came up" now that the poison has had a few days to set in. A small field mouse came out...and you know where there is one, there is ALWAYS MORE! He flooded the tunnels underneath for a solid ten minutes and then plugged all of the hole entrances with large stones so we shall see how this all pans out in a few days. Regardless, the poison should set in AND if any MORE holes appear, then we know our next step will be to call a professional.

For dinner, we made some yummy spinach/mozzarella/herb sausages served over rice. I even enjoyed a nice bowl of homemade chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream for dessert. Tonight is the end of 29 weeks in pregnancy...which means that tomorrow starts the last quarter of the pregnancy! To scare me, I was sent a video of someone getting an epidural on the pregnancy website I signed up for through my care provider. As unpleasant as it looks, I still want an epidural. 

Trying to get an earlier start to the bedtime routine because I still have to do Peyton's kick chart and get to bed at a decent hour because tomorrow is another early morning so that K can get off to school at her normal time even though M is still gone. 

Can't wait to see you, Monkey! Mom thinks about you and is so curious to see what you look like and who you'll become! You're making my belly grow and as scary as it is that my ability to reach beyond my knees is rapidly coming to an end, I know it's all worth it! Your dad and I are super excited to see a picture of you on Saturday! Tomorrow your dad starts online classes, and he's doing it to make a better life for you and me...you're going to love your dad and be so proud of him, like I am! Let's go get your "kick on" and then call 'er a night...what'ya say?

"Eighty Percent Of Success Is Showing Up."

~Woody Allen

I think the theme for the last few days should be "tired"...but at least I didn't feel that way until an appropriate version of what most would consider "bed time" for normal people. Visited with other moms and children today at the park while watching the boys. M had a rough day, a runny nose, a little fussy, and some off-color poo...I hope he is not coming down with anything. On the positive side, he did nap and eat normally, so that made it better, I think. J was his happy usual self and was rewarded with a McDonald's lunch that he happily inhaled. Right after work today I drove for an hour and twenty minutes in commuter traffic to go 18 miles. Very grateful for the boys' dad coming home early so that I could make it to the late pregnancy class on time tonight. It was definitely worth going as we got to see a slide show answering many of my lingering questions, got to ask questions, watched a video, and toured Roseville's Labor and Delivery Unit. Tony got some information out of the class and even though we both would've preferred coming home after work, I think we both appreciated the information we gained while there. As a bonus, the three hour class ended up only lasting just under two hours and we were both back by 8:30pm to play on the computer, share a late dinner, and watch an episode of FRINGE on hulu.com. I need to take a shower and then hit the pillow and Tony has already taken up his side of the bed waiting while I quick write tonight's blog. So, with that said, I am off. Short and sweet blog, but definitely feel better knowing what to anticipate when we go into labor! Monkey had her longest time thus far completing her kicking homework last night (30 minutes) but tonight she did it under six so I am pleased to get to go to bed soon! Love you, little girl! Thank you for keeping Mom so comfortable all of these months...I know things could be a lot worse and I appreciate you trying to be as gentle with me as you've been! Thinking of you constantly!

"The Most Important Things In Life Aren’t Things."

~Anthony J D’Angelo

Woke up a few times last night from being all stuffed up...allergies, perhaps. Other than that, I still woke up rested! Watched last night's episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition on Hulu with the family from Neenah, Wisconsin while getting ready for work this morning. It was fun to recognize some of the places they were filming at. Enjoyed work today with the boys! Both boys needed a day at home after a long weekend of birthday festivities and a house full of family. They were happy and fun to play with-J showed me a bunch of his new gifts and we got to play a lot while it sprinkled outside. It was so nice to have seventy degree weather today...I hope this fall weather sticks around! Got M to roll over two more times today and tried to capture it on video camera for his parents today, but the memory card was full. We'll try again tomorrow. I even made the family a chicken dumpling dish for dinner tonight. We'll see how it tasted when I show up tomorrow. Sad to say that the family's grandpa lost his battle with a sickness last night (he's been unconscious in a hospital in Arizona for awhile now). Prayers are with their family and hopefully they boys' Dad will be able to spend some quality time with his family when he flies out to help with arrangements on Wednesday!

Tony made some chicken patties, spaghetti, and corn for dinner and it really hit the spot. My belly seems to be getting bigger by the day and I woke up, again, this morning with a lopsided belly as I think Monkey's head was on my left side until gravity set in. Haven't got the kick chart done yet, but that is the first thing on the To Do list once the blog is finished. Got caught up on a lot of emails tonight, wrote out some snail mail today, and was going to put some old coats up on Craigslist tonight, but I didn't realize how late it was getting. Maybe I will do it this weekend (can't do it tomorrow because Tony and I have a three hour pregnancy class tomorrow evening after work where we will be learning about things to expect in the last quarter of the pregnancy and also get a tour of the labor and delivery unit of our hospital).

I am ready for bed, so I already popped in a FRIENDS dvd and am wearing my pjs. Peyton has been kicking and moving a lot today and I think is hoping to get her movements noticed by her dad in the near future. It seems like every time she makes visible movements or movements that her Dad could feel, he is fast asleep. We will keep trying.

Good night and happy to be chillin' in this October weather! Blessed for all the "non-things" that surround us! You are all among the things we are thankful for! xoxox

"To Enjoy The Flavor Of Life, Take Big Bites."

~Heinlein

So excited to tell you that I was able to sleep in until 7am-oh, man did it feel awesome to look at the clock and see the morning sun poking through the blinds! Today was also our first official rain of the season, so I'm glad we got all of the yard work done yesterday! We opened all of our windows and let in the fresh fall air.

Tony, Nikki and I all headed off to Mikee's apartment this morning. Ant worked on putting up her patio shade and then we headed off to Lowes. Mikee needed some grass to put out on the patio for Mushu to chew on and to make us each a set of spare keys for her apartment. Then, we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and World Market to look for a red/black shower curtain for Nikki's new bathroom- (she redecorated when Mikee moved out). No luck, but we ended our search with a delicious set of cupcakes at Icing on the Cupcakes. Tony and I got the Boston Cream Pie ones and Tony ALSO got the Confetti Cake one. So good. I tell ya, Peyton REALLY likes cupcakes...enough to make me think that I even like them during the pregnancy.

Came back from Folsom and I took a three hour nap while Tony played games on his computer. It felt so good...I don't know what it is about a rainy day, but I have never felt so rested. Got a phone call from Mom advising us into looking at a GO OAHU card for when we go to Hawaii in February. Seems like a deal we will take advantage of. The family I normally babysit for on Sundays never called so it was nice to spend the evening with Tony at home. Also didn't go to church this morning because Meghan was going to be visiting her father-in-law at the hospital, and I prefer to go to church with someone. Nikki picked up some sushi for her and Tony for dinner and it smelled soooo good. I have never craved sushi more than during the pregnancy. I have to admit I stole a bite (figuring a bite couldn't do too much harm) of the delicious "Lindsay Roll"...Nikki ordered it because it sounded good AND had my name. Then I made myself some "rainbow" noodles and sausages for dinner. Nikki had attempted to make chocolate chip cookies last night that hadn't turned out so well, so after dinner she had asked if I could make some of my gooey kind. I also washed all of our bedding (as I am embarrassed to admit that it has been a long time since I've cleaned it). Searched for some monkey/leaf drawer pulls for Peyton's dresser drawers, free stuff on Craigslist, and a changing table in the baby/kids section online. Consulted Dad on some of the dresser knobs I had found to see if they would work (as they weren't intended for dresser knobs, some were wall hangers and some were finials for window curtain rods). I think I made my decision, but now I just have to save some money to order my first choice. I gave Tony a hair cut, we took a shower, and now I just finished trimming his fingernails and cuticles. Off to bed in our fresh smelling sheets. What a nice Sunday we had!

Monkey also had all of her ten kicks done in two minutes...I feel spoiled and like I have a really healthy girl! I wish I could cuddle with Peyton and kiss her good night...a hand held gingerly to the belly and a silent wish will have to do until she's born, though. Love you, sweet pea!

"If You Can't See The Bright Side Of Life, Polish The Dull Side."

~Unknown

Yow-za! Busy day, again! Woke up bright and early and wide-eyed at 4:30am, so of course my next course of action was to visit the bathroom. Upon completion, I knew the next logical step on my to do list would be to wake up my trusted side-kick, the husband. I'm sure he appreciates sharing my sleeplessness with me. He made me an egg sandwich on a toasted bagel with sautéed peppers (from our garden) and sausages. Boy, am I spoiled or what? He helped me make a list of all of the household light bulbs we needed to buy/stock up on and then followed me to Home Depot (VISIT NUMBER ONE FOR THE DAY) so that afterward we could drop off my car to have the brakes repaired at Les Schwab. While there, we also picked up a few flashlights and some rat poison for our back yard. We dropped off my car, returned home and got to work on mowing the lawn and weeding. In the process, we realized we were completely out of gas for the lawn mower, had a broken nozzle on the weed sprayer, AND that the clutch on the weed whacker had finally whacked it's last weed. We headed BACK to Home Depot (VISIT NUMBER TWO FOR THE DAY), got a new nozzle, bought an entirely new weed whacker, I laminated J's birthday gift, and we picked up my car. On the way home, I realized that I also needed gas for my car and when I called Tony I realized that he left the gas canister in Nikki's car before she left this morning. I ran over towards downtown to meet her and get the gas can, stopped off at Costco to fill up my car AND the can with gas, and got back home. I wrapped J's birthday present from me and from his brother, took a shower, and had to fly out the door to go pick up the birthday cake and sandwich wraps from Costco (VISIT NUMBER TWO to COSTCO for the day) and headed off to Wilton for the party to help set up. While I was gone, Tony finished mowing the lawn, weeding, weed whacking, and trimming the hedges. What a great guy I have!

The party was a lot of fun, it was nice and windy so it didn't seem as scorching hot as I had feared. Everyone had a great time, the birthday boy got lot's of love, and it was nice to visit with a lot of familiar faces!

When I got home, I helped Tony move the patio furniture into the garage for the season (tomorrow is supposed to be our first rain of the season-we'll see if it actually happens). Tony told me that while I was gone, whatever rodent or vermin is living under the cement slab of our air conditioning unit had taken ALL NINE rat poison bricks that we had placed in each of the holes this morning. Now I'm convinced we did the right thing by buying the poison! We shall see in a few days what transpires! I came inside and washed my feet from a dusty afternoon at the pumpkin patch and Tony and I headed over to my mother-in-law's to help her with computer issues and a shade for her patio. We got there and turned around to go to Home Depot (VISIT NUMBER THREE FOR THE DAY) to help her fit/carry an eight foot long shade into the car because it wouldn't fit in her car. Anthony attempted to install it but quickly realized he didn't have the right tools, so we will be going back over there sometime tomorrow to finish the installation. He also helped set up some things on her computer but we ultimately determined that her internet speed is too archaically slow that she needs to upgrade first thing on Monday morning. I would have taken more pictures, but 1. I forgot to bring my camera and 2. the bedroom/closet situation is not any different than it was a week ago, so trust that I will do it sometime.

I'm so tired and ready for bedtime. Tony treated me out to a restaurant that he knows I really enjoy: RUBIO'S where we had some delicious fresh salsa verde and salty chips along with a really good chicken burrito. We came back home to play on our computers and now he has left again to go see the movie CASE 39 with his buddy and I was going to head to bed. My belly feels gi-nor-mous today and Monkey was extremely helpful with completing her kicks for my homework in 9 minutes tonight. She makes her mom so happy when she gets my work done so quickly and efficiently!

Hope you all had as nice of a Saturday as I did and that you were ALSO able to cross a lot of things off of your to do lists, like I was. I hope you all have someone in your lives, like Tony for me, who helps make your chores more pleasurable and helps you work on crossing things off together! Hugs to Mr. J for his two year old birthday tomorrow and good night my dear, sweet girl! *Muah*

"Life Is Partly What We Make It, And Partly What Is Made By The Friends We Choose."

~Tennessee Williams

E-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d...enough said? I partially wish I could start and end the blog with just that, however I have found that writing about my day makes me feel better and de-stress...PLUS, I don't want to get in the habit of excusing my tiring day as why I have a lame blog that evening. So, here I go...

Woke up early this morning to pee, put away two loads of laundry that I just didn't stay up late enough for last night and headed off to work. K's family was there: her mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, and niece. What a full house. Of course, M and K both had to work so the boys and I hung out with family (who were in town for J's birthday party tomorrow and his actual birthday on Sunday). What a difference a few extra bodies make in the boys' schedule! Had a full morning of fun and play with four year old niece and the boys and then took the three of them to the park for about 2 hours for a picnic and to honestly run them tired. Although the kiddos had a good time, my plan failed as I was the only tired one walking away from the park outing. Came home and put J down for his normal nap and was hoping little brother M would follow suit so that I could make the mozzarella fingers, spider cookies, and hot dog mummies for the birthday party tomorrow. On one hand I was sad that M didn't nap as that will most likely indicate a fussy evening with his parents plus I know he needed a nap. It also meant that I couldn't help get some of the food prepped for tomorrow. On the positive side, M rolled over for the FIRST TIME today! It was so cool to witness that!!! He did it one more time while I was still there! I love that I got to share this milestone with him and had he been napping, it may not have happened when I was around. Before leaving at 5:30 today and with the help of "Grandma" and "cousin" I was able to complete the mozzarella fingers (we even painted the almond fingernails with red food coloring). I wish I could've helped more...but that's the way things go sometimes. At least I put the goodie bags together for the guests.

On the way home, I deposited my paycheck, chatted ever so briefly with one Ms. Morris, and stopped to treat myself to ToGo's for a turkey and avocado sandwich and a mint shake-YUM. I felt I deserved a treat after a full and hot day! Got home and helped Nikki do an art project with her memo board on her wall-not quite to my standard yet, but we got some progress made. Finished making M's birthday gift to his brother for tomorrow and am disappointed to admit that my glue is letting loose. I think that while my brakes are being fixed tomorrow morning I may need to find a Kinkos who will laminate the project so that all the pieces at least stay together. Before the party tomorrow, I am also in charge of picking up the cake and sandwich platters plus Tony and I plan on getting some yard work done before I head off to the party. We shall see.

Miss Peyton finished 10 kicks in record time, again this evening and I again have to mention how grateful I am that I didn't have to wait around 2 hours to count...I instead get to enjoy my sleep as this active little girl got the job done in 7 minutes this evening.

Was delighted and sighed a breath of relief to already have gotten my lab test results back from yesterday's appointment. Apparently my blood work came back regular (I wasn't worried) AND my glucose levels were in the normal range-YAY for not having gestational diabetes-I was concerned because my nurse yesterday mentioned that my sugar levels had been high in the urine. That really was a load off of my conscious and I didn't even have to wait the week they said it would take to find out how the test results ran.

I am so overly tired and feel like the bed and pillow are calling out to me! Hope you all had a wonderful week! Things on my to do list are: find out if I am babysitting on Sunday night, share maternity/baby girl clothes with Meghan at church on Sunday, schedule an appointment with the kitchen light lady to repair our lights once the parts come in, rest, figure out how to fix J's birthday gift before the party tomorrow, get brakes fixed at 8am tomorrow, mow the lawn, weed the yard, trim the bushes, put out rat poison, visit Mikee at her new apartment, visit with Nicole, rest, organize the living room book shelf with Anthony's books, send Logan and Meghan an official "congratulations" card...I'm sure there's more, but my mind is shutting down. Good night and may you all enjoy your weekends! I am so blessed to be surrounded by amazing friends...who totally understand that I will call them "when I have a free moment"... :)

"When You Have To Make A Hard Decision, Flip A Coin. Why? Because When The Coin Is In The Air, You Suddenly Know What Side You Are Hoping For It To Land On."

~Unknown

In an effort to convey how I am feeling today, I will make a list rather than explain my day by paragraph...I apologize ahead of time for those of you who are used to my usual stories, but this feels more like "me" today...

1. Watching Cougar Town on Hulu as I am typing this.
2. Had my normal monthly prenatal doctor's appointment today.
3. Have officially tipped the scales to the "gaining" side portion of the pregnancy...I am now ONE POUND heavier than when I first started being pregnant...I knew this was bound to happen eventually.
4. Didn't have to work until 9am this morning...nice to chill out for a few hours before work.
5. While at home this morning, I helped put together J's birthday present from his baby brother. It's almost finished.
6. While at the doctor's appointment today, J's dad picked him up and took him out to McDonald's for a special man's lunch so that I could concentrate on my appointment and so they could bond-super nice to see and very helpful!
7. Got a tetanus and whooping cough shot today, had blood drawn, AND had a glucose test run...test results in about a week.
8. Scheduled my last two prenatal appointments for December...it is hard to believe we're almost at the end of the pregnancy!
9. Turned in our birth plan paperwork today so that it could be added to my medical profile for when we go into labor.
10. Blood pressure 120/72 and belly measurements by the doctor are right where they should be for the end of 28 weeks.
11. Peyton's heart rate was in the 130s and that is healthy.
12. Sometimes feel like Chris Farley/Bennett Braur during the pregnancy.
13. Got my REAL SIMPLE November issue in the mail today...and am apparently also a finalist in the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes for $1 Million...I won't hold my breath.
14. Made grilled cheese for dinner-Tony was in the mood for tuna and that is a "no-no" on the pregnancy diet, supposedly.
15. Running my weekly laundry through the dryer at the moment and took garbage and green waste out to the street for pickup tomorrow morning.
16. Was asked to start a "kick chart" for monkey now that we are 28 weeks into the pregnancy...to track her activity/movement.
17. Measured my waste tonight...up a inch and 3/4 from last week...Can definitely feel that I'm bigger and waist-related clothes are definitely tight now!

18. Came home to dishes washed by Nikki (her dishes) AND she was vacuuming...I had to take pictures as this was a first for me (and I'm sure her, too)...I KNEW she could do it...so proud of our girl...she's growing up...(she hates that I am doing this, I'm sure...but I feel it needed to be documented).

19. After all this summer of NOT getting that many veggies and treating our little garden to the "royal treatment" (Mikee took such good care of them and watered them every day), now that we have left them alone, not watered them in over 2 months, AND had "cooler" temperatures, they are just unstoppable and growing so well. We actually used some in a salad for dinner tonight-fresh jalapeños and green peppers with spinach, carrots, cucumbers, raisins, and I ALWAYS add cheese to my salads...Yum!
20. Doctor says I should be gaining one to two pounds a week now for the rest of the pregnancy as monkey will be gaining about an ounce a day. Good bye to the "small" side of the pregnancy and hello to the "wide load" phase!
21. This morning I woke up to a lopsided belly. I believe Miss P had her head on my left side and her feet on my right side as it was clearly visible that the left side of my belly was about 3-4 taller than the other side. As soon as I stood up to go to the bathroom, the belly leveled out, as gravity must have kicked in.
22. Definitely can visibly see the effects of monkey's movements in the womb on the outside of the belly. Tried to share with Tony last night, but I could not wake that boy-he was definitely tired.
23. For the first official night of doing the kick chart, it took Peyton 4 minutes to do 10 kicks...so happy I didn't have to stay awake for 2+ hours waiting for her to hit the mark!
24. On a sad note, M's doctor's visit with his Mom today (while I was at MY doctor's appointment) didn't go as well as had hoped and it is now imperative that we watch M's eye movement and head bobbing to determine if it is staying the same, improving, or getting worse. To be honest I didn't think it was that big of a deal and had thought he was just a little behind the curve-I'm hoping I'm right as the doctor's "assumption/worst case scenario" is that it is something that is incurable (it starts with an "s" but I can't remember what it is). Please pray for little Mah-tater-tot to hope he just needs to learn how to gain better control of his eyes.
25. Happy note, J is going to be TWO on Sunday and tomorrow commences birthday party prep...we'll be making gift bags, mozzarella fingers, spider cookies, and mummie hot dogs for Saturday's party at Fog Willow Farms. Wish me luck in the kitchen, please. You know how I usually need a supervisor...hopefully's K's brother (also a chef) will help tomorrow.
26. Where I got my shots today-in the left upper arm-is so incredibly tender...I hope this feeling dissipates soon!
27. Filled out the belly book and took appropriate pictures for the end of week 28 for the pregnancy.
28. Signed up to attend a scrapbooking night with people in the neighborhood in a few weeks-boy do I really need to catch up on that AND meeting other people from the neighborhood will be nice!
29. Got invited to a Passion's Party by evite today...haven't decided if I'll go or if I have enough money to even consider going. Attendance: TBD.
30. You know how I enjoy things in round numbers and multiples of 5...so...I will end with...Good night-what a nice day...and now it's time to hit the hay!

"Just When The Caterpillar Thought The World Was Over, It Became A Butterfly."

~Unknown

What an amazing day! The boys were so happy and lovable all day. What a treat! We had a great day at the park (not our original plan, but the story time at the library was cancelled because the library was closed due to Columbus Day). It was really nice chatting with the other moms at the park and for some reason I had a bunch of energy and just felt really happy all day today. I love these kind of days. I even snapped some adorable pictures of M this afternoon but didn't post the pictures for two reasons...1. I didn't ask his mom if it was okay to post onto the internet, and 2. I think it may be a little sac-religious to post pictures of another baby BEFORE posting pictures of the girl for which this blog was created...So, I will leave you all in suspense. I am planning on turning the pictures into an art project for J's birthday this weekend. As I was heading out the door from work today, J was asking his mom to read THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR by Eric Carle (one of my favorites) and that is what inspired today's title/quote.

I get to rest a little tomorrow morning, as I don't start until 9am and then I will be taking J to my doctor's appointment for our October prenatal check up while M is with K for his appointment tomorrow. Tonight we had some quick frozen pizza and played on our computers all evening while watching the latest HOUSE episode on Hulu in the background. We took a shower and trimmed back our cuticles and there is the entire night.

Happy to announce that with Peyton's movements today, I could visually see their effects on the belly...I hope she moves a couple times tonight so that I can share it with Tony; he would love it! Off to bed and excited to turn in our birth plan worksheet at tomorrow's appointment and to get the glucose test over with. I love you, Peanut, and am so proud of you and all of your moving and progress! Today ends week 28 and I just can't get over how excited I am to meet you and bring you home! Love you more than you will ever know! And I am so thankful for your dad and him giving me the best gift I could've dreamed of...YOU!!! xoxo

"I Can Live For Two Months On A Good Compliment."

~Mark Twain

Gifts from Hoser (a.k.a. J.V.)

What a nice day! Spent a wonderful day with some amazing little guys, played at the park near their house, enjoyed some fun time playing and cuddling at their house, ran a few errands, made their family some yummy homemade macaroni and cheese with bread crumbs and tomato slices, and came home to a surprise gift package for Peyton and I from a high school friend, Ms. Jody. It was so cute and included a long letter from Ms. J, catching up on the last TEN years since high school. What a special gift! Thank you so much, J.V.! I know Monkey will love her cute clothes and accessories from Aunt Hoser! :) (And I can't wait to put it on her!)

Tony and I made dinner of sausages sauteed with mixed veggies and rice. And of course, dinner wouldn't be complete without a nice fresh batch of brownies. Stalked people on the computer, watched an episode of House and SNL on Hulu and now it is bedtime. Monkey moved a lot today and I think it'll be soon when her movements will be able to be seen to the outside world. Tony can't wait to be able to feel her movements. So far, the only thing he can feel is when she has hiccups.  

It was a long work day and I feel like I still need to catch up on the lost hours of sleep from this last weekend, so I am headed to bed and to watch a dvd with the husband. Thank you, Jody, for the good surprise and for the nice things you said! We will rest well tonight, knowing we are loved and have fun clothes waiting for use once Peyton decides it's time to introduce herself to the rest of the world.

Sweet dreams and happy wishes, sweet little girl. Oh, and I was curious...does sleeping in my belly feel like a water bed 24/7? Just a thought...

"Marriage Is Not A Noun; It’s A Verb. It Isn’t Something You Get. It’s Something You Do. It’s The Way You Love Your Partner Every Day."

~Barbara De Angelis

Wow was I exhausted this morning! I went to bed at about 1am and then woke up when Tony got home around 2am. Then the lovely call of the bladder woke me up on time at 5am. Yippity skippity. I know you guys reading this can all do mental math, so I'm not going to visually point out how much sleep I was able to catch last night. Let's just say that this morning I was dragging and leave it at that, shall we?

Luckily I was fortunate enough to spend my day with some really cute young men who always make me smile ear to ear. Both boys were extremely well behaved and happy all day, which made today one thousand times better than it could have been! Gosh, I never realized how much I miss their presence on the weekends until I'm reunited with them on Mondays...they really are amazing and so lovable!

We're back to some pretty warm weather here...in the high eighties. I really do not enjoy sweating ALL THE TIME but I know it's the pregnancy and people aren't judging. But I am. Tony, bless his heart, went to work on less hours of sleep than me (plus he was doing manual labor all day yesterday between moving his mom and helping me set up nursery room furniture) and was a little tired at work. This is what most likely caused him to drop his staple gun on his face while he was working above his head and it shot a staple into his lip. REST ASSURED, he is okay, just has a bloody lip (that has been taken care of, trust me). I feel so bad for the guy, you know? Luckily, my man is a big believer of the "get over it" strategy to life and it didn't even phase him. He DID text me to let me know when it happened and I (of course) CALLED him to check if he was okay.

When I got done with work I had to drop off our U-verse TV boxes at UPS to make sure we didn't get charged any extra fees. That was an event and a half and I am too tired to get into it, but at least in the end we were able to get it sent back to AT&T. I quickly stopped off at Target to grab some milk before heading home. Tony and I made breaded chicken for dinner (he turned his into a pasta meal and I cut mine up and added it to a salad). We shared fresh pomegranates for dessert and just took a shower.

Both of us need to head to bed now to try and catch up on last night's lost sleep! Monkey is-a-movin' and she'll hopefully let Mom and Dad rest so that we're more alert and happy in the morning.

On side news, for those of you interested, I am not the ONLY pregnant person with sleep issues...which makes me feel better (although I'm sorry to wish it on anyone), my mom started a blog to use in her classroom, and a dear friend quoted one of my blog titles/quotes in her facebook status today. I am truly lucky to have such amazing individuals to surround me and keep me down to earth! Thank you to everyone who leaves me little notes of solidarity, love, and advice...I really do enjoy it all! And to you, precious little pumpkin, I'm thinking of you more and more every day, if that is possible. I have so many things I want to ask you...what does your hair look like (if you have any), what are your favorite sounds to listen to, what do you want to be when you grow up, what don't you like that I do, is there any way I can make you more comfortable...and the list goes on and on. I can't wait to share these and so many others with you, baby girl! Lot's of love!

"True Love Begins When Nothing Is Looked For In Return."

~Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Mikee's kitchen...all the cabinets are "Lindsay-Level Organized"

I love her new rugs to go in her living room!

Her dining room could definitely use some personal touches, but at least it's nice and spacious!

...A walk-in closet...NICE...this will be Mikee's next project to work on...

A really big bathroom...and trying to calm Mushu down from the stressful move.

Looking out the bedroom to the patio/street.

Mikee's empty bedroom with vacuumed/shampooed carpeting at 2pm.

Nursery room off to a nice start at night!

Monkey crib and bookshelf (also the location of the tree mural/wall decal I registered for).

It looks a little plain now, but this would be the location of the changing table/pack'n play if we get one.

Dresser stocked well with clothes, diapers, and decorated with two buckets of monkeys.

The "older" side of the closet (6-12 months).

The "younger" side of the closet (newborn to 6 months). Most clothes are in the dresser, but the items hanging in the closet are the "outfits" that I want to keep together or Peyton's "fancy" clothes.

Moving started officially at 8am and luckily Trevor (Nikki's friend) came to help load the big furniture items onto the rental truck. We were able to get everything loaded and over to Mikee's apartment by 9am. We took everything out, unwrapped new items, assembled new furniture, organized, plugged things in, cleaned, calmed down the traumatized pets (Mushu and Sugar) and visited. I think we got Mikee off to a great start!

We treated out to a nice lunch at Islands Restaurant for lunch as a thank you for helping move and to commemorate Mikee's "last meal" with us. It was so delicious, especially after all of the work we did this morning!

When we got home, my loving, amazing husband took it upon himself to vacuum the front room (to be later turned into a playroom) because it no longer is holding Mikee's couch, cage, and plants/plant stand. He vacuumed all of the hallways, too. While he did that, I re-mopped the kitchen floor as I had accidently dropped Mikee's pomegranate juice on leaving and even though I mopped it before we left this morning, it was still all sticky.

Then, my sweet, adorable husband vacuumed the NURSERY and shampooed the carpets-WITHOUT being asked or nagged. What a sweetheart! He knew I was itching to get my hands on the room and did it just because he knew it would make me happy! Gosh, I love your dad, Peyton! 

Before starting in on the nursery, Nikki and I watched a FRIENDS episode (Season 5, episode 16) where Ross instructed Chandler and Rachel to "PI-VoT" the big couch up the stairs. It reminded us of watching Tony and Trevor trying to move Mikee's oddly wide couch into her apartment this afternoon and we were full of giggles while remembering fun moving times and laughing along with a great show.

You can see the evidence above from what the empty room started out like this afternoon and what it looked like when I called it a night, tonight. I got a lot accomplished. And, happy to report, Tony took it upon himself to put the bookshelf together for me, move the crib in, and help hang a few things on the wall. I feel so much better with the nursery started! 

I am going to hold off putting things in the "play room" because I don't want everything to get cat hair all over it quite yet. I also want to work on the garage at some point, now that a lot of the baby gear is moved out, so that I can eventually start parking IN the garage. Tony will have to help me with this project (which he said he'd help me with whenever I let him know that I want to work on it) because of all of the heavier items being located out there.

Right now, Tony is over at his friend Josh's picking up a new Droid phone. Yes, I know it is late, but it is actually Josh's girlfriend's phone and she is just about to get off of work. While I was working on nursery stuff tonight, Josh and Tony went over to Mikee's to help fix her TV issues and then went to go see a movie. While the boys were hanging out and I was at home working in the new nursery, Darcie stopped over to drop off some of Ella's old clothes and some of her old maternity clothes-FOUR BOXES WORTH. Thanks, Darc! What a special treat! I found some really cute stuff in her boxes, but will be sharing the items with another pregnant friend, Meghan, who is ALSO expecting a baby girl around the turn of the new year. Her and I will go through the items on Sunday when I see her at church. There are some really amazingly cute things in there-I cheated and already peeked. 

Now that Mikee has moved out, we are having the cable turned off tomorrow morning and so I have to turn the U-verse boxes back into AT&T by shipping them at UPS tomorrow after work. 

It's been a long day and I am definitely ready for bed. I didn't sleep well last night but luckily was able to sleep all the way until 4am before becoming wide awake. I am hoping that because I stayed up so late tonight, I will have a better chance of sleeping through the night tonight. 

Hopefully I was able to make up for yesterday's lack of pictures with the plethora of pictures I took today. The only room I did NOT take pictures of in Mikee's new apartment was her bedroom because it was being worked in to put together some of her new furniture and was full of people-there just wasn't a good photo-op today. I will get back over there at some point in the near future and will rectify this oversight. Other than that, I am off to bed, as I am purely exhausted and running on empty. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Peyton, I noticed you were very attentive during when I was working on your bedroom...you kept elbowing me on the left side and pushing against my ribs on the right side (even while I type this). Love you, baby girl! Your dad and I hope you like your new room! We had fun working on it and will continue to make it the best room you've ever had ;)...

"Friendship, Love, Health, Energy, Enthusiasm, And Joy Are The Things That Make Life Worth Living And Exploring."

~Denise Austin

Today started bright and EARLY...okay, not so bright as it was still pitch black out at 2am, but most definitely early!!! Luckily I was not sick or in pain, I was just WIDE AWAKE at 2am. I hopped on the computer, got some water to drink, listened to music, watched FRIENDS on dvd, stalked people on facebook, looked up news, and just putzed around on the computer. I don't know what it was, but my body wasn't ready to sleep...it was tired but I guess not enough to let me catch some zzz's.

Unfortunately we stayed busy during moving and I forgot to take pictures with my camera. We left at 8am, dropped off a load, unpacked, went to get necessities at Walmart, dropped that stuff back off at the apartment, got groceries, dropped them back off at the apartment, turned in move-in paper work at the leasing office to collect the rest of Mikee's keys, and then headed home. We did stop off at Costco to get some gas and a few other grocery items, first. By the time we got home it was after 2pm. I made some late lunch of "Rainbow" noodles (a homemade dish that I have enjoyed since childhood) and sausages/sauteed mushrooms. After that I took a nap and woke up when Tony came home from work at 7pm. Poor guy-what a LONG day!

I arranged a fake floral/oil scented vase for Nikki's room (she bought the supplies while we were at Walmart today) and watched movies on TV.

Now it is time for a shower and bed. We (and by we, I mean everyone but me) will be moving the "big" furniture starting at 8am tomorrow. It shouldn't take that long as we have Trevor helping, a moving truck, and all of the small stuff is already moved over.

I don't like it when Tony has to work late because then he is unhappy and I am worried if he got in an accident on the way home or if he's just working late. Monkey was stretching and kicking throughout the day. I feel HUMONGOUS today...it was definitely a "sweats/scrubs" kinda day.

Good night and cross your fingers that I can sleep a normal length tonight!

"This Is My Wish For You: Peace Of Mind, Prosperity Throughout The Year, Happiness That Multiplies, Health For You And Yours, Fun Around Every Corner, Energy To Chase Your Dreams, And Joy To Fill Your Days."

~D. M. Dellinger

Although I didn't sleep in, it was nice feeling I could have had I been able to. I was wide awake at 5am. I pittered around the house doing some odds and ends things, dishes, rearranging, organizing, cleaning, brought in the garbages, made a few phone calls, caught up on news and internet stuff and then got to work on my project that K was having me do today in lieu of nannying at their house. The project was to make "megastars" shirts for all of her first graders for them to wear for their upcoming jogathon. The whole thing took a LOT longer than I had imagined it would! I thought that I'd work on the shirts in the morning and have the afternoon "off." Such was NOT the case. I started working on the shirts at 8am and because of how the stencils and paints and space available worked out, I didn't finish until 5:45pm. Everything took so long to dry and because of the way things were spaced and the way the stencils were made, I couldn't work on the "next" thing until the step before it was dry. I used up all of our kitchen counter space, all of our end tables and kitchen table to work on the shirts.

...from when I was just starting the project...

When Mikee and Tony got home from work today, Mikee loaded up all three cars with stuff with Tony's help and then Ant, Mikee and I each drove a load over to her new apartment. We took measurements, ran through the move-in checklist, and made a shopping list of things we need to get tomorrow. I will bring my camera and take a few pictures of the move this weekend and her new apartment. By the time the cars were loaded up, we drove over during commuter traffic, unloaded the cars, unpacked a few things, measured, inventoried the apartment, and drove home, it was already 8pm. We had a late dinner of leftovers and talked about plans for tomorrow. It was a rather un-eventful day, but we all stayed busy, nonetheless. Ready for a day full of getting Mikee settled into her new apartment tomorrow (even though I won't be lifting things because of the pregnancy and back related issues, I will make myself useful with organizing, unpacking, running errands, etc.) so it should be bedtime. 

Excited for the changes just around the corner and for a new bedroom for Miss Monkey! xoxox