16 1/2 weeks!

I'm finally starting to show a "bump" as my waistline is disappearing! So far, I've only gained 6 pounds....which is WAY better than the first time around. I've been keeping up my exercise and doing well with eating (although I've noticed I want smaller, more frequent meals lately).

When I went to see the doctor last month, she talked to me about the MME or Triple Screen test to check for Down's syndrome, Spina Bifida, etc. I declined this with Bryce, as I did with this baby. No matter what the results of the tests are, it wouldn't change wheather or not I had this baby.....plus, it would save me from worrying about a "false positive" until September.

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!! I'm going to visit my friend Stephanie to find out "officially" what this child is! I'm about 85% sure it's a boy based on what I've seen from scanning myself, but I just need someone else's eyes to take a look to be sure, so stay tuned!

Week 16: Time for ye olde ultrasounde
Fetal development in pregnancy week 16:fetus in fourth month Over the past three weeks your astounding growing baby has managed to stretch yet another 2 full inches (totaling about 4.5”) and weighs around 3.5 ounces. That’s pretty serious growth, and with it comes several physical developments! For starters, their head to body ratio is finally starting to even out a bit as the rest of the body is actually growing faster than the head at this point. Finally, your little light bulb is not so top-heavy. Their adorable little limbs have lengthened, almost reaching their normal proportions which they will have at birth. Their eyes are still closed but moving now and if you had an ultrasound, which many doctors recommend you have at about this time, you may even see your little one sucking on a thumb, not to mention the necessary signifiers to let you know whether you’ve got a wee lad or lassie.

And how's mom doing? Along with an ultrasound, many practitioners recommend administering the “Multiple Marker Test (MMT)” (sometimes known as the “Triple Screen Test”) this week. This very common procedure checks your blood (not your baby’s) for specific protein and hormone levels as well as informing you about any potential Before you start breathing in that strained fearful way or furrowing your brow in concern, you should know that even if you do get a positive test, this hardly means your little trooper is in trouble. Only about 3 to 5 percent of women yield positive results risks of genetic or birth defects. Before you start breathing in that strained fearful way or furrowing your brow in concern, you should know that even if you do get a positive test, this hardly means your little trooper is in trouble. Only about 3 to 5 percent of women yield positive results and of those women, only 10 percent actually have any sort of complication to report. Obviously, a positive test from the MMT will mean further testing for you, including amniocentesis and more ultrasounds. Although this test sounds like a bit of a dud with the high percentage of false positives coming back, it's popular because it has and can effectively identify a majority of all neural tube defects as well as babies with Down syndrome. So despite its obvious drawbacks, you’ll still want to arrange to take the test to better prepare you and your family for the fact that anything is possible.

Queen Slacker!

Well, I've totally ignored my blog for quite sometime now. My unnecessary responsibilities are slowly dwindling away. Alot has changed in my life that has forced me to change how I spend my time. First of all, my sitter of almost 2 years decided that she was tired of watching kids and is ready to go back to work. I was spoiled with my mom's days out, but it's also a pleasant change having Bryce here all the time. He hangs well with me! Plus, it has forced me to quit my day jobs. Yep, I had to quit them ALL! (((yeah!))) I first quit my job with MTMC that I've had for almost 5 years now....7 years if you count my clinics that I did while in school. I made alot of good friends there, and hopefully that's something I can keep with me. I also had to stop all commitments with the scrapbook store. Having a 3 year old in the house all the time leaves little time for scrapping for myself, much less other people. I'll have to admit, it has been SOOOO nice not having the phone ring everyday for someone asking me to work.

And if you haven't heard, baby #2 is on the way! I'm somewhere along the 12-13 week range now. This has been way easier of a pregnancy than Bryce was. I stayed nauseous and light-headed with him almost daily. The only "issues" I've had so far have just been being tired all of the time.

So, with Baby #2 and no babysitter anymore, I decided to sign Bryce up for a mother's day out program. Man is that a stressful thing to do! Here's how it works: I had 3 places in mind of where I wanted to send him based on talking to other moms, etc. I called all of the places and inquired about registration....and get this....
MDO #1 had registration yesterday
MDO #2 has registration 3/5
MDO #3 has registration the first of April
so what do you do? I really wanted him to go to MDO #3, but if he didn't get in, then I missed registration for MDO #1 & 2! I signed him up for MDO #1 yesterday and he got his spot in the 3-year old class, and I forked out a $90 deposit to secure the place. I hope I made the right decision!

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by Laura

So here it goes:

Favorite Christmas Movie: Christmas Vacation

Favorite Christmas Song: Rockin' around the Christmas Tree

Favorite Christmas cookie: I like the peanut butter cookies with the reeces cups in the middle...don't know the name...

Favorite Christmas gift ever received: my son

Least favorite thing about Christmas: the anticipation of it all and then how quickly the day is over (I liked your answer Laura)

Where would your perfect Christmas be: Right here at hom

Favorite part of Christmas: the look of excitement on the kids faces

Favorite Christmas Decoration you own: anything with a snowman on it!

When do you put up the tree?: usually the day after Thanksgiving.

Do you wear "holiday" sweaters/sweatshirts/t shirts?: no, I did see some really cute ones at Old Navy this year, but I didn't get one

Now, I'm tagging Lisa and Kristen!

My big boy is POTTY TRAINED!!!

FINALLY! My time off was put to good use! Just kidding....don't ask me how I did it, don't ask me for any advice or suggestions when you're potty training, because I won't be able to help.

I have been putting Bryce in underwear for about the past 3 months when we're just hanging out around the house. I would TRY to make him go sit on the potty atleast once an hour. Nothing ever happened. He always went in his underwear and DIDN'T CARE! I always heard from other parents that this method would work because kids don't like the wet feeling. Not Bryce. He wouldn't flinch.

Chris and I were in Bryce's room one morning after he just woke up, and I had his underwear out about to put it on. I said to Chris, "I don't know why I'm stressing myself out by putting these on him, it's like beating my head against the wall." I was frustrated because we had NO PROGRESS at all....well, maybe a couple of times. But I want you know, on that day, my son took off his underwear and walked into the bathroom ON HIS OWN, and sat on the potty ON HIS OWN, and went! He's been doing that ever since! It's like he woke up that morning and decided he was going to pee in the potty. I'm a very proud mom, so if you ever ask me for advice, my advice would be....don't worry yourself over it, because they will do it when THEY are ready!

Well, I took a hiatus

I needed a break from computer/blogging time so that I could get all of my Christmas preparations done. I started shopping the day after Thanksgiving, and just officially finished up my gift cards yesterday. I did learn that the earlier I shop, the more I end up buying! I forgot about some things that I bought, and just realized yesterday that I have Chris 2 of the same gifts! It will be a big Christmas for Bryce this year. He's super excited about all of the presents under the tree, and Santa Claus! We're going out to a cabin to spend time with my family this weekend from Friday until Monday. Hopefully it will be fun! I really want some cooler weather for Christmas! 72 degrees yesterday did NOT put me in the Christmas mood....

Are you a planner?

It's kind of ironic that I'm blogging about this since I just finished my "hit list" for this week. Yes, I need a plan. I need guidance. I need an organized way to utilize my time or I'll waste it. I need lists to stay focused. It just seems like I have so many random thoughts going through my head that if I don't write them down, I'll forget. You know how when you're walking through the house and you see something that needs attention (cleaning, moving, etc), well for some reason, if I don't write that stuff down I'll just forget. So, here are a few things on my list:
-put up Christmas tree and decorations
-address Christmas cards
-order more gifts online
-wrap presents
-clean out my purse
-get my class stuff organized
-find some outfits for upcoming parties
-pay bills
-fold laundry and put away
-work out
-color my hair
-print out titles for the store
-shop for all of these babies that are coming in the next few months!
-return clothes to Carter's
...and I'm sure more will accumulate as the day goes on.

Do you use a planner in your daily life?
Do you have the need to write things down/make lists etc?
If you do, does using a planner enhance your life? if so, how???
Share your thoughts on organizing your life.

Monday, Monday

Answer these questions.

1- your worst habit?
spending TOO much money on things I don't need!

2- your best feature?
my hair

3- what you like most about your significant other/spouse?
He makes me laugh when I need to, he lets me vent when I'm upset and he trusts me as much as I trust him.

4- if you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Milan

5- what do you admire most in a dear friend you have?
She's ALWAYS there when I need her to be. Months may go by without us talking due to our busy schedules, but when I'm in need of a friend, she's always by my side!

UT at Vandy tomorrow

Chris and my dad will be there. I scored them some tickets in the endzone. This will be my dad's first ever college game. GO COMMODORES!!

T-minus 7 days

Until Black Friday!!! I'm so psyched about getting out in the madness this year! I went last year with my mom and sister. It's hard to do all of my shopping when we had to go places that they needed to go to as well. I'll be flying solo this year, and hopefully I'll be back home with a majority of the Christmas booty by 10am! That's my goal anyway....

So, I cannot BELIEVE Thanksgiving is less than a week away now. I'm a little sad because my sister will not be coming home. I can't remember how long it's been since I've seen her. Probably close to two months now. She moved to Charlotte, NC for work and doesn't come home that often. She's offered to fly me out there the first weekend in December. I'm thinking that I should go, but the mother in me feels guilty about leaving the family behind.

There's not much on the plate for us today. I'm so glad to finally see the SUNSHINE!!! And I'm glad to have today off! One of my co-workers had a death in the family, so I've shuffled my schedule around to help out the past three days. I've also had a hell week of call. Too much to gripe about here.

Recap from the days past...

I've been on my toes lately! We are trying to plan a family trip to the mountains for Christmas and I've been assigned the task of booking a cabin. Well it seems that everyone else has had the same thoughts, because everything seems booked! So I'm in DESPERATE need of help! If you have ever stayed in a NICE cabin somewhere around the Smokey Mts either in TN or NC please suggest a place for me. We need something with atleast 4 bedrooms and it has to be pet friendly. I'm out of places to look. I usually find our rentals from www.vrbo.com, but they aren't able to help me this time.

Anyway, I actually went clothes shopping, FOR ME, on Thursday! I have been going into my closet every day and wondering "what in the hell did I wear last winter, and where did it go?!?". I can't find any of my clothes! But, I had awesome luck at Cool Springs. My new favorite store is Buckle. I never really shopped there before because I thought they only sold jeans, but my oh my! I ended up buying five of the cutest shirts there! Very hip and rock-n-roll-ish which is my style lately. I also bought three new tops at Gap, a sweater set at The Limited, a new pair of boots from Macy's, and drumroll please....a new BODY BRA from VS that was marked 40% off! I got that stinkin' bra for $23!! Anyway, I was proud of my finds. I just can't find anything I like in Murfreesboro anymore. Hopefully the mall here will get better when it finally gets a facelift.

Yesterday I took advantage of the beautiful weather and got some final yard work done for the year. I trimmed up my daylillies and monkey grass, clipped back my mums and raked the mulch over. It was so warm and summer-ey!

Carrie wins and Faith gets pissed!

Click here to see Faith's hissy!

She so doesn't strike me as the type of person that would react this way, so maybe there's more to it than what we saw. I can't wait to see the media's spin on this ordeal!

On today's Oprah

I love this story, I really do. Not too many people could get away with an outrageous promise like this one, but constant comedian Kirstie Alley certainly can. I like how she is shaking things up. She doesn't have the "perfect body". But who cares? She feels comfortable with herself and that is a powerful message to send to the millions of us out there, thin or heavy, who battle weight issues every time we look in the mirror. She looks great and wants to show it off on national television? Why not?

Pumpkins and Pradas and Printers...Oh My!

Happy Halloween!!! I can't wait to take Bryce out this year. I hope it doesn't rain like it's supposed to. He's dressing up as a frog this year. I'll take tons of pictures tonight I'm sure.
This is the cute Prada bag my little sister bought me when she was in Italy. Is it authentic? I don't know, but I like it! I'm not above carrying designer knock-offs! I was so happy to get this. I've been carrying a Thomas the Train backpack as a purse for quite some time now. It's nice to feel like a woman!

We broke down and bought an all-in-one printer, scannier and copier. I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE this! I've already printed out four pictures this morning! It has great quality. I haven't tried scanning anything yet, but watch out! Once I figure it out, I'll be scanning in some old-school pictures!

This is a layout I did over the weekend from our trip to the pumpkin patch this year. I'm usually a Huge fan of the Doodlebug papers, but these were a little loud for my taste, so I had to use it in small doses. He's such a cutie! I'm a little partial though.

Happy Halloween!!!

Seriously

Last night.

Grey's Anatomy.

Rerun.

WTH?

scales. are. ass.

That's all I have to say. Scales are ass! I have totally been dedicated to my diet/fitness regimen for a complete month now. I snuck out the scales first thing this morning to weigh myself, feeling for sure that I would have a loss. Nope, exactly the same as 6 days ago. Why? I have been eating clean, which is SOOO hard for me to do when Chris doesn't eat that way. I have been to the gym for at least 5-6 days a week for a month. I have been doing 60 squats, 60 lunges (60 each leg!), 60 deadlifts, 60 pushups....you get the picture....I'm busting my rump....all followed by 20 minutes of SPRINTS on the treadmill. Granted, I feel the "heads" of my quadriceps developing, my triceps are firmer, my stomach feels flatter, etc, etc but yesterday I did my measurements and they were the same as in JUNE! I should've done measurements when I started this a month ago, but I didn't. I don't think I got THAT much bigger since June!

This is why I give up on things. I need results! I'm going to take a rest day today and maybe do some cardio, no weights. I'm just feeling bummed because of all I've given up (diet cokes/coffee) and what I haven't received.

What a wonderful weekend!

I think I had one of the best weekends that I've had in awhile. It was so low-key and laid back. Just the way I like it. On Saturday, Chris and I decided to go work out at the Smyrna YMCA. The wellness center at our Y in Murfreesboro will be closed for a week while they put new floors down, so we decided we would go get a feel for the other one. We liked it SOOOO much better than ours. All new equipment, TV's on all cardio machines, and they're expanding the wellness center. WOW! We then headed to "Smooth Move" to get some protein shakes. I'm obsessed with this place. It's beside Wal-Mart in the 'boro (formerly Smoothie Bear). I got the Orange Hawaii smoothie.

After smoothies, I had planned to take Bryce to Walden Pumpkin Farm since we haven't gone yet this year. Well, he REFUSED! He wanted to sit in the house and watch "memo" (Finding Nemo). I caved and let him watch it and we headed out after the movie. He was the cutest thing! He picked out a Mommy pumpkin, a Daddy pumpkin and a baby pumpkin. We brought them home and he was making them talk to each other. Super cute!

Yesterday, I pulled 24 hours of call. It sounds horrible, but I only got called in 2 TIMES!!! Once around 11am, and again at 2pm. I got home around 5pm (I had 5 ultrasounds to do the second callback) and stayed home! It's going to be my last 24 hour shift for awhile. Having that beeper on makes me a bitch. The fear of the unknown I guess. Chris suffers because I'm so totally mean when I'm on call like that. I don't want to get involved in anything around the house, because I never know when I'll have to go back to the hospital. But anyway, it was my last one atleast until after the New Year.

I'm meeting my friend Elizabeth at the Y this morning for a class and then we're going to hit up Bath and Body Works so I can spend my coupons. After that we plan on finding some healthy lunch!

My friend Roxy is going in today to have her baby girl Ava! Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Burgess Falls

Last Saturday was so beautiful! We wanted to do something outdoors, cheap and get some exercise at the same time. We loaded up and headed to Burgess Falls. The leaves were changing and the weather was awesome! We hiked 3/4 of a mile to the top of the falls. I would've liked to hike down to the bottom of the falls, but Bryce was already making me nervous around the bluffs. Maybe Chris and I will have to go back soon!

Has it really been that long?

I guess I'm not very dedicated to my blog! The only "excuse" I really have is just the normal life of a mommy.

I got very excited this morning when I logged onto my checking account. Today is payday for me, and I kind of have this "goal", or amount that I have always hoped to achieve (weird, I know). But anyway, I blew it out of the water today! My check was about $600 more than it usually is. Not because I worked that much more, but because my previous checks have been short, and they finally corrected it. I don't have any big plans for the money...all of the bills are paid and everyone here is fat and happy, so I guess to the savings account it goes.

Just a little catch up.....
The Blackman Volunteer Fire Department held a Fire Safety night last week. I was very impressed with their efforts! They had an army tank, a smoke filled house to educate kids, and FIRE TRUCKS! My child is crazy about things with sirens and lights. Well, when he got to put on the hat and "drive" the truck (lights flashing, sirens blazing) he was in heaven! It was a little boy's dream come true! The grand finale of the night was when Life Flight landed! There's just something fascinating to me about helicopters. The flight nurses were so nice! They let everyone (kids included) sit in the helicopter...not in the front though, too many buttons to push! We had such a great time!

This is SO SCARY!!!

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea faced a barrage of global condemnation and calls for harsh sanctions Monday after it announced that it had set off an atomic weapon underground, a test that thrusts the secretive communist state into the elite club of nuclear-armed nations.

And of course they think the US is a big threat to them. I hope this gets under control!

Is it Friday?!?!?

Thank goodness it's Friday. I woke up this morning and it feels like a Monday. I got called in twice last night. Once at 10:45, and again at 2:30. YUCK! Chris woke me up this morning and told me that Bryce had puked at some point last night. Poor little man was covered in it! I feel like such a horrible mom for not even knowing that he was sick last night. I just made a "small" pot of coffee. So much for my no caffeine.

We should have a pretty good weekend coming up! I'm playing bunco tonight with my girls, teaching a class at the scrapbook class Saturday morning, and we have a birthday party Sunday afternoon.

Please keep my friend Jenna in your prayers. She has been in Vanderbilt since the middle of September battling leukemia. She's a very strong woman, and please pray for her healing.