Did you miss me?

I know, I know... It's been a while. I've been such a slacker. This summer has been a cross between relaxing and sleeping because I have time and trying to get the house cleaned and organized because I don't have much time till school starts and I'll be working like crazy again! Summer is half over and I finally feel like I'm starting to catch up.

Just to update a little... Our beautiful daughter, Hazelbum, turned one on June 19th and is walking and talking and still as cute and smart as ever. It has been so much fun going through all the different stages in her short life thus far. Brody and I have enjoyed every moment.

Brody has been out of work for 4 months. It has been a difficult transition, but a good one. We have learned to do without a lot, which also helps us spend more time together. Occasionally Brody gets an invite to go golfing with his step-dad or friend and they are generous enough to foot the bill. Brody has been able to spend a lot of time with Hazel and he is just wonderful with her.

Even though she loves doing things with her daddy, Hazel is still a tad clingy to her mother. That's ok because I really, really like her. I am still teaching piano and loving it. My annual recital is coming up next month and that is always exciting for me. It is a reminder that I am actually making a difference and helping my students learn music. I am trying to keep up with being organized as well as catch up on some other things. Once Brody goes back to work, it will still be just as hectic since we'll have to drop Hazel off and pick her. Although I am glad she has been able to spend so much time with her dad, I'd rather have my husband be the main breadwinner of the family. I know he misses working, especially when I find things for him to do around the house.

We recently met some friends on Twitter through a mutual friend we share. Last night we went to see Love Shack at the Suncoast and danced and danced. It was a fun date (thanks Andrew for taking care of your niece!), although we didn't get home until after one. It is always nice to meet new people who are as awesome as we are. Haha. I enjoyed seeing my husband get down on the dance floor. For someone who doesn't like dancing (and has a bad back to boot), he really loves me because he danced until he was dripping sweat.

Speaking of his bad back... Brody is going in for his 5th epidural on Thursday. We are really hoping that this last longer than the last one. He is so amazing and tries to be happy and helpful even though he's in a lot of pain most of the time. I couldn't have married anyone better.

Well, that's all for now. I'm kind of rambling. If there is something you want updated on, let me know. Otherwise you're just going to get what goes through my mind when I sit down to blog. My goal is every Sunday. If I do it, I can cross it off my weekly list. And I LOVE crossing things off my list!

Hitting the Halfway Mark!

We've made it halfway! Woot woot!

I was 20 weeks today and had the BIG ultrasound appointment. Even though I told Brody I was going to keep it a secret from everyone, including him, I didn't want him to miss out on such a big occasion so I told him when it was so he could come with me. I'm glad he was there; after all, he IS my baby's daddy, no matter how many times he tells people we don't know who the father is.

We have a lot of awesome pictures of our little alien baby, but it is late and I will have to scan and post them another day. We also were able to take video of the first part of the ultrasound, which I will also post later.

My favorite thing was seeing how much the baby was moving and watching him (for all intents and purposes, I will refer to the baby as "he" rather than "it" because Brody is hoping for a boy, but we did NOT find out what it was) yawn and stick his tongue out at us. That was pretty much awesome. I know he's part of my side of the family if he stuck his tongue out at the camera! Haha.

The technician was nice enough to do a gender check (while Brody and I closed our eyes) and took a picture, which she then sealed up in an envelope just so we could have it. I asked Brody if he was secretly mad at me for not wanting to find out and he said yes, so it's really not much of a secret anymore. I know his family is mad at me as well. My family doesn't care. I think my parents are just glad they are still getting more grandkids! I am just excited for more motivation to get this kid out of me when the time comes. I told my sister I would have to think back to this day when I was having contractions and remember how excited I was to see our baby's cute little nose in a profile. You'll get to see it soon enough, but for now, it is time for bed.

I love my baby.

And my baby's daddy.

More updates...

Wow. Two days in a row. Can you believe it? I almost can't.

Today was the first day in a long time that I was going to be able to fall asleep after kissing my husband goodbye at 4:30 in the morning. Lately I have been wide awake after that kiss and lie in bed wishing I could go to sleep. Then, around 6:00 or so, I crash and sleep in until 8:00 and end up not getting much done. I was fading back into my slumber when the bedroom door opened and Brody told me his ipod was stolen out of the truck. SUCKY! He figures he must have scared whoever it was away by starting the truck from inside because they didn't get much more than a few things. There was a lot of time and money put into that ipod, though, so he is not a happy camper...

Speaking of unhappy campers, I'm pretty sure that's what my sister is after being in labor since 9:00 Tuesday night! Poor thing must be exhausted. It's just after six now, so she's been in labor for over 57 hours. My mom got there yesterday and has been with her ever since. She went in to the hospital for the fourth time and finally got an epidural last night. Then I got a text that said, "I love epidurals! :o)" Around five this morning she got another one. Cooper has now missed our dad's birthday and is going to have his own. For everyone's sake, that baby just needs to get here NOW!

The last update is in response to some of the very quick comments that were posted from my post yesterday. I thought I made it clear how stubborn I was going to be on the whole finding out/not finding out the gender issue. I don't want to find out! I just wanted to know what everyone else thought. (Isn't that just what people want to hear? Tell me your opinion, but I'm going to do just what I want to do. Oh well. My family is used to that.)

I think Brody has finally accepted that we will find out if he have a son or a daughter when the baby joins us in this world. I haven't told anyone exactly when my next appointment is. Not even my husband. Not that I want him to miss the ultrasound - that's too exciting and he was there for the other two so it's not like I'm trying to keep him from experiences all the joys of the pregnancy (which is only fair since he's definitely dealth with the joys of pregnancy that are pretty much the complete opposite of joy). But I have some questions I need to ask about my appointment before I tell him.

So the verdict is no. We're not finding out. It's not like we have a lot of space for the baby anyway and he's barely gonna have a spot in the spare bedroom. If he's lucky. He doesn't get his own special baby room yet. Haha. (Saying HE is not a slip of the tongue - I just call the baby a he all the time, but we really don't know if it's got two legs or three yet.) We'll just be glad to finally have a little baby and I pray it doesn't take as long as it's taking my nephew to get here!

Belly Updates...

Just for fun I decided I would put a picture of my sister and I side by side (that was a pain in the BUTT since I don't understand html codes) to show our baby bumps at the same time. These are our 16 week pictures, mine from January 12, 2009, and hers from August 7, 2008. I am 18 weeks today and need to get another picture soon. Lindsay is obviously much bigger right now and back at the hospital for the THIRD time after being in labor for a day and a half. She is only dilated to 1 cm and she and Chris are pretty darn tired.

We (our family) kept teasing her yesterday and telling her that she should just wait until our Dad's birthday (which is today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!) so Cooper and his Grandpa would have the same birthday, but we weren't actually serious! Now we're hoping she'd just hurry up and have that baby today for her sake and for the fun of them having the same birthday.

My mom is in the car, driving up to help Lindsay this weekend and see her newest grandbaby. I talked to her early this morning and she said she'd rather Lindsay hurry and have the baby and not wait for her to actually get all the way up to Quincy. Mom was the same way with Lindsay - contractions very close together for a long time, but not dilating. Poor Lindsay. And poor Chris. In about 5 months or less I will know how they are feeling.

I am so excited to go see her next month and hold that cute, little baby boy while she takes lots of naps so she can feel more rested. I am also excited to see their new house. My baby bump will definitely be bigger by the time I go in four weeks and Lindsay is excited to rub my Buddha belly.

I swear it just popped out even more the other day! It's so weird. I just stand sideways in front of the mirror and look at my funny shaped body and smile. Some people say I'm not showing at all. They are all crazy! I may be small at this point, but I'm pretty sure that ever since puberty, my boobs have ALWAYS stuck out farther than my belly. Promise. Now, it's the opposite. Even at my fattest, I don't think I've ever been this big around!

Hopefully Cooper will join us in this world today and Lindsay can get some rest. I'm so excited and have to refrain from calling her every five seconds to see how she's doing. That's the last thing she needs right now and I trust Chris to do his job and take care of her.

To Find Out or To Not Find Out - That is the Question

Okay, so I already know what I want - I want to wait until the baby is born to find out what it is. My husband, on the other hand, says he hates surprises (but he sure likes to surprise other people) and wants to know as soon as possible what we are having. I've always wanted a girl first, but we have a boy name picked out and haven't really been discussing a girl name since we don't agree, so I've kind of been hoping for a boy. Brody, being the man he is, wants a boy first to pass along his family name. It would also be fun to have a boy since my sister is having her boy, Cooper, next month.

So far I have had two dreams about the baby. One dream was at the doctor's office in the ultrasound and we accidentally found out it was a boy; the other was last night and I had twin girls, which was a surprise cuz we thought we were only having one baby. It was funny in the dream because I decided I would name one girl and Brody could name the other one, but he couldn't think of anything. I told Brody about the boy dream and he said we should find out, but I told him that we will just plan on a boy and be very surprised if it turns out to be a girl! Haha.

No one will change my mind and who knows if my husband will even read this post or any comments about this post to use against me in his argument, but I would like to know what everyone else thinks. I was in the room when my Kenzi was born and, after having two boys and trying not to get her heart set on a girl, Paula was so excited for the doctor to tell her it was a girl at last! That anticipation was so great and since I'm going to be doing all the work that day, I want to wait until that part of the hard work is over to find out the gender. Besides, Brody thinks that his place as the husband is in the waiting room, so if he doesn't know what we're having, that will give him a compelling reason to be in the room with me during labor. I think he knows he'll be in the doghouse if he isn't in there. I won' t be very happy with him cuz he's the only one I want in there besides the doctor and nurses.

So... what are your reasons for finding out or not finding out?

Thankfulness

As Thanksgiving approaches, I decided my next blog post would be a few things I am thankful for. These are just a few of the things I am thankful for. There are so many other things, but these are the ones that came to mind. Since I will be gone on Thanksgiving, I wanted to do it now. Happy Turkey Day everyone!

*My hubby for being so amazing and working hard to take care of us and for all of his patience during the pregnancy so far. I'm also thankful that he will get me what I'm craving. (He has also learned that pulling the pregnancy card works for him, too! All he has to say is, "I have a pregnant wife in the car!")
*Bostyn and Emmitt for being so cute and having great personalities and keeping me company all day and being so excited to see me when I get home from work.
*Being pregnant, even on the bad days. It happened so fast and I know we are lucky for that.
*Being pregnant with my sister (and four other family members and friends). I'm glad our baby will have a cousin close in age.
*Having a job that I love and Brody having a job in this economy.
*Having a place to live and food to eat.
*Getting to go to Denver for Thanksgiving and take the dogs. Brody is happy for the chance to spend some quality time with his brothers, Josh and Charles.
*Thanksgiving! One of my favorite holidays. Probably because food is involved!
*My mom for cleaning our kitchen for my birthday present.

Life is good.

Happy Birthday and Husbands

In honor of my 30th birthday, I have decided to fill out this survey I saw a while ago on some other blogs. It's about husbands and I really love mine. He is my best friend and I am pretty much the luckiest person alive to have him in my life.

Love you, Brody!

1. Where did you meet your husband? In Las Vegas at his house. We met through one of my most awesomest home teachers, David Carter. David was moving and I went over to help him and ended up staying to hang out with my new, mysterious friend, Brody. I ended up finding reasons to go to his house a lot. David was nice enough to leave me there and not say anything about me not actually helping him. He's such a good friend.

2. How long did you date before you married? That's a funny story... Here's the short version: We dated for about 2-3 months at the end of '05 before he just completely stopped talking to me (Jan '09) and left me totally and utterly confused for almost two years before I got up the courage to send him a short "hi" message on facebook (where I just happened to stumble upon him in Sept or Oct 07). I didn't actually send him a message until the beginning of December and it took the encouragement (threat) from my upstairs neighbor, Spencer, to do it. Two months and seven days after we saw each other for the second first time (after lots of texting during the days and seeing other in the evenings), I had some huge rocks on my fingers (Feb 9, 2008) and we got married on Slurpee Day this year!

3. How long have you been married? According to my newest little widget, 4 months, 1 week and 1 day!

4. What does he do that surprises you? Sometimes he buys me expensive things he thinks I need to have; they are usually something I have wanted but decided to not get on account of saving money. Like an ipod. Sometimes surprise gifts aren't too expensive, but they are always very thoughtful. And sometimes he surprises me by scaring me - he thinks it's funny. Other than that, most little things he does or says surprises me cuz he usually does the opposite of what I think he's gonna do. That will keep our marriage from getting boring - for sure!

5. What is his favorite feature? His cute smile and his eyes. I just love his skin. It is always so soft. And the fact that he is my personal heater in the winter (summer was hard). He's also tall. I love that. I really love his sense of humor.

6. What is his favorite quality? I really love his sense of humor and the way he was a born provider. He is a hard worker and will always take care of me and our future kids. I will always appreciate that. Plus, he lets me pay the bills.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Toots, pookie, dear, honey. Whatever he's in the mood for. A cute name usually comes around 5 or 6 in the morning in his good morning text. I usually call him dear or honey. (I think he's so cute.) If he is getting after me for something, he calls me Jennifer Lyn...

8. What is his favorite food? "It really does vary." That's what he says. But he loves a good steak (yay Capital Grille) and potatoes. And he loves cookie dough. Audrey should come visit and make some (hint hint).

9. What is his favorite sport? College basketball. He LOVES UNLV. I by "loves" I mean "is obsessed with and will always be a die hard fan and supporter." He also enjoys football.

10. When & where was your first kiss? Cuddling on the couch at his house. I've never been forward with guys, but I had to be with him. Guess I just wanted to kiss him way bad! This was the first time we dated. Our next first kiss was the night I went to his house to see him for the first "second" time. Haha. This time he was the one who kissed me and it was as I was leaving. I sure was glad.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Are there any kids reading this? Haha. Moving on... We also like to go shopping and out to eat. We've had to cut back a lot cuz both of us are good at spending too much money. We also like our TV shows and movies. I think I like cuddling more than he does - makes sense, I'm the girl.

12. Do you have any children? It's just a little blob right now inside of me, but come next June, we'll have a baby!

13. Does he have any hidden talents? Pretty much all of his talents are hidden because he doesn't like a lot of attention. He can sing really well and sometimes he'll sing in the shower. He does a great impression of Neil Diamond. :o) He is able to remember little bits of information he read or heard that most people wouldn't even consider trying to remember. It's crazy! He manages to forget lots of things I think he should remember like conversations or promises, but he can remember that a blue whale ejaculates four gallons of semen at one time. (I am looking for an opportunity to share that fact in a conversation - awkward!) He is an amazing cook and can mess up the kitchen in a matter of minutes! But that one really isn't a hidden talent. Thankfully, he shares that one. He also has the innate ability to say things that you wouldn't normally say in a certain situation. Most of the time it's such a crazy thing to say, it's funny. When I went to his house to see him after not seeing him for almost two years, we said our hellos, sat down on the couch and put our arms around each other. We sat there for a minute and being the romantic he is, he said, "Did you miss me?" I immediately said "yes" without thinking about it because I had definitely missed him, but looking back on it, I think it's quite hilarious. What a question.

14. How old is he? He just turned 32, older than me by 2 years. Just perfect, if you ask me.

15. Who said I love you first? He tried to say it first, but those three words didn't come out in a sentence by itself in that order. He had pretty much told me in a couple of text messages that he loved me and had fallen in love with me, but when he finally got up the courage to say it, it happened like this: We were cuddling and probably just talking about whatever. He said, "Have I told you that I love you?" A million things raced through my mind in a matter of seconds. "In text messages he has. Wait, he threw me off by phrasing it as a question. So, do I say yes or do I say no cuz he has, but not out loud. Um..." What finally came out was something in the negative form, like "No" or "Uh-uh" or "I don't think so" or something like that. I think the last one, but I'm not sure. He replied with, "Well, I do." So I said, "I love you too." I told him that he threw me off by phrasing that as a question because I couldn't use the comeback I had planned on using. Some of you might get it and some of you won't, but I decided that the first time he said, "I love you" to me, I would look him right in the eye and say, "DO you?" The next day "I love you" came out of his mouth, just like that. :o) Later that day he reminded me that he had told me he loved me in text messages. I agreed and let him know those remarks didn't slip by me at all, but I answered no cuz he hadn't said it out loud. I think he was a little scared to say it in the first place. I married a man who, just a couple of years ago, would never have believed he was going to get married and have kids. I'm sure glad he changed his mind.

16. What is his favorite music? He loves listening to talk radio, but he loves 80's music, 80's & 90's alternative and rap. Loves rap.

17. What do you admire most about him? Sometimes the things I admire about him are the things that irritate me. Like his innate ability to know how I feel about something or how I feel emotionally or physically. He pretty much has me figured out and almost knows me almost better than I do. He says I can't hide anything from him. So that can be irritating, but can also be to his advantage. I admire his ability to do what he has to do (like work and take care of me and the dogs) even though he has an extremely bad back that will never improve until he has back surgery. He has a good heart and wants to do nice things for people all the time (unless you cross him, then you have to watch out cuz he can be very vindictive).

18. What is his favorite color? I would say red because he is obsessed with UNLV. Also, he knows he looks good in red and has a lot of red clothes. But he says he doesn't have a favorite color. It all depends on what he's doing. Is he dressing for a UNLV game or getting ready for church? He likes bright colors and pastels when it comes to clothes and ties and shoes. He's very colorful.

19. Will he read this? I never give him the chance to find my posts on his own. I end up telling him I updated it and he should read it. If they're too long, it takes him a couple of days. Haha.

20. Who do you tag? Everyone - it's a fun way to get to know people.

Pregnancy Symptoms and Good Books

One of the best pregnancy symptoms I have experienced so far is sudden mood swings, which includes crying for no reason. Of course, the first sentence of my post was total sarcasm. I don't know who is more annoyed at this - me or Brody. As I was moving the bookshelf (including ALL the books) from our bedroom to the guest bedroom (aka Lindsay's room this coming weekend), I ran across a book I remember reading as a child on sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa Little's house. I think the one I read was my dad's that he read as a child, but now I have my own. The book is entitled "CDB" by William Steig. It is full of letters, numbers and the occasional ampersand, but no actual words spelled out. If you read it out loud, the sentences make perfect sense! I took a break from moving all the books, sat on the floor and read it. The following one made me laugh as this very thing happened to us just last Sunday.
Poor Brody. My friend Kareoke Jen told me this means that some hormone is VERY present in my body, which in turn, means great things for the baby. I am definitely grateful I haven't had any morning sickness yet, so I suppose I'll just have to put up with the unwarranted tears. :o)

Baby Brody

Emmitt and Bostyn are proud to announce an addition to their family. Brody and Jen will be welcoming a baby into their happy home next year at the end of June! Jen is just over 5 weeks along and learning about all the wonderful pregnancy symptoms one by one as they slowly creep into her life, which, in turn, gives Brody the opportunity to experience them as well, bless his heart. We are all very excited and freaked out of our minds! But this new adventure will certainly be fun.

To celebrate our happy news, we went to our favorite restaurant last night and ate the delicious food at Capital Grille. We decided that we'd wait until we found out we were pregnant before we ate there again. We requested the same waiter who made our engagement night so enjoyable and he was nice enough to take our picture.

All About Me

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Getting ready to turn 20 in a month
2. Nannying in Kansas City for the Reefers
3. Hanging with my friends in the Singles Branch
4. Getting ready to move to Utah
5. Wondering about which direction my life was going to take

Five things on my to do list today:

1. Deposit all my husband's money in my account
2. Go to Stacey's and make baby shower invites
3. Make some returns... and some purchases
4. Talk to the dogs (not really on my list, but I know it'll happen)
5. Teach 5 lessons

Five snacks I enjoy:

1. Right now little candy corn pumpkins
2. ICE CREAM!
3. Cereal
4. Tortilla with cheese
5. Did I say ice cream?

*Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:

1. Give my husband every little (or big) toy he wants!
2. Get out of debt
3. Build a huge house on some old horse property
4. Buy my dream piano
5. GO SHOPPING!

*Five places I've lived:

1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Liberty, MO
3. Kansas City, MO
4. Delta, UT
5. Las Vegas, NV again

*Five Jobs I've had:

1. TCBY/Baskin Robbins (1st two jobs)
2. Safe Key
3. Nanny
4. Receptionist/Chiropractor's Assistant
5. Piano Teacher

*8 Things I Did Today

1. Wished the alarm wasn't going off - 3:45 comes WAY too early
2. Made 2 sammiches for my hubby's lunch
3. Looked over my list of things to do today
4. Thought about going to the gym later (we'll see...)
5. Checked my e-mail and facebook
6. Gave Brody a kiss goodbye
7. Looked up other blogs
8. Threw leftover food out in the trash

*8 Shows I Love to Watch:

1. Law & Order (mostly the original - I could watch it ALL DAY!)
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (one more season)
3. Angel
4. The Office
5. Heroes (on Season 2 - trying to catch up!)
6. Scrubs
7. Dog Whisperer
8. Burn Notice

*8 Restaurants I Love:

1. CAPITAL GRILLE!
2. Ricardo's/Via Mercado's (kind of the same catagory)
3. Olive Garden
4. Cheese Cake Factory
5. Claim Jumper
6. Red Robin
7. P.F. Chang's
8. BJ's Restaurant

*8 Things I am Looking Forward to:

1. Getting pregnant (we'll see how I feel after it happens) and having a family with Brody
2. Getting out of debt
3. Going camping Halloween weekend
4. Thanksgiving in Denver with the dogs
5. First Christmas with my new, little family (Brody, Bostyn & Emmitt)
6. Getting my new digital scrapbook software
7. My new nephew, Cooper, being born and spending time with him and his parents in Quincy
8. Getting my house cleaned and organized

*My Wish List

1. I wish I was pregnant
2. I wish I was out of debt
3. I wish my husband's back wasn't all screwed up and he could be pain free
4. I wish I didn't procrastinate so much
5. I wish I had a new wardrobe
6. I wish I had straight teeth
7. I wish I had a brand new car
8. I wish I could sleep all day!

*8 people I tag:

1. Lindsay Driscoll
2. Stacey Clement
3. Audrey Kingham
4. Lara Heiselbetz
5. Heidi Menssen
6. Stacie Tittrington
7. Jenn Lanier (time to update your blog!)
8. Brittany Marshall

*I

I am... happy to be married to my hubby.
I think... but not enough sometimes - haha.
I know... I deserve my husband and he deserves me. :o)
I want... to use my husband's money wisely.
I have... a fantastic husband.
I miss... Lindsay and Andrew.
I fear... Brody's impending back surgery.
I hear... the music from Lara's blog (good songs).
I smell... nothing right now.
I crave... cereal.
I cry... when I'm frustrated.
I search... for more time to get things done!
I wonder... if I'll ever get the house clean - really clean. (I think Brody wonders this too.)
I regret... letting myself get taken advantage of for too many years.
I wish... it would ease into cold weather - I love fall!
I love... Brody. He's my favorite.
I care... about what people think too much.
I always... talk or laugh.
I worry... about things I can't control and don't know if Brody will ever break me of that one.
I am not... wanting to be awake right now.
I remember... when I was ten and the biggest worry in my life was whether or not I was sleeping over at Grandma Little's that upcoming Friday night!
I believe... anyone can get through anything, no matter how hard.
I sing... in the car mostly.
I don't always... make the bed.
I argue... a lot, especially when I don't feel I'm being understood.
I write... in my piano students' notebooks during every lesson.
I win... when I get the bills paid on time!
I listen... to my husband tell me all sorts of information I'll never remember, except when I'm wondering how the heck he can remember things that are ultimately unimportant, but not the conversation we had the other day; then I have to focus and concentrate on what he's still going on and on about - I really do care.
I need... to eat more fruits and veggies.
I forget... a lot of things.
I am happy... period. :o)

Ambien

Isn't my hubby cute? Those droopy eyes and that goofy grin! Aah, the wonders of Ambien CR. Sometimes he is his normal sarcastic self, but some nights (like last night), it hits his system quickly and he just sit there with a crooked smile and makes weird comments. Weirder than normal, I promise. Sigh. The only reason I don't chuck all his Ambien (or roofies, as we like to call them) in the trash is because I realize he needs his beauty sleep so he can put up with the people at work every day in the awake mode. Walking the dogs whilst he is well into his Ambien is also a treat - you don't know who's walking who!