"Patience, n. A Minor Form Of Despair Disguised As Virtue."

~Ambrose Bierce

Yet another night of uploading frustration...these pictures will have to suffice for now...they are of the ornaments that I helped the nanny boys make for their parents (using their hand prints to inspire winter scenes). I will attempt (once again) to put up proper blogs tomorrow. Until then, nighty night!

"The Manner Of Giving Is Worth More Than The Gift."

~Pierre Corneille

...I have been having SOOOOOO many technical difficulties with uploads these last few days...Tony assures me that everything is okay, but that sometimes our uploading speeds are less than stellar (to be expected)...let me just say that it is disappointing and frustrating and when it seems to remedy itself, I will be fixing my blogs to their proper layouts. In the meantime, I thought you could at least enjoy some picture uploads of the day...

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-36995560

"A Good Cook Is Like A Sorceress Who Dispenses Happiness."

~Elsa Schiaparelli

What a wonderfully full day! This morning started out a little earlier than normal: wide awake at 4am after a late bedtime...HOWEVER, the silver lining in the solid four hours of sleep is that it was a SOLID four hours...didn't even get up to use the bathroom! Ahh...I don't think I've had a solid four hours of sleep since April. Boy was that totally worth it. I feel like I had eight hours just because it was a solid chunk of sleep.

A little preview of the day...but I am utterly exhausted and am having intermittent internet connection issues...so instead of continuing to fight it beyond the HOUR AND A HALF that I have already put into it, I am going to stop and go to bed and finish this in the morning. Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! So blessed today! Surrounded by loved ones-I feel so happy!!!!

"Is Not Amusement The Very Soul Of Life?"

~Frances Milton Trollope

Tony ended up driving himself to work on his motorcycle today because the weather forecast changed at some point in the night to saying that there was no rain expected today. After a night of countless trips to the bathroom, I was still a happy camper because I had slept heartburn-free...ahh, the simple pleasures in life!

This morning I stayed busy scrubbing the kitchen counters, fridge, stove, microwave, washing dishes, washing the floor, vacuuming the house, doing two loads of laundry and putting it away, making the bed, catching up on some organizing, emptying garbages, airing out the house because it was such a nice day out, and just a general picking up of items. Somewhere in the middle of all of that I had my prenatal appointment for the end of 38 weeks. After my customary requirement of peeing in a cup, I had my urine tested-slight traces of elevated protein but nothing to be concerned about as my blood pressure was normal (112/84) and my belly was measuring at 38" top to bottom (exactly what it should be). She then did a pelvic exam that determined that I was STILL NOT dilated but that my cervix WAS thinning out and that Peyton's head HAD descended into the lower part of the uterus (as she should be). We talked a little bit about foot swelling, an IUD in postpartum, about head size, and about induction. At this point, the doctor listened to Peyton's heartbeat (also very healthy) and felt around to determine that she's probably a seven-pounder right about now, but that she thinks Peyton will NOT be born in the next week...she then told me she'll probably gain another pound or two before she's born. This was nothing to be concerned about, as she is completely healthy and in the normal range, as am I...however, this is NOT what I was hoping to hear! We were hoping that I was very dilated and that Peyton's appearance happened to coincide with the 2010 calendar...to which my doctor advised to not place any bets until at least 2011. Whatever is meant to be is meant to be and was clearly intended that way for Peyton's best interest and health, but it is NO secret that we have a preference. My doctor continued on to say that she's been wrong before, but based on my progress, she would assume that labor was at least a week off, if not TWO. (Insert pouty face here.)

After the appointment I was a little disappointed that meeting Peyton seemed to be further off than I had originally anticipated/hoped and so after sharing a recap of the doctor's visit with Anthony, I came home and made a chocolate shake to make myself feel better and got back to my cleaning and organizing.

I played many more rounds of Wheel of Fortune and am happy to say that I am now ranked #1 among my facebook friends. I made quite a few trips out to the mailbox today before our mailman finally delivered the mail at 4:30pm (he usually is there between 10am-11am). We got a few fun things in the mail: a Christmas card from my stepsister Chris, from our friends The Colemans, from a camp friend Noah, and from my step-Grandparents. I got another of our Christmas cards returned and this one I think I know the reason-I had mailed it to the address that my aunt and uncle are usually at in Florida at this time of year, but this year they decided not to go until January. I also got a bridal shower invitation for my friend Kate (held in Wisconsin) that I will unfortunately have to decline-especially because Peyton may be coming around that time. And, lastly, I also got a Christmas gift from my friend Kate-one of her totally amazing and awesome cat calendars that she makes/sells. If you want to check it out or purchase one, she sells them on her Etsy.com site and I've already filled mine out with all of the 2011 birthdays/anniversaries/and other various important dates. Kate makes her cat, A.C. the most amazing costumes and then designs a set for the theme and, voila, the entertainment follows wherever A.C. and Kate work together! She even has a blog that I follow that is linked on the bottom right of my blog, but you can also click here to access it. I love it and was HOPING that is what she got me for Christmas. I am a bad friend, as I still haven't sent out her Christmas gift yet. I better get on that, eh?!? Thank you, Ms. Funk! I LOVE it! What a nice surprise!

Tony had hid a card for me at some point in the last week or so and has been taunting me that SOMETHING was waiting to be found somewhere around the house. I honestly thought he had been yanking my chain and that he was just trying to get me to look around when, low-and-behold, I was moving the Christmas tree skirt while vacuuming today and saw a corner of an envelope sticking out from underneath the skirt. Ah, huh! I found it! It was a super cute and nice Christmas card from Tony. What a sweetie! I love my husband! He continues to make me happy every day! I think it's funny because there are so many times that we're reminded how right we are for each other and this was another one of those times-we had each gotten a Christmas card for each other, had put it under the tree, and both of our messages on our card was about wishing on a star and about how we were each other's wishes come true.

Chatted with Mom on the phone a little tonight, confirmed tomorrow's plans with the Thouatis---they are coming up sometime in the morning to make me breakfast so I can visit with the boys, and also confirmed that K, M, J, and M are coming at some point tomorrow. For dinner, we told Mikee that because it was her birthday, she got to pick the location...which she hasn't decided quite yet, but that is our plans once Tony is done with work tomorrow night.

Tonight, Nikki's friend Lance came over after dinner (I had a bowl of cereal around 7:30pm because I had been distracted and time had slipped away from me and Tony had heated up some chicken patties and made some chocolate chip cookies). It was nice to meet Nikki's best friend as I have heard about him since I met Tony, but had never met him because he is in the Navy up in Seattle and usually Nikki has gone to visit him, not the other way around. We laughed from the moment he got here until after 11pm when Tony and I excused our old buns for bed. It was nice to see someone who gives Nikki a run for her money AND has entertaining stories to share! What a fun night! What good company! Oh, and while I'm remembering, I found out tonight that Nikki's "man" from France will be visiting in January...but details aren't nailed down yet.

I entered the info for tonight's belly book entry, but forgot to get my picture taken (belly time) for posting it tonight (Tony is already asleep---pretty much as soon as his head hit the pillow tonight) and so I will have to do it in the morning before he leaves for work.

I think my stepsister Sara picked my name for the family Christmas exchange because she sent me an email today saying I should be on the lookout for a package. That can only mean one thing, in my mind. I'll keep you posted when it arrives! I watered our little mini Christmas tree and have felt Peyton moving non-stop all day today! Now it is time for bed, as I am thoroughly exhausted. I am sure I've probably forgotten something to write about, but I'm too tired to worry about it. Good night and I will catch up with the end of 38 weeks belly picture in the morning and post it as early as I can to stay as current as possible. Sweet dreams and please continue to send "early" labor prayers and thoughts our way as I'm still hoping that Peyton is born in 2010. Love you all, especially you little kicking monkey!!!

"A Happy Marriage Is A Long Conversation That Always Seems Too Short."

~Andre Maurois

Today was wonderful! A full night's sleep once the heartburn stopped around midnight. Woke up and felt rested and hungry. I made Tony some pancakes and then added some chocolate chips to mine (something that I always enjoyed because my dad made them that way for us as kids, but Tony never really got into). I drove Tony to work this morning, again, because I had the luxury of a schedule that would accommodate such a pleasure, and again, because the forecast said it was supposed to rain and storm until about 1pm today. I don't know why I am surprised, but the weather man was wrong, again, but it doesn't really matter as I am quite enjoying the ride to work with Tony, so that's fine. After dropping Tony off at work, I stopped at Walmart to pick up the premade pie crusts for Saturday's sweet potatoe pie that I had forgotten to get yesterday. While there, I also considered getting the Blue-Ray DVD of Inception for Tony, as he really wants it, but I refuse to pay full price for anything, so we will wait until it is a couple weeks from being released so that the price is more reasonable. Also, while I was there, I am still trying to find a stocking holder for Peyton to coordinate with our silver snowflake ones...right now, Tony's is just taped to the mantle. I know I won't find the exact one, but I'd like to find one that coordinates nicely. I would normally just go shopping the day after Christmas and get one that is reduced price, but I'm not sure where I'll be labor-wise or if I'll be in the mood to compete against the throng of post-holiday shoppers and lines in my pregnant state. We'll see...I found one a couple days ago with Nicole (while at Target) but again, it was full priced ($10) and you know my policy on getting a deal...(out of principle, of course).

Am sad to report that my stretch marks are getting epic in size. If you looked at my belly right now, you'd be surprised to know that there are 3 stretch marks on the underside of my belly (which is half-way decent because I can't see them and so can deny their existence when I'm not standing in front of a mirror) that very easily could be mistaken for the Grand Canyon. No kidding-I'm surprised Peyton just doesn't fall out of my belly at this very moment! It's super disgusting and I can only imagine what kind of strange voodoo I am going to have to perform to get rid of these specific marks...Hey, can someone get a tattoo of a stretch mark in flesh colors over the top of a stretch mark to help get rid of the scars...hmm...I'll have to look into that!!!

Played a couple of rounds of Wheel of Fortune this morning, stalked people on facebook, enjoyed a heartburn-free morning and afternoon, dropped off our monthly HOA dues at the club house, ordered the few  nursing tops I had talked about yesterday from Old Navy (they should be here by Monday), got some rather unhelpful facebook posts from my mom---rubbing in the fact that she thinks I am going to go OVER my due date with Peyton (not something I appreciate hearing at this stage), got a few comments about how yesterday's blog didn't get posted (which is now remedied if you click on the OLDER POSTS section at the bottom of today's post---apparently I saved the blog from yesterday but because I was so tired, I must not have taken the time to verify that I also clicked on the "publish" button as well...), wore the big paneled maternity pants for a second day in a row because they were so comfy, re-heated some pizza for lunch, worked with Mo Mo for about an hour and a half today while K took J to run a few errands, got a Christmas card from Nano, switched the turkey into the fridge so it could start thawing for Saturday's Christmas meal, had a few light sprinkles of rain for about 10 minutes at about 2pm today (the ONLY precipitation we received today despite the report on weather.com), and went to go pick up Tony early from work. Turns out there weren't a lot of installs or repairs on the schedule for today (most likely due to the holidays), so most of the guys got to leave around 3pm (which worked out to be perfect timing for me getting off of work and coming straight to pick him up). On the way to go pick Tony up, I talked with Dad on the phone and it turns out his towing story (regarding last night's accident) was more eventful than it should've been. Long story short, don't ever use Jim's Towing in Oshkosh, WI, as they broke the tow bar from the front of Dad's truck, somehow managed to smash in his windows in trying to pull the truck out of the ditch, never ended up getting his truck last night and claimed they couldn't find it this morning either and were just all around unhelpful. Poor Dad...what a pain to have to deal with that instead of being able to spend time with family who was visiting from out of town!!! The silver lining is that insurance will reimburse him for the towing and that no one else was involved in the accident!

Got home and chatted with Mom on the phone and gave her a hard time for giving me a hard time about Peyton's due date and gave her a hard time because I was excited about being in the single digit countdown until Peyton's due date and her being a party pooper about my excitement was just unacceptable. Tony and I made some really good chicken and noodle concoction for dinner tonight (the noodles were my comfort food recipe called "Rainbows" for those of you who have had me make it for them) and I played on the computer while he watched some anime this afternoon. Got a call from some of my favorite boys and hopefully the Thouatis will be able to visit me on Friday (the first full-time nanny kids I had worked with who now live in Wisconsin). I hope I get to see them while they are here in California!

Took a shower tonight, which despite that daily showers tend to over-dry my skin and make me itchy, the steam and running water feel so good on my pregnant back, scalp and sinuses! It's worth the itchiness...plus it is keeping me feeling "fresh" even though that "fresh" is the last word I would use to describe my overly-pregnant self these days. Like yesterday, my feet were swollen pretty much all day...and it's getting harder and harder to bend my toes...no matter how much I try to elevate them whenever possible. Oh well, at least they'll go back to normal soon.

This morning, Tony confirmed that he has 62 hours of vacation/sick time for when Peyton's born AND confirmed that he got his Hawaii vacation time approved...so now, of course, he's even more excited for Peyton to arrive because it ALSO means a break from work. With the lack of sleep we'll most likely be getting, he may welcome work after a few sleepless nights...we'll see...I think he's under the impression it'll be a vacation and "smooth sailing" and daily naps of splendor for that week and a half that he's home with us...he'll learn soon enough, but I know he'll enjoy getting to know his daughter in the process... :)

K recommended finding some cute "shoe" socks for Peyton at Trumpet's in the downtown pavillion shopping center...we'll have to check it out. Yay, the kitchen is STILL clean...feels so much better walking into a house where dishes aren't piled up all over. We're having some issues with our refrigerator not staying latched...part of which we believe is a seal problem, and part of which has been a constant issue due to the freezer door and refrigerator door closing and popping the other door open...I think that replacing our refrigerator will be one of our bigger purchases in the near future...not fun, but it will most likely need to be done sooner than later.

So, yesterday I commented about one of Nikki's cats. Today I have to say that Tigger (a tabby orange colored 18 year old cat and the second of Nikki's cat who is living with us) looks thinner today and was perched under tree all day in a really lazy and odd position...he's getting so old and today he really looked it. He seemed to be a little out of it and just appears to be getting thinner and more "lost" when he looks at you. Poor 'ole man...

Now I'm listening to "Brown Eyed Girl" on youtube while typing this blog and I believe I am ready to flip on a movie and go to bed. I offered to take Tony to work again tomorrow, being that the only thing I HAVE to do tomorrow is have my prenatal appointment in the morning and then doing a whole lot of nothing for the rest of the day. I'm coming to enjoy these moments Tony and I have in the car to just talk about nothing and have him all to myself. I know that just around the corner, we'll have a daughter who will consume all of our attention, so I'm trying to soak up these last few moments of "the two of us" while I still can!

G'night! Today we officially transitioned into the single digit countdown to Peyton's due date...hopefully we won't have to start counting in the other direction...come on, honey...you can do it! Come this year, PLEASE?!?

"Food Is The Most Primitive Form Of Comfort."

~Sheilah Graham

***okay Mom and Mandy, sorry, but it turns out I did NOT "publish" my post last night after typing it and saving it...I think you will soon read why I may have been so careless. Regardless, here is the blog and I apologize for it's tardiness.***

List of things kind-of-day...sorry...no story...just too tired...you'll see why...
(Sorry, these are out of order, but I'm too tired to be anal about that tonight to try and make transitions before different parts of my day or even to put it in chronological order. This is how my mind has been functioning all day, so I feel it is only right to mimic it's chaos in the form of an out-of-order list. Also, the title is ironic because usually food is comforting, but not today...see note below about heartburn...)

~ Got 4 more Christmas cards in the mail last night: from Troy, Josh & Tara, The Mahlke Family, and The Joch Family-all are now properly displayed on the mantle
~ Checked in on Mikee to see how her week was going so far. As it turns out one of her job prospects did not end up calling her yesterday as they had said they would. I feel this is for the best, as it was going to be another processing job and like I think I mentioned-this may be an opportunity for her to switch fields and find something that makes her happy. We talked about specifics for Christmas dinner and her birthday on Christmas Eve and about how I am STILL not in labor...
~ Worked with the boys from noon-3pm today so that K could run a few holiday related errands uninterrupted. J had lunch and a nap and the Mo was a little fussy and wanted to be held non-stop---which is okay because I was in the mood for cuddles!
~ We decided to buy my boss's glider chair and matching ottoman at a great price today. Most likely it will be dropped off at our house on Friday by her husband. This way, Peyton (who I suspect is like her mom and dad, will get to be rocked while being cuddled).
~ Took Tony to work this morning because the weather forecast said it was supposed to storm all day and my work schedule allowed me the freedom to have the chance to bring Tony to and from work. Let me just say that today turned out to be a relatively beautiful winter day, no rain and hardly any clouds. Apparently the forecast got shifted to tonight, where upon we are supposed to be blasted by a bunch of storms and maybe even some lightening (which never happens here) and is supposed to be more rain then last weeks rain combined. Watch out Wisconsin, this is surely headed your way as well! I am not going to believe it until I see it...although they said their were waves in the San Fran Bay the other day - also a rarity and some of the farm roads on the way to work were almost flooded, so I suppose it is a strong possibility.
~ Attempted to take our recycling to the collection center at Costco to exchange for CRV refunds...wanna guess how much we amounted: a whole $1.29 which the guy rounded up to $1.30 because he doesn't carry pennies. As it turns out, even though we set aside ALL our CRV items, California only recognizes about 3 out  of the 8 different ones...what a pain (and what a mess-I hate touching old recycling food cans and sorting!). Tony and I decided that for that amount of money, for the gas, for the gross factor, for the time, it is not in our best interest to have two separate recycle piles. We will simply set all of our recycling out on the curb now and if the recycling man wants to separate it and collect on our measly earnings (at $1.30 a pop), he is welcome to it. Live 'n learn!
~ Found maternity pants that I had forgotten I had hanging in the closet. It is the kind with the full belly panel (picture it tucking into your bra and you will get some sense of how big the panel is). This actually made my day-now I don't have to be ashamed that currently all of my thick-waisted maternity pants are either in the laundry basket OR don't make a difference in covering up my belly at it's current size...lately my shirts haven't been long enough and I feel like I've been hanging out. Today, I feel properly dressed and it feels so good! Yay for finding hidden maternity pants...and Yay for me for buying them and literally "saving them for a rainy day."
~ This morning while driving to work, I was contemplating the ingenuity of opening a business that serviced pregnant mothers who were in the mood for a drive-through cheesecake/dessert/donut/xmas cookie/comfort food (mac'n cheese/grilled cheese/sushi) fix. It would be a shop or restaurant for expectant mothers (and if there's still some left, I suppose for the general public...) that specialized in all of the cravings but where you wouldn't have to park and waddle in, stand in line, and fight the bathroom wait...you could simply drive-thru and pick up these yummies and continue on your day. How fantastic would that be? Ooh, I would be there every day...maybe even a couple times a day!
~ While I am thinking of food, what do Japanese people eat for breakfast...I have yet to see a Japanese restaurant that serves/is open for breakfast. Does anyone know the answer to this? Do they eat sushi for breakfast? Do they not eat breakfast? Do they have Cheerios like the rest of us and that is why there is no Japanese restaurants solely dedicated to breakfast? I'm curious.
~ This morning I saw a link on Facebook for a  "digital nativity"...depicting what it would be like if Jesus was born in modern times with the technology we have now to spread the good news...I thought it was awesome, so I've included the link here for your viewing pleasure.
~ poopy pants can knit kniccers humphrey...
~My step brother's address confirmation issue has still been bugging me. We had sent him a Christmas card that was returned from his new address, claiming that the address did not exist. Clearly, that is not true, as that is where he is living, but WHY is it undeliverable? I confirmed the address with my mom and with my stepsister who assure me I had written the right address. I know better than to think my stepbrother is missing getting bills in the mail, but I feel bad for him because this also means he's missing the GOOD kind of snail mail, too...and, even sadder, he doesn't KNOW he's missing it. I hope this issue can be resolved as I LOVE getting mail and it makes me feel bad for him that he doesn't know what he's missing!
~ This morning, Mary and Caitlyn called to chat while they were out running errands. Apparently, Caity had also found her Uncle Logan's recorder (instrument we learn to play in elementary school) and decided there's no time like the present than to play it for me while on the phone---let me just say, even though I love my niece with all my heart, there are other things I'd rather hear!
~ Mom & Dan and Dad & Mary each got a maternity photo collage---confirmed it actually arrived in one piece by both of them today...we wanted to share with them current pictures of us in our pre-family of three phase and all of the love we were feeling for Miss Peyton who will soon join us in family pictures. I'm glad the glass frames made it through the postal system---and, surprisingly, swiftly and timely, as well!
~ This morning I had selected Old Navy nursing tops from their online sale that I wanted to stock up on because it was too good of a deal to pass up. As soon as Tony gets his paycheck tomorrow morning, I will be ordering these and hopefully they'll come just in time to use when I start nursing you, little Monkey! It'll be handy to have some shirts that were designed especially to accommodate breast feeding! There will be four shirts on the way in a day or two and will hopefully be here before the new year.
~ This morning I switched to a new toothbrush for two reasons. The first reason will be detailed later, as I needed to wash out my vomit mouth with something. The second reason is that I just haven't felt that my current toothbrush was getting the job done. Although we had just seen the dentist a month ago and he had given us new toothbrushes (as is standard procedure, I understand), I just felt like my mouth wasn't as clean or wiped free as it should be and the feeling of gunk continued to linger in my mouth even after the most thorough of brushing attempts. Thus, a new toothbrush...ahh...feels SO much better!
~ This morning before work, I did a bunch of dishes (both sinks were full AND the counter on either side of the sinks AND the dishwasher was full of dirty dishes but had NOT been started) because it had bugged me for more than a day and apparently I was the only one who was bugged by it.
~ I think we are having heater issues. Even though we have the thermostat programmed to stay at a constant of 70 degrees, the last two times we've looked at the control, it's been in the low 60s...clearly something isn't working as it should. Perhaps I should look into having a heater guy come next week? I had Tony jump up in the attic and he says nothing (according to his untrained eye) looks out of the ordinary and I reset the thermostat program to stay at a constant of 70. If something doesn't change, then I feel we will have to pay the fee to have someone come out and perform a diagnostic check/test. Cross your fingers that it was a programming error and that it is corrected by tonight.
~ Tony and I are considering getting our carpeting switched to laminate (hardwood) floors. Not only am I not a big fan of carpeting, but with it's constant look of dirtiness and showing every single foot step, I would much prefer different flooring. We had looked for houses with hardwood floors, but this was THE house for us, so we looked past the fact that it had carpeting. We measured the rooms and are very interested in getting the halls and living areas into a hardwood looking laminate but perhaps we'd consider leaving the bedrooms carpeted. Either way, we scheduled a floor quote from empiretoday.com for Monday of next week. Let's just see how much this'll cost, eh?
~ Tony made me oatmeal for breakfast this morning to help with heartburn. Sweet gesture. For sure I thought it was the answer to a tasty breakfast that would not make my heartburn any worse...Nope. I guess I am wrong again. I appreciate him trying to help me, though.
~ Okay, I guess I better stop referencing the heartburn and get around to telling you about it. I have been awake and up since midnight (this morning) with heartburn. Incredibly painful, not mild, unrelenting heartburn. I had used all of the available pillows in the house to prop myself up, as laying down with the heartburn was excruciating. This seemed to help take it from a 10 on the pain scale to a 9. At this point I was feeling absolutely miserable. I have never had heartburn so bad. From about 2pm until 3pm I was whimpering and crying from the sheer pain of it. Luckily, at 3pm I got up to head to the bathroom as I knew it was only a matter of time until I threw up. I made it just in time to throw up (WARNING: DISGUSTING ANECDOTE ABOUT TO BE SHARED: inside my vomit were remnants of last night's yummy Christmas cookies from Mom's care package and the chili and apple juice I had for dinner---not as delicious on the way back up). Usually, there is a sense of relief and calm after I throw up, as it finally allows my stomach to feel better. Apparently heartburn vomit does not operate under the same theory, as I continued to throw up about four more times and never felt a single thread of relief during or after the upchucking. My heartburn continued to stay at a rating of a 9 into the wee-hours of the morning and probably hovered around a 5-8 rating all day today. Of course, because our bathroom is IN our master bedroom, my inability to get comfortable last night meant that Tony was up, too. Poor guy. I'm sure it's impossible to rest when your spouse is yacking up in teh room next door. So, he was wide awake and trying to be helpful since 3am. Like the good husband I know him to be, he got me water, emptied out the puke bucket, offered to get me whatever  I needed, told me not to apologize for waking him up, and was such a trooper. I am just counting my blessings that I new it was progressing to the point of vomiting and had moved myself to the bathroom, otherwise, in addition to feeling like crap and having no sleep or rest, I'd also have been forced to wash the bedding and deal with clean up. Throwing up into a lined waste basket is way more efficient! From that point until when a NORMAL person would be awake, I played on the computer and tried to distract myself from my uncomfortable heartburn and drowsiness. I wish I had been able to fall back asleep, but like I said, the heartburn lasted for rest of day. I didn't eat anything but the oatmeal Tony made me for breakfast for the rest of the day for fear of having to throw it back up later or of it making my heart burn worse. Not a good thing when you're so pregnant...but that's how bad the heart burn was! The thought of eating, though appealing, was not a comfort to me (hence the ironic title of today's blog).
~ It is officially 10 days until Miss Peyton's due date...I am so excited...now it's crunch time! It's becoming so real now! I am so excited to meet our daughter and to hold her and to look into her eyes for the first time!!!
~ Tony suggested we watch Terminator on the computer screen to help put me to bed/sleep tonight. He has a new hard drive that has a bunch of downloaded movies/TV shows on it and so we can hook it up to my laptop and link it to our TV in our bedroom through our HDMI cable. Plus, according to my husband, "EVERYONE" has seen The Terminator, so I needed to see it anyway. He's right, it did get me in a sleepy mood, but let's be honest, that wasn't hard to do since I have been tired since about 1am this morning. Also, I don't get the hype of this movie, but I guess I better hop in bed to start watching it and hopefully get to sleep as it has been an epically long and tiring and painful day! Darn heartburn!
~ Dad got in accident tonight. Fortunately, no other car was involved, as dad slid forty feet down the embankment off the highway on his way home from work tonight. I had called to check up on how their visit with my sister, her husband, and children was going to find out that Dad was still out in the nasty cold weather, with about 4 inches of snow waiting for the tow truck. He's safe, though cold and hungry. Mary said she'll send an update tomorrow morning once they tow the truck and can look at it in daylight. I'm just glad Dad is safe! Jeremy went to go pick him up and bring him back home for the night because the tow truck  supposedly still has a few other pickups to do before my Dad's truck is next in line. I'll keep you posted.
~ My poor friend, Nicole, is sick. Her symptoms sound more like a sinus infection but she's talking about her sore throat and I feel so bad-I hope I didn't give her what I had! Especially with Christmas just around the corner. I'm praying that it was just work-related stress that has her sick, because that means it'll be a swift recovery with some much needed rest. I hope she feels better real soon!
~ After I have been up all morning, I thought it only fair to drop Tony off at work, like I mentioned earlier (due to weather and the fact that I had the time to do it). After I dropped him off, I stopped off to get gas (at $3.30/gallon for those of you Wisconsinites who are curious what west-coast gas rates are currently), went to the bank to cash our check for $15 from yesterday's attempt at recycling, visited the post office to buy some stamps to mail out a few thank you letters (turns out they were out of the forever stamps that I like, so my second choice was to get the Hawaiian Rain Forest style in honor of our vacation we will be taking in a couple months. I also stopped at Target to look for a few sweet potato pie items to make for Christmas dinner, get some more milk, and to buy more hand sanitizer to keep in the diaper bag. I DID get sweet and condensed milk but forgot the very important pie crusts...guess I gotta go back tomorrow-I blame my forgetfulness, once again, on pregnant brain).
~ Anthony ate leftover chili for about the third time now (lunch yesterday, dinner last night, and dinner tonight)-I think I can officially label the chili dinner a success!
~ Nikki thought of a brilliant idea for Mikee's birthday present---Keith Urban tickets. We decided to go in on the present with her and scrap the idea of money towards a coo-coo clock that we were originally doing. I still think it was kind of a fun idea, as she wants a really nice chalet style Black Forest coo-coo clock but to get a really nice one, you have to look in the $1,000 range-not really our budget...so, we had bought her a really cheap clock and had put the gift of money in the battery section in the back of the clock so that she could put it towards a clock. With Nikki's idea, we can actually give her something tangible and that she will get to enjoy long before we could ever afford to give her the clock she deserves.
~ Cassie (my niece) and I were instant messaging back and forth today on Facebook and I think we came up with a pretty brilliant plan, if I do say so. Because things tend to happen when you least expect it or when it is the most inconvenient, we decided a fool-proof plan to make Peyton come by New Year's. All I need to do is to book a flight to come home for Christmas this year to induce labor-as that would clearly be a very uncomfortable birth and completely and totally inconvenient being so far away from our hospital and health coverage. Hmmm, now to find the money to book a flight at the last moment, and oh yeah...I don't really feel like flying, as much as I do wish to be around family for the holidays. Thanks, Cassie for the idea, though! We will have to find some OTHER guinnie pig to test our theories out on, however.
~ Tony and I decided that in the spirit of Christmas, we'd also like to contribute to the list of themes for next year's exchange on Mom and Dan's side. Here's what we were able to come up with (sorry, another list):

• ABCs and 123s Exchange: Pick a random letter of the alphabet or number. Each person needs to buy a present(s) for the person they pick that starts with the letter or features the number in its name (if you picked me then you decide on a letter...like "B"...you could get me some bubble gum, baby gear, blue items, bath gel...etc.) When the person opens their gift, they have to try and figure out what the letter or number theme was. You could get one item or a bunch of tiny items that start with the letter or have the number in it.
• Ornament Exchange: Each person gets an ornament for the person they picked that seems like "them." They could even be hung on the tree instead of being wrapped and then everyone needs to search for what they think would be "their" ornament (it could be in conjunction with finding the pickle)...the smaller the ornament or the more green it is, the more difficult/fun this game could be ...this could ALSO be in conjunction with the sweater exchange below...
• "Do You See What I See/Do You Hear What I Hear" (5 Senses) Exchange: Sound (CDs), Taste (Chocolate), Touch (something soft-like fuzzy socks), Smell (popcorn), Sight (poster or frame)
• Stocking Exchange: Has to fit inside of a stocking or a certain sized gift basket/box
• Adopt A Family: Find one or two families and everyone is in charge of buying items for one person in the adopted family
• Ugly Sweater Contest/Exchange: everyone visits their local stores or thrift shop and finds the tackiest/gaudiest holiday sweater for the person who's name they picked and that person has to wear their sweater as soon as they open their gift-then we take a "family" photo all in our new "outfits"...then we vote to see who has the WORST sweater (the goal)
• "Oh, Holy Night" Exchange: everyone's gift has to have a hole in it somewhere (clothes all have holes so that we can put them on-arm hole, underwear hole, etc.; jewelry usually has a hole; you can get creative and have a "WHOLE" lot of something ...)"
• "Oh, There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays" Exchange: you get the person who's name you picked something to decorate their home OR something from their home town OR something from where they live (locally made goodies/sweatshirt/gift card to a local restaurant) OR to take them to a local event (a movie or musical or sports game)

Okay, that's all the ideas Tony and I could come up with...we tried to think of Christmas songs as the title for each of the different ideas, but we couldn't come up with one for all of them. Turns out there IS a song on Youtube.come about holiday sweaters, but I couldn't find the one I was looking for. I'm sure some of you more creative people (who aren't completely exhausted from lack of sleep, pregnancy, and heartburn all day) may be able to come up with fun Christmas song titles to go with each of these theme ideas...

~ I am hoping that our Thursday prenatal appointment says I'm dilated and progressing to the point of a timely labor/birth. I am nervous to find out how big Peyton's head is getting, as you may have noticed, my family tends to have big noggins. I am also ready to be done with the heartburn and my feet being swollen about twenty hours of the day. I'd love to be able to see below the "equator" (circumference around my belly button) and remind myself what my toes look like. Plus, and this is the big one, I'd love to hold you, dear sweetie pie!
~ After dropping off Tony at work and running a few errands, I played about 30 rounds of Wheel of Fortune before heading off to work...again trying to distract myself from the heartburn because at least when I'm at the computer I am in the sitting position that tends to feel more comfortable than laying down, where all of the acid from my stomach is being pushed into my throat by Peyton's movement and growing body.
~ I was so tired all day today...my eyelids are (and have been) very heavy from being up since midnight this morning and I can only imagine it has been hard for Tony as well, since he's been up since at least 3am with me. I really need to go to bed but I keep thinking of stuff that happened today that I want to comment on. My mind is just running and running and I know I won't be able to sleep if I feel like there's something I omitted to tell you about.
~ Gizmo (Nikki's calico 16 year old cat that lives with us currently) was really "meow-y" today...it was annoying...I don't know what it was, but I think he sensed how tired I was and that I had little patience for annoyance, and so he felt it was his duty to park himself in our bedroom doorway (even when I closed the door on him and told him to "shooo") and meow an obnoxious tune all morning and afternoon until Nikki came home from work. Of course, as soon as she walked in the door, he got quiet and so I had no proof of his annoying behavior today. Annoying, annoying, A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G!!!
~ Lately, there has been some garage door sensing issues that I seem to be experiencing. The door will go 3/4 of the way down before sensing something and going back up. Tonight when Tony got home from work, I had him turn down the sensitivity of the sensor and that seemed to fix the problem. I was just nervous that I would be in a hurry to leave and I wouldn't be able to close the garage door and would have to leave it open and we'd get broken into/robbed. This seemed to help and I'm not sure what it was sensing (most likely it was picking up a spider web or shadow or something, because nothing was in the way).
~ I know that as adorable as newborn/infant shoes are, they are completely impractical and totally a rip-off. In that frame of mind, I would like to get Peyton some cute socks that LOOK like shoes. They have the socks that look like little ballet slippers or Mary Jane shoes or whatever, but I can't seem to find them where I usually shop (at Target or Walmart) without being a red and green stocking theme. Can anyone offer up some help or suggest somewhere that they've seen cute ones (reasonably priced)? Thanks!
~ I am proud to report (knock on wood) that I have almost NO cold symptoms left---So excited and ready to celebrate my ability to take a deep breath without coughing up big chunks of nastiness! Ah, the simple pleasures!!!
~ I've decided to commit myself to a post-Peyton diet. By diet, should you for no reason believe that I will limit the quantity of food I intend to consume, but merely  to eliminate my unhealthy food choices and swap them for more productive consumption options (for example my almost daily intake of cookies or cookie dough for raw veggies or a fresh piece of fruit). I feel that it will not only help me lose the baby weight at a reasonable pace, but also prepare me for Hawaii and also just to be a healthier version of myself. I feel that by including daily reports of my eating habits and exercise habits I will feel more accountable and more regulated to stick with it, AND I am hoping that you all will help from blog reading to keep me honest and to offer suggestions or comments of encouragement. Also, does that mean I can eat as horribly as I can now and not feel guilty because soon it'll all be healthy?-I think so! Kinda defeats the purpose, but my pregnancy card is gonna get another play on this one, as I feel it is only fair to use it these last few days (weeks, dare I say). True, I COULD start the healthy streak now, but I feel I deserve a couple more days of eating whatever I feel like.
~ Today, Peyton moved all day and I tend to believe that her movements are what is causing 24/7 heart burn...forcing acids from stomach to sit in throat as she has probably no more room left in there and so all my organs are being squished and everything repositioned to make her last few days as comfortable as possible. Not that I am trying to influence you at all, little girl, but I'm gonna make one more nice suggestion of a better place for you to make your movements: start coming out and then we'll all be happy in a few short hours ;) Just a suggestion, as I am really NOT enjoying the heartburn but I can appreciate that you aren't the most comfortable either, I suppose.
~ Can you imagine how long this blog would've been had I not listed it and attempted to put it all into story form?!? Gosh, today I was busier than I thought...Okay, I really gotta go, as we are into the part of the movie where the mom in Terminator is trying to escape from the mental institution and like I said, my eyelids are closing with or without my consent. Good night! Pray for some heartburn relief for me, please!

"My Idea Of Christmas, Whether Old-Fashioned Or Modern, Is Very Simple: Loving Others. Come To Think Of It, Why Do We Have To Wait For Christmas To Do That?"

 ~ Bob Hope

Logan's handmade gift for Tony...a garden stone...so awesome! Thanks, Logan!

Our table all decorated for Christmas.

Our mantle, full of holiday cards and letters and love from friends and family.

One of the cutest cards I've ever seen!

Christmas care package from the Wippermans: guide ideas for our Hawaii trip at the end of February, a pre-made scrapbook for Hawaii from Mom, a tub full of homemade cookies and party mix from Mom, and a Baby's First Christmas rattle ornament-what a yummy, fun, and sweet gift! Thank you Mom and Dan!

Bean-less Texas Chili (made with ground turkey) and served with fresh corn bread muffins-mmm...good rainy day food!

Another day full of Braxtons, feeling all stretched out from the constant muscle contractions and from Peyton's non-stop moving, a little more holiday decorating, Wheel of Fortune playing, a little cooking, working for an hour and a half this afternoon, measured the house to get a laminate pergo quote (just curious), took a bunch of recycling to trade in for CRV (epic waste of time, to be hopefully fixed tomorrow morning), uploading a lot of pictures and updating facebook, filling in the last few items in the pre-birth section of Peyton's baby album, took a shower, trimmed my fingernails and cuticles, wrapping of Tony's mom's birthday present, hanging out with Tony, and mail package opening.

I'm tired now so maybe I'll come back tomorrow and embellish a little on today's events...just wanted to get the broad strokes in before heading to bed. Electric blanket is warmed up and our Friends DVD is already rolling...my eyelids are getting heavy. Good night!

"Love Is Always Bestowed As A Gift-Freely, Willingly, And Without Expectation. We Don’t Love To Be Loved; We Love To Love."

~Leo F. Buscaglia

Braxton Hicks throughout the night to tell me that I am nearing the end of pregnancy, a delicious breakfast with two of the most beautiful ladies I know (Kate and Kristin at IHop) before church this morning, teaching nursery Sunday School and listening to the children's Christmas program at church, an afternoon nap, a day home with the husband, and hitting up pre-Christmas sales...the only things that would've improved today would've been a sunny break from the rain and a teletransporter so we could've joined our family in Wisconsin for the Christmas party today!

ONE YEAR of home ownership down...many more to come! :) (I have given up waiting for a sunny day...I may have to wait until after the new year, so when there was a break in the rain today, Tony snapped this picture...)...compared to one year ago today, doesn't the yard look better?!?

(End of November 2009)

A doctor (and mom's) recommended medicine cabinet supplies for a newborn-Thank you, Kristin!

From the Bicocca kids-a monkey "bun-bun", a girl winter monkey (complete with banana), a sweet flower cap, and three Tahoe bookmarks for all of the baby book reading and leisure reading while breastfeeding in the upcoming months....-Thanks AJ, Ry, and Kate!

Katie and Kristin met me for breakfast this morning and also passed on two great gift bags. One put together by the children, and one from Kristin. I'm sure that even without the captions, you would probably be able to tell which was from which. Either way, I was excited about seeing the girls and getting a chance to catch up with them before they head up to Tahoe for a week (the boys were already up there spending a weekend with their Dad). What a great idea to have all of the lube and medicine a newborn would need! Kristin, you are so thoughtful! And thanks to the kiddos who picked out some incredibly adorable things for Ms. Monkey! :) I can't wait to show it all to her!

Again, because of the rainy weather, I was in the mood for an afternoon nap and ended up really needing the rest, as Miss Peyton has been moving non-stop and I have been having Braxtons throughout the day, as well and my body needed a rest. I ended up sleeping a little too late for the church white elephant Christmas exchange party tonight, so I enjoyed some McDonald's dinner with Tony and then checked out the sales at Michael's (intending to find a ornament for Peyton but not finding anything I was in love with). Headed home feeling proud that even though I didn't find anything I "HAD TO" have, I also came home without spending any money.

Tony worked on a music project all day-trying to organize and label his "play list"...ah, a man after my own heart-organized music :). Now it is time to cuddle in front of a movie-possibly even a holiday movie and just have some alone time with my husband.

All around, a good day. Turns out the family Christmas party back in Wisconsin went well...I enjoyed seeing pictures of everyone on Facebook! Miss you all! Hugs to everyone!

"Part Of The Secret Of Success In Life Is To Eat What You Like And Let The Food Fight It Out Inside."

~Mark Twain

I think something about "giving baby what she wants" should also be added to Mark Twain's quote...can I get a "uh-huh" from all of you currently or previously pregnant moms out there?

This morning I woke up (after a night of no Braxtons but a few visits to the bathroom) at 6:45...to a quiet house. Tony was breathing deeply beside me, completely asleep even though his alarm had gone off at 5am. I rolled over (no small feat for a pregnant lady who's due in less than two weeks) to tell him he better start getting ready for work/the day.

After a quick breakfast of reheated chocolate chip pancakes, I drove Tony to work and met Nicole and her mom at Bath and Body Works to buy the items Nicole and I had shopped for yesterday (their sale wasn't until today, so we had put Nicole's items aside to get the deal this morning).

On the rainy ride home, I remember being grateful that I had off in the morning and could afford to drive my husband to work, as I would've hated to have been him driving to work in the cold rain only to have to work the whole day in soaked clothes. I can't wait until we can afford to give him another option besides his motorcycle!

I came home, unloaded the dishwasher, washed a few dishes, chatted with Mikee briefly on the phone, talked to Logan once he landed in Wisconsin (he DID get the package last night and really enjoyed the gift, so NOW I can post a picture of it because it won't ruin the surprise), wrote a few emails and letters, got the mail,  and partially watched a few less than time-worthy movies on hulu.com.

Tony burned a welcome sign for the newlyweds-as he had picked Logan's name in the family Christmas exchange.

I think the gift turned out really cool-Tony used one of their Facebook profile pics to get the center artwork from and then just free-handed the rest. Well done, sweetie! I liked the idea of having handmade Christmas gifts this year for the exchange! I wonder what next year's exchange theme will be!

After getting all that done, I took a nap from 11am-1pm which felt so nice. I knew I'd be up late tonight babysitting and I was a little tired---plus, the rainy weather always puts me in a sleepy mood. When I woke up, I felt like I was STARVING and proceeded to eat a day's worth of food in one sitting. I had a healthy choice dinner called Chicken Pesto Classico, two slices of vegetarian Sicilian pizza reheated, strawberry yogurt, a spoonful of chocolate frosting, popcorn, two big cups of my cherry fiber water, and a chocolate chip cookie ... or two. You'd have thought that I was storing up for the winter and was about to hibernate...OR...that I hadn't eaten in awhile. Neither was the case, but BOY was I hungry! I blame it on you, baby girl...you must be going through another growth spurt.

After I woke up and inhaled every bit of food I could find, I realized I had missed a call while I had napped. Lori from church had called about Sunday School tomorrow...I will most likely still teach tomorrow morning, but I wanted to let her know that I am FINALLY getting over my two week cold. Speaking of which, today was the FIRST day in TWO weeks that I feel like I'm starting to regain my pre-sick energy. I feel like the coughs today are making progress in clearing out my lungs and I wasn't woken last night by coughing (only by a few trips to the bathroom). My nose was probably only blown about half a dozen times today, and each time I felt like it was ALSO making progress in clearing out my sinuses. Knock on wood, I think I'm on the road to recovery...yippee!

Talked with Aunt Nettie on the phone today and caught up a little with her. Tomorrow is the big Christmas get together for my mom's extended side of the family...so sad we'll be missing it, but I told Aunt Nettie to send our love to everyone. My niece Brittany graduated college today. Congrats! What a relief you must feel to finally be done, huh?!? Was supposed to go help deliver our Christmas-In-A-Box for church today, but I didn't want to jeopardize mine and Peyton's health now that I'm finally starting to feel better so I wished Meghan and her helpers a happy day of delivering and cancelled my participation. 

Worked from 5pm until 12:45am at work tonight so that my bosses could go to a couple Christmas parties down in San Jose this evening. The boys and I enjoyed our night inside, listening to the rain, playing with the dogs, reading stories, and just gibber-gabbering. Tonight was the first night the boys slept in the same room-all went well although the last few nights J has been staying up until about 10 or 11pm talking to himself in the dark. We may have to adjust his nap time to help fix this problem...

While at work I wrote in Peyton's baby book and the only other things I still need to add are a few pictures, otherwise I am all caught up in that AND her belly book. I also wrote a letter to Kate, checked email, let the boss's dogs come in to cuddle because of the wet/cold weather, vacuumed, swiffered, did dishes, picked up around their house, and watched Saturday Night Live (for the first time I actually watched it LIVE instead of watching it online a few days after the fact) while waiting for my bosses to come home. 

Now it is time for bed. I'm already swaddled in my new Pj's and have the electric blanket warming up my spot next to my sleeping husband. This evening I did feel 2 braxton hicks while at work...so we'll see how the rest of the night/morning hours go, or if I'll be able to sleep pretty well. Poor Peyton, I can only imagine the Braxton Hicks make it a little uncomfortable for you in there. Hey, I'm just saying...but...if it's all the same to you, I know of a way to make it a little more comfortable...you could just come right on outta there anytime and then you won't have to deal with these false labor contractions when you're peacefully asleep...just a suggestion...

Good night everyone!

"The Best And The Most Beautiful Things In The World Cannot Be Seen Or Even Touched, They Must Be Felt With The Heart."

~Helen Keller

Let's see...I'm trying to remember what happened yesterday because I am writing this a day late due to some technology/computer/internet issues that didn't get resolved until now. I do remember that I had 4 episodes of Braxton Hicks throughout the night and woke up to drive Tony to work in the morning, as we were supposed to be getting a big rain storm for the next five or six days---watch out Wisconsinites, this will most likely make it's way to you next week---that probably means more snow!

After dropping Tony off at work, I stopped at the 99cent store for the second time in two days. This time I stocked up on the scrapbooking tape runners I was telling you about-bought a bunch to send home to mom, who did place an order, and for myself. Got a few other items like silver decorative plates for "fancy" occasions when I need to "spice up" our regular tablewear, and also got a few other items that were too good of a deal to pass up. Stopped right off at the post office after leaving the store so that I could send Mom's order of tape runners out to her.

Immediately after that, I dropped a few things off at home and went over around 8:30am to spend the day with Nicole. We chatted, exchanged Christmas gifts, and then spent the rest of the day running errands, catching up, and having girl time. She got me this really warm set of fleece jammies that I have been eyeing for awhile. So warm and comfy and super soft! (Picture below) Among some of the places we stopped at were: her sister's work, Fed Ex, Bel Air, AT&T store, Target, Bath & Body Works, Old Navy, Fresh Choice (where Nicole treated my big pregnant belly out to a yummy buffet-totally hit the spot), World Market, Best Buy, and I'm sure there are a few other places I forgot. Thanks for a great day with a great friend, Nicole (and for the tasty lunch, great conversation, and perfect PJ's!)!

Got home just in time to pull the mail in and head to work. Tony and I got a mini (LIVE!!!) Christmas tree from Dad & Mary for a little taste/smell of home because we couldn't fly home to join them for the holidays due to being pregnant/due this Christmas. It is adorable-it came with the fresh pine tree scent, mini ornaments, and even a mini strand of colored lights. I set it up in our bedroom on our desk so that we can see it at night time and smell the "Wisconsin" Christmas. Thank you so much, guys! The branches are so super tiny and soft! I think this is actually a plant that even I can't kill... :)

Thank you, Dad & Mary, for the little version of a home Christmas. :)

Thank you, Nicole, for some fuzzy new pajamas to pamper myself!

Headed off to work for the evening because my bosses had a work holiday party to go to. The boys and I had a good night of playing and just hanging out. Got home around 10:30pm-sent home with another set of items from K---sleeper sacks for Peyton to wear over her clothes to keep warm in the winter. Every time she wears them, it will make me think of Mo, as just a few short months ago he could fit into these and wore them all the time.

Was happy to get our "GO-OAHU" cards in the mail today...so excited to use them in 2 months! Got a letter from my friend Kate, sad to report that my cousin's mother in law passed away from her 3-year battle with cancer today-Carstens Family, you are in our thoughts and prayers! We got Christmas cards from Jody V., the Loefpe and Sherman Families today and sadly got two of our Christmas cards returned due to incorrect addressed...I will hunt down the correct addresses and hopefully have them back out in time to be received by Christmas! I really wanted to make Texas Chili today, but I had no idea I would've spent the whole rainy day waddling through parking lots (trying not to slip) and hanging out with Nicole-much better way to spend a day than I had envisioned and much better company! Perhaps that'll be a project for this upcoming week-which I still want to make some "Cheesy Potatoes" as my holiday comfort food that usually my Wisconsin family makes.

Okay, I think that is all that happened yesterday, if not, I blame my pregnant brain for forgetting! Bless you all! Logan still is M.I.A. with phone calls...I hope he got the package. Our special packages we sent out to Mom & Dan and Dad & Mary should be arriving tomorrow if the weather cooperates. Tony and Nikki went to see the Tron movie at the theater tonight after work while I was babysitting-they said it was "okay" when I talked to them this morning. Okay, I really think that is about it...

"There’s One Good Thing About Snow, It Makes Your Lawn Look As Nice As Your Neighbor’s."

~Clyde Moore

Now that we are in our "rainy" season (it probably would be snow if we didn't live in the valley, where it is warm compared to other parts of the northern half of the country), I am reminded how grateful I am to not have to leave early to defrost my windshield, scrape my windows, shovel myself out of the driveway, or plan for an extra amount of time to get to work due to the slippery conditions of the roads. With that said, I am surprised how many people here fail to lack the ability to drive a normal speed in the rain or fog. Coming from me, that is actually saying a lot, because I am a self proclaimed, "Grandma driver." I am totally okay with this label and feel proud to say that although I go the speed limit, I don't dart in and out of traffic, I don't set my cruise control a few mph above the speed limit (just because), I drive the speed limit and am proud to be a law-abiding citizen and a "safe driver" by all predetermined and widely-accepted standards. Today it was gloriously sunny and clear, at least by our house. The Sierras looked majestic and picture-worthy in the east and there was the horrible smell of the nearby rendering plant that I was trying to ignore due to the picturesque setting. As I drove south to go to work, however, the smell got stronger and I was quickly enveloped in a thick blanket of fog. Upon which my fourteen mile ride into work turned into a tour of local cars and drivers who didn't know how to handle foggy conditions. I must have seen half a dozen or more cars on the side of the road, no visible vehicular issues except for the simple fact that the dense fog seemed too overwhelming for the drivers. So sad! These people would never survive living in a place like Wisconsin where there actually ARE many days a year where I would consider the roads "TREACHEROUS." It just makes me shake my head and pity people who are so easily distracted by the weather to safely get from point A to point B. (I know I started off this blog talking about the beautiful weather-for those of you NOT familiar with the Sacramento area, Elk Grove is consistently plagued by fog...)

Even though the weather was supposed to be ideal today, there was a store I needed to hit up close to Tony's work and my nanny schedule today allowed for the luxury of driving my husband to work...so, Tony had another day "off" of his motorcycle. I actually enjoy spending some time with him in the car...again, I think it's because I have his undivided attention. After dropping my man off at his job, I stopped at the 99cent store that I had checked out while waiting for him the other night. I ended up getting some packaging tape, scotch tape, scrapbooking tape, ornaments (for an art project), and air freshener. And yes, before you go asking...yes, I ADMIT that I do have a fascination with tape. I came home expecting to be able to switch the load of laundry that I had started before we left in the morning, but it was surprisingly running really slow, as it continued to do all day-I pray something is not wrong with our washing machine as it is only 2 years old and is a nice one. I'm hoping I just pushed the wrong setting and that is why it was taking epically long to run it's normal cycle. I guess I need to keep an eye on it next week (I only do laundry once a week) and see if I run into the same problems again.

I had a nice morning and afternoon with the boys, although M wanted a lot of extra loving and cuddles today because he wasn't feeling the best after all of his shots he got yesterday. He had had a rough night and tough morning. Luckily he was able to nap and eat a normal amount so that I could also spend time with J, do some vacuuming, make lasagna for the family, re-do a Christmas project with M that I had broken when trying to wrap it up, and run some laundry. After work, I came home to find a mailbox full of fun snail mail. NO JUNK-HOORAY! There were EIGHT Christmas cards and a letter from our life insurance company saying we had a refund coming our way. What a nice treat!

I thawed out some chicken for dinner, finished running our laundry through the dryer and put all the clothes away. Played Wheel of Fortune on the computer and watched a movie while adding the finishing touches onto M's re-done Christmas gift for his parents, and caught up on computer tasks and writing in my belly book. Today was the LAST DAY of week 37...meaning...only 2 more weeks until Peyton's due date! Can't wait! Last night was full of about a dozen Braxton Hicks throughout the night...again, not painful (knock on wood) but definitely woke me up each time. I was curious if the fact that both times I got Braxton Hicks (a few nights back and last night) had anything to foretell the fact that I would go into REAL labor contractions in the middle of the night. My Facebook mom friends tell me the two are not related whatsoever. Oh well. I just hope it means she's getting ready to come outta there!

Tony's mom and I talked today and she was happy (and surprised) to report that she qualified for unemployment (not only that, but she actually gets a decent weekly check with it that will cover all of her bills, rent, and other expenses). I think this is the best news, as it will allow her the freedom to not take the first job she finds, but to actually find something that makes her happy, to be choosy, and to consider a switch in fields. Hopefully she sees this as a sign and an opportunity to find something that is a good fit for her and to reassure her that things will work out and there is a reason for everything. Thank you all who kept her in your thoughts and prayers this last week-she seems to be rebounding better and her attitude is picking up! We really appreciate all the love you are sending her way!

Tried for the FIFTH day in a row to get my brother on the phone-I know that in a normal circumstance, me blogging about someone's inability to answer the phone MAY result in them feeling guilted into actually returning a phone call, but I am under NO disillusionment that my brother reads my blog or cares about the humility I am passively sending his way. I simply want to confirm that he got the Secret Santa package Tony sent him BEFORE he leaves for Wisconsin Saturday morning (to which it means he will not get his package until after he comes home and also means that the package will sit out in the open for over a week...). Hopefully I am able to reach him tomorrow...

I may have already included this link in a previous blog, but just in case it slipped my mind, this is a wonderful treat for those of you with children who wish to hear from Santa. It is personalize-able and every kid I have used this with LOVES it! Definitely check it out!!! It's called the Portable North Pole and I this will be the third year I've used it for nieces/nephews/nanny children/friends of the family. What a neat website!

On the way to get Tony from work this afternoon, I had just finished baking some fresh chocolate chip cookies for dessert, stopped at the Walgreens across the street to use my $5 stock up coupon to buy some more kleenex (as I used my last one on the way out the door), sour candy, and dryer sheets. I only had to pay 33 cents...quite the deal. Chatted with both Mom and Dad today, which was nice and headed back home. When we got home, Tony threw the garbage and recycling out to the curb and got to work on the LAST of his homework for this semester's classes. He had a paper due and it took him awhile tonight, but now he has no more homework until next semester-yippee! While he worked on homework, I made a tender chicken and stir fry veggie dinner with brown rice. I think that after all my "Betty Crocker" attempts, I am willing to bet that the more tender chicken is a result of thawing the chicken out naturally, as it tends to be rather dry when I defrost the chicken in the microwave. Tonight my chicken marinade consisted of onion flakes, garlic salt, extra virgin olive oil, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce on medium heat for about 45 minutes-so delicious! Tony definitely had nothing but good things to say (in between bites).

Now it is time for bed as everything on today's To Do list is done and Tony just signed off of his computer and is finishing up with a shower. We turned the heat back on, now that the weekend is bringing windy, wet weather in the 50s. We also added our electric blanket to the bed tonight...I know people would look at us and NEVER know I used to live in the midwest...I've lost my ability to tolerate the cold...and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

TWO MORE WEEKS until your due date, Peyton Mackenzie...can't hardly wait a moment longer! I'm quickly realizing how little patience I really have where your due date is concerned...I'm just so excited for our family of three to begin! Love you, little girl!

~Nicholas Sparks wrote this as the opener for one of my FAVORITE books...

"I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough."

I could NOT agree MORE! If I accomplish nothing else in this life, I will die happy knowing that I achieved what  Nicholas wrote above! I hope those of you in my life feel the love that I feel for you! I hope I show you my love above and beyond telling you how much you mean to me! That will be my new mission for 2011...to show everyone how important and how much they mean to me/us through action and not just words.

This morning I woke up after having a little acid reflux in the night-YUCKO! Luckily it didn't grow to anything bigger than that. No more Braxton Hicks after yesterday's wee-morning bouts. Sadly. I was hoping it would continue to help show me that she will arrive by her due date, or sooner. I'll keep you posted if I feel more! After having some cereal, I got to work on packaging up some awkward-sized gifts to send home to Wisconsin family. Tony took off for work and I finished up the wrapping of the items. I attempted to reach my toes to trim my toenails, but my belly got in the way, so I had to wait until Tony came home to get them cut. 

On my way to work, I sent off the last of the Christmas packages, stopped at the bank, and stopped at my boss's work to pick up the stroller that he still had in his truck that K needed that afternoon. The first half of work I got to spend just with J because M and K went to a doctor's appointment. At lunch time, K dropped M back off before heading onto her errand running. Poor Mo Mo had the last of his shot series until he turns one and the little guy was feeling little less than stellar. We cuddled after J went down for a nap and I wrapped a few gifts for K. She came home at 2pm and I headed home, grabbed the mail, picked up some dishes in the kitchen, and took a 2 hour nap-boy did that really feel good. I woke up to some heart burn, but at least I was well rested! I got started on some chicken parmesan for dinner and some homemade chocolate chip cookies from a new recipe I found. The cookies tasted good but were not as exceptional as I was led to believe. At least it was a yummy dessert.

I just got out of the shower and watched a movie on Hulu.com called Christmas Cupid....ehh? It was a cheap-o movie that was kinda like a Christmas Carol in modern times. Oh well, it helped pass the time. Now it is time to hit the hay. I did get a few more Christmas cards today: from the Barczak family, from a Sennheiser friend (Jason), and from a former roommate and friend (the Morris Family). The mail also had a vote-by-mail card for January 4th's local election and a free sample of Similac baby formula (not terrible to have as back up around the house). Kinda fun mail day, today.

Friends DVD is calling me into a sleepy bed...nighty night...

"Life Is A Series Of Surprises."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Amazing how many turns a day can take! I woke up 3 times during the wee hours of this morning to a few Braxton Hicks contractions. Kinda exciting seeing as how it lends itself towards getting closer to the end of the pregnancy and also exciting because they were gone as quickly as they came. I hope this means she's on her way very soon! Slept until 7am to wake up because Tony had made me some oatmeal for breakfast before I dropped him off at work. Today was yet another rainy day in the valley and because we had a breastfeeding class to go to in Folsom immediately after work, it seemed only right that I would not make my husband drive to work in the rain on his motorcycle when I could easily drop him off. Before heading out the door, we were disappointed to find one of the walls in our dining room/hallway covered in mini ants from floor to ceiling. With no obvious food source, no clear path of origin or destination, our only solution was to douse them with bug spray that killed them instantly. There were easily 200 of these mini annoying creatures and it grossed me out, to say the least. At first I got nervous because it appeared that the bug spray had bleached the walls and were leaving drip marks everywhere. Upon returning from dropping of Tony, I was pleasantly surprised to have been wrong. Not only were there NO bleach marks (which meant we didn't have to do wall touch ups) but all of the ants were effectively dead in their spots on the walls, ceilings, and floors. Of course, I did NOT clean up the mess and left the ant carcasses for my husband for when he came home tonight (hey, hey, before you go judging, I am not supposed to touch that stuff when I'm pregnant...and the ceiling stuff was out of my reach in the first place...).

I munched all day, took naps, talked with a few people on the phone, chatted with Mikee about her next plans in the work-department, tried getting a hold of my brother to see if he had gotten his secret santa package, listened to music, played on the computer, emailed, stalked, got mail, and just had a leisure day. I woke up this morning with a neck cramp...most likely a result of sleeping in an abnormal position or something like that. I tried taking a long hot shower to ease the pain. Although the shower did NOT help with the neck (or back cramps-I think my back was achy because of all of the coughing I've been doing this last week and a half), it was a perfect opportunity for me to shave my legs one LAST time before going into labor. Let's just end this story saying that I'm glad my husband was not present as trying to contort my overly pregnant self into the positions necessary for shaving my legs (when I can barely reach my knees, let alone my ankles) was less than impressive or attractive! Either way, mission accomplished and I do feel better that the doctor will not have to look at my mammoth hair covered legs during delivery because of my efforts this afternoon. Although, I'm sure they could care less and it's probably more of an issue for me than anyone. Regardless, it made me feel better!

I dropped off some mail to Mikee on my way to pick Tony up from work. On the way to his last job today, his work truck got stuck in the mud around 5pm. I figured it was a matter of a half hour or so for the problem to get fixed, so I headed over to pick him up so that we could go to the breastfeeding class. THREE AND A HALF HOURS LATER, he finally pulled into the yard at work. I had been off-and-on able to text him on his phone, as where he was stuck there was little cellular coverage, go figure, considering he works for a phone company. Anyway, while I was waiting, I had luckily planned ahead and had brought a book. My boss K had loaned me a really resourceful book about how to help yourself as parents trying to get a newborn onto a eating/sleeping schedule. It actually is a pretty knowledgeable book AND an easy read. it is called Baby Wise. After reading 150 or so pages, I turned to texting my friend Nicole for entertainment. When that was over, I treated myself to Subway across the street and picked up some food to go for Tony. When I was bored and done listening to music on the radio, I then headed back across the street to the 99cent store. I carefully perused every item in every aisle and used the bathroom twice while I was killing time there. Oh, and Mom (because I know you read my blog), while I was there, I found the same scrapbook tape runners that you had stocked up for me for 99cents a piece...do you want me to load you up and send some! What a steal! They are the same brand and everything!!! Just let me know! I plan on going back there to stock up for myself if nothing else!

Needless to say, because I had waited so long for Tony to get done with work, we missed our breastfeeding class tonight. It was the last in the series of prenatal classes we were to take. I plan on calling Kaiser in the morning to see if it is possible for us to reschedule, as I still feel it is an important class to take...we'll see what they say. Had I known how long it would've taken Tony's truck to get pulled out by the tow truck company I most likely would've gone to the class and just left a bit early to pick him up from work, but because he didn't have phone coverage, I just had to take one thing at a time and I knew that if nothing else, Tony did need a way home from work and that if all else fails, I will have the opportunity to be taught breastfeeding essentials during our postpartum stay at the hospital.

We got home around 9:30pm, Tony got immediately to work on some of his online course work that was due tonight and we had some hot tea and cocoa while doing our evening routine. Now it is bedtime. I really need to get on top of sending out the last few Christmas items to people who I won't see over the holidays so that it hopefully gets there before Christmas. I will try and get that done tomorrow before heading into work.

On a happy note, MRI results are in for Mah-tator-tot. He has a congenital nystagmus but no tumor! Yay! That is fantastic news! The doctor seems to think it will have no effect on his ability to learn to read-more good news. There may even be a chance that surgery or contacts will help. Thank you all for keeping him and his family in your prayers as I believe this is the best news we could have hoped for! Both of those boys are such amazingly strong fighters and such awesome young men! I am happy that the follow up appointment went so well today!


Now to bed with a heating pad, my warm husband, and a big glass of water (as my throat has been dry these last few nights). Buenas noches, el mundo!