Brief Update

I am posting from the library because, long story short, we do not have internet, phone, or cable for an indefinite period of time.  We're working on it, but it is very frustrating to be unable to communicate with my peeps all over the country.

That said, other than the lack of technological entertainment, the moving has been going pretty well.  We've been over at the old house every day - clearing out last minute nonsense, touch up painting, getting carpets cleaned, etc.  It's been exhausting.  At the new house I'm unpacking a few boxes a day, then running errands all over town - so progress has been slow.  The master bed and bath are done, kitchen is about 90%, Littleman's room has one box left and his new upstairs playroom is 98% done.  It's going well.

It's been in the 80's here all week!  YES, 80 degrees!  It's gorgeous, but scary.  Scary because I am sweating buckets and I am not even really that pregnant yet! Yikes.

Had a "belly check" with the OB yesterday.  I've gained ONE pound - still can't believe that since I've been craving McDonald's french fries in a very scary way.  Other than the french fries, all is going well.  Baby's heart was pounding good and strong. Won't have another ultrasound until 20 weeks (about a month and a half from now), so no gender yet!  No news is good news.

Well, Littleman is climbing all over me begging to "check his email" which translates to "play games on pbs.org." Will try to update again soon.  THanks to everyone for the well wishes, food/dinner donations, etc (and the plant from my dad!).

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Welcome to our new home...

So, we closed this morning on our Texas home.  I took most of these pictures a few hours later and I apologize for their crookedness.  I am exhausted and just wanted to have something to show.  I still have quite a bit of last minute packing to do, so this will be brief.  We won't have internet until Tuesday, so I won't be updating until then.  Enjoy and know you are always welcome. :)

 

House1

 

House2

Here's the entry way with a view of the dining room.  Don't ask me why they carpet dining rooms - it seems to be the norm out here!  Weird, right?

House3

Next we have the kitchen.  All Kitchen Aid appliances (except for the fridge, which we bought and will be delivered tomorrow).  This kitchen feels super fancy to me and I can't wait to cook and bake in it!

House4

Our kitchen opens to our living room.  We LOVE the open floor plan.  You can see the door to the back yard and covered porch kind of to the left.  All the way in the back is my office - there are french doors that were open when I took the picture.

House5

This is the stairway to the playroom, guest room/Papabear's office, and a third full bathroom. (Why they had to put THREE full baths, I don't know...I DO know I won't enjoy cleaning all of them!)  You can also see the fan in the master bedroom back there.

House6

Here's the covered porch area and a pic of the backyard.  Not huge, but big enough for a good sized swingset, and that's good enough for me.  Privacy, oddly, isn't really an option in Texas unless you have mega-bucks or get super lucky.

House7

 

House8

Here's a shot of the master bath...I'm not sure why I took or included this picture, but here ya go.  Do you really want to see where we'll brush our teeth?

House9

And finally, a shot of a very tired Littleman in his new room with a "new" antique dresser from Maday.  His dresser is really a changing table and that, as you know, will be going in the baby's room, next to his.

House10

I will post more next week.  If you don't hear from me, it's because I'm passed out from exhaustion in a sea of boxes!

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Miracle #2

12weeks

Here's our little miracle.  Baby #2.  My OB had Papabear and I truly believing that gender could be determined at this ultrasound, but the doctor performing today's screening said otherwise.  She said, "SOMETIMES" they can determine gender, but 12 weeks is REALLY early.  Am I a little disappointed?  Hmmm...well, I have a healthy baby growing in my belly, so no, not really.  Perhaps Baby#2 is already money savvy and wanted to save us a few bucks - I'm sure it knew that the moment I knew its gender I'd be out buying this and that....

Okay, take a moment to locate the baby's nose.  I know my scanner isn't great, but let me assure you, it is one of the cutest little noses I've ever seen...in utero!

In other news, we are almost completely packed.  The closing is this Friday and we are all set to go!  Things are VERY exciting over here!

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Baby names

Don't get your hopes up.  Although I will share the gender of our baby, you will not know his or her name until he or she is born.  That's just the way we roll.  However, here's a funny thing that happened today.

So, Littleman's cuddling in bed with us this morning.  I say, "Littleman, at the end of the summer we'll have a little baby in bed with us.  Will you share some room with the baby?"

"Yes."

"What should we name the baby?"

(no hesitation) "Barack Obama!"

I guess he's got caught up in all the hype!

Happy Valentine's Day!

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Super fantastic Monday

I have a lot riding on this coming Monday.  I will officially be exiting the first trimester and I am seriously hoping this nausea and exhaution will also be exiting the scene.  Also, I will find out the gender of my little belly buddy.  The scan/ultra sound will also measure the nuchal fold and all that serious stuff, so I am just focusing on the fun gender part.

It will also be the last Monday living in this rented house (assuming things go well...and after today's home inspection, things are).  The new house means a new beginning in a bunch of ways.  Lots of new things to look forward to.

Oh, I no longer have a little boy named "Littleman."  He is now Spiderman.  Anyone who attempts to call him by his given name, is STRONGLY told to correct themselves.  When I pick him up at the gym child care, I call out, "Spiderman," to get his attention, and he shouts with glee, "SPIDERMAN MOMMY!"  We also have in our home, Spiderman Daddy and Spiderman Grandma.  Any good friends of his (or kids he meets at the playground) are instantly dubbed "Batman" and they go off to do their super hero antics.  Seriously, though, the kid is spiderman obsessed!  The weird thing is that he has NEVER seen an episode of a Spiderman cartoon or a movie or even a book!  He must have learned about Spiderman from a preschool buddy...and now he has spiderman underwear and t-shirts....and so it begins....

Oh, here's another doosie - I've gained 15 pounds!  In just 11 weeks!!!  No no, I'm just kidding, I just wanted to get your hearts pumping a bit.  Had ya there for a second, didn't I???  I actually haven't gained even a pound yet.  I can't believe it because I've been eating an awful lot of carby, starchy things, but I've also been going to the gym and walking around the neighborhood with Littleman a lot. 

Well, now that I've got you all good and bothered, I'm calling it a night!

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Random blither blatherings

Yes, I do believe I made up the expression "blither blatherings."  Well, maybe not....but I feel like I made it up, so I will revel in it for the moment.  Speaking of making things up, after the recent "success" of my library games, I am excited to try and sell some more.   Excited is not exactly the right word...it's like a cocktail of excitement and anxiety, with a dash of hesitance.  Do I have any more good ideas? I must...but where, oh where is the motivation?  Hmmm....well, I have to say, my body is working pretty darn hard on making another member of the shinesalot clan, so perhaps I'll wait until that masterpiece is finished....but then I won't have even a millisecond to myself.  Well, I'll see what I can muster up before this little munchkin becomes reality.

So, we have plans to move.  Moving truck is reserved.  Plane ticked for Papabear's best bud to fly in and help is purchased.  Appliances have been bought and scheduled to be delivered the day after closing.  My heart is yet again attaching itself to a building that may or may not be home in 12 days.  Craziness.

I am moody.  When I was prego with Littleman, Papabear said I was the most mellow and easy going I had ever been.  This time around, not so.  I am MOODY, with all capital letters.  Moody, moody, moody.  If you call and I am curt or snappy, please don't take it personally.  And this level of fatigue!  It's unbelievable!  I don't remember it being nearly so strong last time...and it's not like Littleman is exhausting me - he can handle himself at parks and playgrounds.  And finally, the nausea.  Every night, until I go to sleep.  It's wretched.  Are you thinking what I'm thinking? (*girl*)  Maybe.  We'll know on the 16th...taking wagers!

Littleman said two things this week that had Papabear and I crying with tears. 

"Mommy, I think I have a ball in my butt."
"WHAT???"

"No wait, it's poop."

How lovely is that?????

"Mommy, can we go to McDonalds?"

"Not today, honey."

"Mooooommmmm (super whine), can't it be YES??????"

It doesn't seem so funny when I type it, but we laughed so hard.

In other random news, I drool over All-Clad and Le Crueset cookware in ways that are utterly embarrassing. 

And, another tribute to Papabear.  He has done EVERYTHING lately.  I mean, everything.   Things he never had a mind to do before - like reschedule our pest control people to come to our new house, or get our taxes done.  I used to be responsible for every little thing...and now, I am merely (ha! merely) responsible for our boy, paying the bills, keeping the house tidy, and not getting gestational diabetes.  Honestly, though, he is taking so much off my shoulders.  It's awesome.  Now, if I could only stay awake long enough to properly thank him...(okay, tmi, I know, sorry....)

My mom is visiting in March.  I am excited and sad.  I am excited because I miss her so much, so does Littleman, and I can't wait for her to see our new house and all that stuff.  I am sad because I was supposed to go to NJ...and I miss my brothers and sister and other family back east so much...I am sad that I won't see them until MAYBE June.  I'll be honest, it is WAY easier for her to come out here.  I am grateful that I don't have to travel just a few weeks after we move...but, man, I miss my peeps back east.

Papabear's mom has still not scheduled her surgery...putting it off as long as she can get away with....

Papabear has made a baked ziti for dinner tonight.  I haven't tasted it yet, it's still in the oven, but the smell...oh gawd, the smell....it is to die for!  Mmmmmm....I am so lucky that he cooks so well and enjoys it, too!!!!!  He made enough for us to freeze a batch!  Not sure I could love him anymore at this moment.  :)

OH, current cravings: hamburgers (about twice a week, but I only give in once), watermelon, eggs, raspberries.  I don't crave gooey, soft rolls/bread like I did with Littleman, but if they are present, I can't resist them....I don't buy them, but if you have them in your house, watch out!

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Okay, so it's official.

Yes, I'm preggers!  I found out three days before Christmas.  I KNOW - It has been really hard not to talk about it here for over a month!  I'm 11 weeks and more exhausted and nauseous than I ever dreamed possible.  (The exhaustion is another reason I have not been writing as much.)  Other than that, all is well.  My technical due date is August 30th.  We'll have a c-section about a week before.  We want to wait as long as possible (all the latest research shows that c-sections done two or so weeks early have really negative effects on the baby).  I've actually been considering VBAC, but I need to get a hold of my medical records from Littleman's birth.  My new OB says that if they nicked a certain vein...or wait...maybe it was artery...(I don't know) last time, I don't have a choice...well, there's plenty of time to find out.

Well, I guess things don't get more exciting than that. :)  New house, new baby.  Dudes, I am so tired, I have to go. 

 

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Another concert and things...

Last night Papabear and I went to see The Killers with some good friends.  It was a decent rock show - it would have been better in a smaller venue where we could have danced, but all in all, it was a rockin' good time (even if I was so tired I could barely stand).  There is one thing I HAVE to share.  It was one of those venues that had huge screens on each side of the stage. Throughout the show the camera men would show close ups of the band and fans cheering, singing, and dancing in the audience.  Naturally, the camera would fall more frequently on the really pretty or scantily clad girls.  One girl, and I swear this is true, was wearing a super tight white t-shirt that read, "Not just a pretty face (fantastic tits, too!)"   CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT????  And whenever the camera landed on her she would jiggle her goods like you wouldn't believe.  Only in Dallas...I guess. 

Now that I've calmed down from the arrival of my check, I can be more sensible about how to spend it.  I really do think I want to spend a big chunk of it on a playground/swing set for the new back yard.  The rest will probably go towards our lame health insurance deductible.  It's a $1000 PER person!  And then after that's paid, you still have to pay 30% of the bill up to $3000 a year! Ridiculous.  Man, do I miss my high quality, New York Blueshield insurance....covered just about everything.  Ug.

Not too much else to report.  Still working on closing the deal on another house.  I'm not getting excited until we have the keys (scheduled for Feb. 20)...so we'll see.

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NO F-ING WAY!

Okay, I totally apologize for the title - it's tactless and lame...but I am shaking from the piece of mail I just received from my publisher.  A check.  For $2,522.42!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So even in the crummy economy people still want some nerdy library skills games!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Approximately some 1000 people!  I know EXACTLY what I am going to do with this money.  I am going to spend nearly $2000 on a playground for Littleman and with the rest I am going to get myself some new clothes.  Last time I ended up paying bills with my July check...but this time, I am really going to spend it on ME.  Well....I'm going to really try and spend it on fun stuff.  I still can't believe they sold that many games.  I was sure I'd get a check for fifty bucks or something.  What a treat.  Had to share.

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