Monday, May 25, 2009

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope that everyone is having a safe and happy Memorial Day! Please remember what this day really stands for. I thank all the troops that have sacrificed so much and provided us with the freedom we have.

Can I get a woot?! (or a cheer for those of you who are wondering what that means) I'm 15 weeks today! How exciting!

Jordan and his brother Aaron left yesterday for their annual dirtbiking trip. They decided to try Wyoming for the first time and it sounds like they are having a blast. Yes, I'm bored without him here but I'm so happy that he is out having fun and doing something he loves with his brother. Now that he got to go on his trip, I'm thinking hmmmmm I wonder what I could sucker....I mean could get him to do for me? Just kidding.

Today, I went next door to the other Marshalls' house. Jordan's parents, Larry and Cindy, came over to grill and make lunch. It was delicious and 7 hours later, I still feel like I'm going to explode.

That's the extent of my news. I'm otherwise glued on the couch in my usual spot. Here is my picture that was taken a little shy of 15 weeks. We're both still growing!


Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Cat Still Lives

Sassy, our cat, is still alive after she thoroughly killed my Locks of Love hair. It now sits murdered on my kitchen table as I try to salvage at least some of it to give to Locks of Love. The hair is suppose to be in a pony tail and a pile of hair is not accepted. Since I have a some time on my hands, I am trying to put it back together. But I threatened to kill the cat...not that I would actually do it, but I would find someone or something else to do the dirty work. For example, if I let the cat outside (she's been an indoor cat since we got her as a kitten) without front claws, the coyotes would get to her and I'd never know about it! Of course now that I've cooled down, I can't think of doing anything to her. She is one of my fur babies after all! She has survived another day under the wrath of Kim (and maybe some of Kim's hormones).

And lots of excitement here this morning! I had my sister-in-law come over from next door to help me kill this spider which was unusual looking...key word: was. It was black and white striped and green/blue eyes. We eventually killed it after it fell into my purse! Yes, this is the extent of my excitement from day-to-day!

Jordan took a picture of me last night with clothes on that weren't either scrubs or my pajamas. So, here it is.

And we hope you all have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day Weekend!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Second Trimester, Here I Come!

It's a beautiful day here. Suppose to be 90 and just a small breeze with not a cloud in the sky! So I'm sitting outside on my lounge chair enjoying it. Sorry to those of you who are suffering in the cold or rain right now.

At 14 weeks, I can't believe the second trimester has made it's way here! I've read that the second trimester is at the end of the 12th week, but other sources say it starts at the end of the 13th week. So, I went with the longer wait and lengthier scenario, the cup has to be half empty.

The new hairdo is great! I don't even have to brush my hair if I don't want to! During a shower, I don't have to put a huge glob of shampoo and conditioner in my palm, and then it dries so fast! The wet crazy, didn't brush the hair after showering is kind of a cute look, too! But I have no styling gel to keep it that way. It's great and I should have cut my hair sooner!

We sold my dirtbike last week. I was sad, as it was my first one and it's what I learned to ride on. But since I wasn't going to use it this year, and the bike doesn't keep up with me anymore, it was time to sell it. I will get a more powerful bike with better suspension next year. I included a picture below of Jordan and me in Grand Junction, CO with our dirtbikes. It was taken a few years ago already, but it is by far my favorite picture of all our dirtbiking pictures!

Jordan is also selling his dirtbike. He got to buy a new bike last fall. Anyone want a monster of a bike? It's a 2001 Kawasaki KX 500...2 stroke, a.k.a. The Widow Maker. Sounds like fun, huh?




On Saturday I got to go on an "outing." We went to Denny's to have breakfast. Who get's excited about a car ride and food at Denny's? ME!!!! It was so much fun and almost depressing when we got back. But, I got to sit outside on the lounge chair all weekend and spend some time with family. Jordan's brother, who lives next door, had a birthday on Saturday. Aaron is 33...old fart! The carrot cake was excellent, thanks!

Well, I don't think my belly is bloated this week. I had a lot of cramping and stretching Thursday night and I woke up with a belly that was far bigger than it was the day before! The belly hasn't gotten any smaller. I guess I'm really starting to "pop out", which is how so many people describe it. I keep telling Jordan that I'm awfully big for being only 14 weeks, but he keeps reminding me the average woman isn't short and petite. At this rate, Jordan will be rolling me down the hall before I even reach my third trimester! Grow little baby!


Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The Hair is Gone

14 inches of hair now sit in a ponytail holder waiting to dry and be sent off to Locks of Love. The pictures are not great. The first one is a picture of me right before I got my hair cut. The second one is of me about 5 hours afterward. I'm not feeling good at all in the second picture with a headache, neck ache, and nausea. We didn't do any styling to my hair either. Quick, someone glue it back together! Just kidding. Hope you like it.




I did forget to tell you in my previous post that I am officially off all of my supplemental hormones. I think I'm more emotional off the hormones than I was on them! How does that work? The nausea and headaches have gotten worse in the last week, too! I thought as you entered your 2nd trimester, all of this was suppose to get better. Oh well, I'm still pregnant and that's all that really counts.

Have a great day everyone!

P.S. Thanks so much Amanda for the Trader Joe pickles! They are my mostest favoritest pickles in the world. Believe it or not, I couldn't eat pickles (my favorite snack) for weeks. But once I saw those pickles, my anti-pickle time was up!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Time to Chop My Hair

I know I know, I'm lagging behind on the blogging. I wasn't feeling the greatest yesterday and staring at the computer was not helping my headache. So, I talked on the phone a lot to start sharing the news with all of the extended family on my side. Jordan is responsible for telling his side of the family.

Oh yeah, I'm 13 weeks as of yesterday. YAY!

My OB appointment went well yesterday. No ultrasound this time, which I was hoping for. I shouldn't complain, right? Most women get one or two during the whole pregnancy. The baby's heart rate is a normal 160 beats per minute and my uterus is starting to grow...all very good signs. However, I will remain on bedrest until my next appointment, a whole month away! The doctor said he'll take it month by month. Another month on bedrest at minimum *sigh*. I'm hoping at some point, I'll be able to enjoy a little more of the pregnancy. It's just not the same looking at baby stuff on the internet as seeing it all in person.

Yes, I'm chopping my hair off. Every so often, I grow my hair out just enough to give it the a non-profit organization named "Locks of Love." They make wigs for financially disadvantaged children going through medical conditions or treatment that cause hair loss, such as cancer or alopecia areata (hair loss). And I feel privileged to be doing something to help a child out who needs something much more than I do. My hair grows back quite fast, and some childrens' hair never grows back.

I've been saying that I am going to cut my hair off for months now. Now that my hair is almost down to my butt and since it is constantly getting snarly from being on bedrest, it is definitely time. So my friend Justine, who also happens to be my hair dresser, is making a special house call for me this afternoon...bless her heart! I'll post pictures of a before and after later today or tomorrow. Woohoo, I'm so excited!

To change the subject, some bragging needs to be done. I have the absolute best boss and co-workers in the world! They have been wonderful to me. I spoke with one of my co-workers on the phone and knitting was brought up as a possible past-time. Except, I don't know how to knit. A babysitter did teach me how to crochet when I was really young, but I don't remember how to do that now. Anyway, Jordan refused to get me knitting stuff because he doesn't want to be seen in the knitting stuff. Plus, he thinks that knitting reminds him of old people (no offense to anyone who can knit whether you are younger or older). A few days later, my boss and another co-worker came bearing gifts - a knitting kit! Now, I'm slowly teaching myself how to knit. If whatever I make looks acceptable, I will put a picture of it online...maybe a pot holder or a scarf? And if anyone who lives near me knows how to knit, you're welcome to come over and show me a few pointers, like how to fix when I miss a loop or make a mistake!!!

Then I spoke with another co-worker a couple days later. Him and his wife want to get me a magazine subscription. I tried to turn that down but he just told me too bad and that I better pick one. I truly don't know how I'll repay all the generosity they have given to me!

Finally, my co-workers greet me almost every day. It's not the usual phone call or stopping over. Instead, they do a fly-over of my house in the helicopter! My house is called "checkpoint kilo-mike" (or KM for Kim Marshall if you don't know what that means). Since our house is between the hospital and the airport, it is easy for them to fly over. Sometimes they circle, or they fly quite low. I'm waiting for them to hover or land on the golf course behind our house one of these days. And get this, they sometimes even text me hi as they are going over. If you are a neighbor, too bad and you'll just have to deal with it for several months!

So to my co-workers, thank you so much for all that you have done for me and for the friendly greetings. I do appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

Plus, there have been family and friends stopping by to keep me company. So thank you for that, too!

Now that I've been talking about knitting, I do have to bring this up. A good friend of mine that I met on an infertility network is currently selling beautifully knitted baby blankets to raise money to adopt a little boy from South Korea. As all of you know, little adopted children are near and dear to my heart (especially Korean children) since I, too, am an adoptee from Korea. She already received her referral, is waiting for paperwork to be done, and is doing all sorts of projects to afford the adoption and time off. So please check out her blog to find out about her adorable little boy with fluffy hair and about her baby blankets. I know I will be getting one for our little boy or girl. www.bringchuckhome.blogspot.com

Oh, this got long! I suppose I need to write more than one post a week! To wrap it up, here is my 13 week picture. My jeans and half of my scrub pants don't fit anymore. That's a good thing, right?


Monday, May 4, 2009

12 Weeks Today, YAY!

Another week has gone by and we are at the 12 week mark! As each day and each week goes by, it's another milestone that we have hit! And we are so excited! We know things could still go wrong, as we found out earlier in the pregnancy. But, we continue to hope and pray for the best.

No doctor appointments this week, but we got to move the OB appointment to next Monday (3 days earlier, woohoo!). So, Jordan and I continue on with the same regimen.

I have two new battles going on now. First, the cat. Yes, our cat Sassy. I manage to mosey to the bathroom as minimal as possible, about 2-4 trips depending on the night and how long I sleep. Well, Sassy has decided that the new body pillow is now hers. So, we fight over this pillow the majority of the time when I get back into bed. I throw her off the bed, she comes back to claim her throne. And the battle continues...

The second battle is the constipation. Probably not something most of you want to hear, but it really is a problem. You better stop reading here and skip to the next paragraph if it makes you uncomfortable. I'm on strict bedrest, taking iron pills, being given extra hormones, and I'm pregnant! Just one of these things alone can give you constipation, let alone all of them together! I've eaten enough fruit and veggies to turn me into them, been drinking more than enough fluids, and I'm taking stool softeners. None of it seems to be helping. So I guess fiber bars are my next step!

It is sometimes hard for me (I don't know if Jordan feels the same way) to not have a "normal" pregnancy. We've had a long and hard walk down the infertility road, and then we've had to deal with the loss of two babies. So I was hoping that I could have a nice relaxing, nothing goes wrong pregnancy. Of course I'm elated that at least we are pregnant! I try and enjoy this pregnancy as much as I can, but it is in the confines of my own home and on the couch. And enjoying it all is in between hoping that any spotting I have is not a sign of losing another baby. So I admit that I am a little jealous of those who have uneventful and easy pregnancies.

In the end, I know that what Jordan and I have been through will be worth it and a million times over. We will absolutely cherish and love our babies with our struggles and heartbreak behind us. And to our two little babies in heaven, you will never be forgotten...you are always loved and we think about you every day.

Here is my 12 week picture. I'm skinnier than the 11 week picture, so I'm assuming I was just bloated, again. The slightest angle change of my body also makes quite a difference. The pooch is slightly bigger though. This is the week where the uterus pops out of the pelvis and over the pelvic bone. Grow little baby, grow!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Ideas to Prevent Insanity Greatly Appreciated

The last two days have been a little difficult, as I am somewhat stir-crazy. Of course I like my days of laziness, but my days of doing ten things at once are being sorely missed right now.

I try and clean the house every week, or at least have it picked up. Never can I clean one room at once or have just one thing to do. I usually end up doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, mopping the floors, and even cleaning walls all at the same time. By the time Jordan gets home, the house is in shambles as everything is not in their places and there are piles of 'organized' stuff everywhere. Now I just stare at my house wondering what I can clean when I'm off bed rest. Hmmmm...the old dead fly that sits atop the windowsill on our light dormer window is the first on the list. And since I feel so bad because Jordan has already inherited doing everything around here, I never mention to him that it's there.

Another thought came to me today, which I shared with Jordan and am sadly going to share with you. As I was waiting for any sign of life outside our house, it occurred to me that I feel like a dog waiting for the sound of a car or the garage door opening. When any of those magical sounds appear, I perk my ears and listen intently, though I don't bark and go skidding across the floor to get to the door. Instead of wagging my tail, I'm grinning from ear-to-ear and giddy that Jordan is home! So this is how our dog must feel every day. Poor guy. Our cat could really care less.

Not much else going on , except that it's Friday. Jordan FINALLY gets to go dirtbiking tomorrow since the weather is starting to cooperate. I'm glad he gets to have some fun time instead of sitting around the house with his practically bed-stricken wifey. And now maybe I can have a day of him not telling me that he's going to sell all the dirtbikes because he can't even ride them.

I hope everyone has a great weekend with beautiful weather, and be safe!