A Toilet Seat. Seriously (Care Packages Galore Day 52!)

First, let me apologize for what a crap blogger I have been. We have just packed up and "moved" from NC to my parents house in MD. It's not a permanent thing, just an extended visit so I can continue to have a lil extra help while hubby's away. We'll be back and forth between our home and my parents for the next few months before settling back in to NC in May(ish). So with the new baby girl here and all the moving and craziness, blogging hasn't been a top priority, I'm truly sorry my loves! I have been reading all your wonderful posts tho even if I haven't been commenting as much as usual. Also, I'm going to post the answers from the Q&A on Monday, so if you haven't done so yet, head on back and ask me a question!

So, wow, 52 days we've been at this deployment thing! It feels like both "just yesterday" and "forever ago" that I last saw my Marine. I have been very fortunate lately in the fact that he's had pretty regular access to email so I get to talk to him often. I like it but I hate getting used to that kind of thing because then he moves or they lose comm or whatever and I don't hear from him for even a day and I panic. I have to remember to remain calm.

Recently, I sent hubby his second care package of this deployment (yes, only second, I've chosen to space them out. I had been sending him regular letters, but as I said above, life is just catching up to me and I haven't had much time for anything besides Ari these few weeks). One day, a week or so ago, when he called he told me there was one thing he could really use. Anything my dear, I told him. What was that thing?? Well, a toilet seat, of course! Yeah, I was pretty surprised when that was his answer, too. Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly?? Toilet seat!? Yup. He said where he's at he sits on basically a wooden box with a hole in it and "It pinches my ass" sooo a toilet seat would make his stay much more comfortable. He says also that members of the ANA don't sit on the "seat" provided, they instead stand on the box and squat over the hole (umm... gross.) so there's always mud and gross stuff (gag, gag, gag) on the box. So of course, due to hygeine concerns and my poor baby's ass, I went out an purchased a nice squishy toilet seat from WalMart. My dad had to help rig a box together to send it because all the boxes I had were either way too big or way too small so we had to modify one so it would be just right. The toilet seat is now on it's way to the sand box, and my husband will soon have the most pampered ass in the whole Corps. Told ya I was an awesome wife.

I am also preparing his Valentine's Day/Birthday Package. I am not going all out super awesome here's a ton of stuff, because whatever I send to him, he has to lug around the rest of the time over there. I've decided to bake some Snickerdoodles (his fave), send some more pics of Ari and myself, and maybe do up a lil calendar thing for him. Maybe. I guess we're just not big gift-y people. We never have been huge on gifts and it's fine by both of us. Maybe one day when we hit the lottery I'll buy him a leer jet or a small island or something to make up for it... Until then a toilet seat and snicker doodles will have to cut it.

Also, quick bloggy question - how do I get fancy writing with my name at the bottom of my post, or some other lil signature thang? I see a lot of you ladies have them and I want one. Now. Thanks :)

Why?

Is my newest post not showing up?!
Boo.

Bloggy BFF and Q&A Sesh (Ask It, I Dare Ya)

First, and foremost, I was awarded a very cool blog award. Actually I got this award from two bloggy friends, Katie and Amber (The Life of an Army Wife and The Survival Guide for the Young, Fabulous, & Newlywed, respectively - go check them out. Now.)

One special note is that Katie created this award and I'm one of the first people who received it. Ever. Woop woop.

Ok, anyway, for this award I post it and thank them and link to them (above) Thank you ladies! This award was created to notify the significance blog friends are to us. How great it is to be able to share our lives with "strangers" and from that grow bonds of friendship. The next part consists of me awarding this to 5 of my bloggy bffs. This part is gonna be hard because I have more than 5 bloggy bffs... so maybe I'll pick more... and Katie and Amber, I'd totally award this back to you but that would be kinda pointless and redundant, so just know that I would have if you hadn't given it to me first ;-) That being said, my bloggy bffs...

ASHLEY! @ Kiwis and Cocktails
Expat Girl @ The Sand is Different Here
Mrs. Muffins
Mrs. GI Joe @ ACUs, Stiletto Shoes, and Pretty Pink Tutus
Kate @ Imagine All the People, Living for Today
Katie @ Loves of Life
WC @ Everything Happens for a Reason

Ok I'm getting lazy so there are some bloggy BFFs that if you haven't checked out yet, you should.



Also, now that I've gone over the 50 followers mark (People actually read this... wow) I have decided to open up to you, readers. A Q&A session, just for you. So go ahead, ask whatever you want, I am all yours.

Gettin' It Down Pat (Eating Machine!)

*Let me preface this with the fact that I wrote it last night, but blogger decided to be a punk and just stop working, telling me "Error" every time I tried to access it. Anyone else experience this??*

If I didn't love her so much, I may feel a tad bit used by my daughter and her incessant eating. "All you want from me is my delicious milk!" Seriously though, she is going through a growth spurt. Both today and yesterday I was lucky if I could get 2 hours in between feedings. I'm not complaining, not in the slightest, I actually find it slightly amusing. How can someone so little eat so much?? I blame this on her father, he's got quite the appetite as well. She's so cute when she eats though and we bond so much during these times that it doesn't matter if she wanted to eat every 5 minutes. Ok, maybe that'd be a little much but you get it.

So, I guess you may be wondering how the breastfeeding is going if I'm feeding her so often. Well even if you're not wondering, I'm going to tell you anyway. It has finally started to be pretty enjoyable. At first, it was awful. I'm not going to lie either, I was in tears a couple times. My nipples hurt and when my milk came in my boobs were GINORMOUS and not in a nice way. They were hard and they huuuurt like none other. Even my armpits hurt. I often had to sit and milk myself to relieve the pressure (TMI, I know, but it's my blog and I can talk about whatever I choose). Finally it seems they have adjusted to the whole supply and demand deal and are no longer like little bowling balls pulling at my armpit muscles. The nip pain has also decreased and we are now working on weaning off the nipple shield that we had to use for a few days because mommy here has a lovely case of flat nips. So it is safe to say that we have made progress and while it is very challenging, it is more so very, very rewarding.

Now while baby girl naps on her boppy I am going to enjoy "Pregnancy Pact" on Lifetime. What a riveting Saturday ;-)

Oh, and stand by for my review of Dear John, which I basically hated. And am only going to see the movie because it 1. looks different from the book and 2. Has Channing Tatum in it... yum.

Sweet Giveaway

I really want to win this Housework Tuesday giveaway
for a fabulous chores planner (lol I'm a nerd I know, but being a new mom and getting a new house soon I WANT IT) over at Amber's at Survival Guide for the Young, Fabulous and Newlywed.

To get an extra entry I have to post it in my blog and encourage you to enter, but if you don't want to enter that's ok because it'd give me a better chance. Haha I'm not selfish or anything... noo, not me.

Ariana's Arrival Part II (Switch It Up!)

So when we left off, we were still walkin the hospital, 5 cm and in good spirits. I also forgot to add that I had such a great support team when I went into labor. My amazing mom was there with me, of course. As well as two of my awesome NC/Marine Wife friends, Whitney and Raechel. Whitney was my birth partner at lamaze class when Mr. P wasn't allowed to come due to work.
Whitney and I, Raechel and I, respectively. Don't ask why I'm grabbing the crotch of my gown, maybe it's cuz I'm just gangster.

Ok, so back to the story. Walking the halls, feeling hungry, and being bored, I was ready to speed things up. Contractions were between 4 and 5 min apart at this point and I was still talking through them. It was around this point the nurses agreed to speed things along as well and spoke to the attending MW about breaking my water. I can't tell you the time this occurred because I wasn't really paying attention, but soon after my walk I know they came in and broke my water. That was an interesting experience in and of itself, basically peeing your pants and having no control over it. It was chilly in the room and the fluid was warm, so I didn't mind it (haha, I'm not kidding). Very quickly following this, the contractions quit playing and started getting serious. The intensity spiked rapidly and they started getting a bit closer together. I breathed through them but they freakin' hurt, I'm not gonna lie. I was doing ok until the attending MW came in and I asked her about taping. You see, I'd been told repeatedly that while the commander of the Naval Hospital won't let you take photos or record during delivery, many midwives would bend the rules a bit, especially for wives of deployed spouses. I brought this subject to the attending MW's attention and she would not agree. She was an active duty MW and said basically that what the commander said was solid rule and couldn't believe anyone would suggest otherwise. This news was not what I wanted to hear, especially as things were getting more intense and I was really missing my hubby. I broke down for a few minutes and just cried and said how much I missed Jonny and that I just did not like her (the MW). It was also at this time that the great switching began.

Right after breaking my water, Ariana's heart rate began rapidly dropping. My nurse came in and hurriedly told me to change positions. I had to roll over to my side and they continued to monitor Ari's heart rate closely. This would not be the last of the position switching. Throughout the night, Ari would decide she didn't like how I was laying and her heart rate would begin to descend. The nurses always caught it and came in running to get me to change things up. Quite a few times an entire team was there "just in case." I was very impressed by this fact, that had anything gone wrong, people were there and ready to take action. I believe at one point there were 8 doctors/nurses in there. MW and nurses attending to me and getting us in position to raise heart rate, pediatric nurses/docs getting the warmer and baby equipment ready in case she had to arrive very fast, and corpsmen (Navy Medical Emergency Personnel, basically) were there in case things got really intense. It was a good feeling knowing that everyone was ready. It was not a good feeling hearing the monitor slow down, but I was positive that nothing was going to go wrong. I did spend a large chunk of time on my hands and knees during delivery, as that was where she was most comfortable and would keep her heart rate ticking steadily. There was also a time where I had to swish my butt back and forth to make her feel better. Are you surprised that she really likes her swing now??
Still in good spirits, even on hands and knees (Yes, my tongue's sticking out inside the mask)!

After the water broke, I was also put on oxygen to help baby out because of the heart rate issues. Soon after the water was broken I was also asking for an epidural. It was actually a tough decision for me to make. I was steal tolerating the contractions and had wanted to go naturally as long as possible, but I decided to get it then because I was in pain and knew it was only going to get more painful. I wanted to enjoy my delivery. I am very happy with my decision and glad I went with pain assistance. I ended up having to get a little extra of the epidural and a little dose of pain killers as well, as they weren't really kicking in the way they should. Once they kicked in it was smooth sailing... for the most part.

Along with the miracle of childbirth, I experienced another miracle the day of my delivery (besides my hair staying so nice). Raechel (from above) went to visit one of our friends from the battalion whose husband has a little more access to email. She emailed him and let him know that I was in labor and to tell my husband and... I got a Phone call from the hubs during labor! He says "you can thank Lt N's wife, she sent him an email and he came up to me and said Porto, you're wife's having your baby, you need to call her." Haha! From there he called the hospital and was eventually patched through to me! So he did get to be there, in a way for labor. He was even there for pushing and he got to hear his baby girl cry out! It was amazing and I was truly lucky and am very thankful to the N's for helping out!
Talking to the proud poppa from across the world, he was still there

Anyway, as the contractions strengthened, I started feeling like I had to take a huge poop. I told the nurse this, I really need to poop. Apparently, during child birth, this is a good feeling. It means things are moving down and you're baby is almost ready. I had to wait a bit longer and then it was time for pushing. Pushing wasn't too bad, just very tiring. It was like running a marathon and I kept running out of breath. I pushed for 25 min, which apparently is pretty awesome. They told me with Ari being my first baby and an epidural I could be pushing up to 3 hours. Yeah, we def were not having that. When she came out, it was with a splash. Then as her head was hanging out (apparently, it's not like I could see any of this...) the MW had to get the cord from around her neck. She was blue headed to purple. One big push and a big yank from the MW later and my daughter was born. It took her a second and then she let out a yell and was handed to me. Luckily, the splash she was born with rinsed her off and she was just wet, not gooey or bloody or goopy, when they set her on my belly. After that it was a hustle and bustle of cleaning her up, checking her out, and me feeling like I was going to pass out from shear exhaustion.
Don't worry, that alien head is molded down to normal now :)
We're kind of a big deal ;-)

She loooooves her Gramma

The hospital stay was decent. Most of the nurses were very nice and helpful. The lactation consultants and nurses helped with breastfeeding (which I'm still learning, a topic that deserves it's own post), the food was actually really good, and I began adjusting to being a new mom. I got wicked cabin fever and was glad to go home when we did, though. Now we are just hanging out getting adjusted. She slept all day today so I won't be surprised if it's a rough night for us... hopefully I will be proven wrong, we shall see (she's asleep right now but will probably be waking up for a feeding here soon). So for all that were curious, there is my story of Ariana's world debut.

Oh and I just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Gianna Christine who was born to my good friend Caitlin today. She is Ariana's best friend from the womb. Weighing in at 8lb 8oz and 21in long. I can not wait to meet her!!

Ariana's Arrival Part One (See Ya In An Hour!)

Ok first, a few disclaimers.
One. Any post labeled Ariana's arrival is gonna be about birth (obvi) so if you're not interested in reading about it, it makes you feel weird, or any other reason you may not want to read, then just don't read. Just a head's up about the topics at hand ;-)
Two. I'm writing this as she sleeps so I don't know if I'll get the whole thing out (hence the "Part One" portion) and if I do it may be a little long, bare with me.
Three. I'm working on catching up on all of my lovely bloggy friends, but I know you understand that I'm super behind and am slow at the catch up process.


That being said here we go...

Begin Thursday morning, 940 (ish) in the morning. I've got my 38 week check up (I was 38 weeks, one day at this actual check up) with my original midwife (here on abbreviated with MW). Got my weight checked (not pretty) then headed in to the appointment where I was checked. Turns out I was 4, almost 5 cm dilated. MW asked if I wanted my membranes stripped so I said sure if it'd speed things along, she did that and said to me "Ok, I give you about an hour or two. Go and have a light lunch because they will starve you once you're admitted, then come back in two hours tops, sooner if your water breaks, you're gonna have a baby soon." Let me just say, she wasn't kidding about them starving you.

Went home and had a grilled cheese sandwich and a pineapple yogurt and played some Mario Bros Wii with mom (yes, I'm serious). Contractions were irregular and uncomfortable at most. We ended up waiting about 3 hours because I kept telling my mom I just don't feel like I'm in labor. We headed in though, because MW had said so. We got to L&D and it was a full house. They asked if I was ok to wait in the waiting room for a triage room to open up and I was like yeah sure, no prob! I walked around the ward trying to speed things along, and continued getting contractions which had become about 5 min apart but I was still able to talk through them.

When a triage bed was available, I was moved in there and checked. They always check ya out before admitting you, because so many people come in with false alarms. I had myself convinced they were going to tell me I wasn't having strong enough contractions and were gonna send me home, thinking I was overreacting even coming in, but luckily MW had sent up my file and told them I'd be there and they knew what to expect. The doctor that checked me said I was a full 5, on the way to 6 (I was later told by another MW and a nurse that I felt more 4 almost 5 at that time, I guess size really is relative haha) and I was admitted. I was officially admitted to labor and delivery at 1500 (3pm) Thursday, January 14.
Thumbs up to being admitted, lets get this show on the road
Just showing you I was having a great hair day, clearly it was the day for magic to happen

Contractions continued on the same path, about 5 min apart and 5 cm dilated, I decided to walk the hospital again. By this time, I was getting hungry and wasn't allowed to eat. I was also getting pretty bored. I was ready for things to speed along and did not wanna just sit in the hospital all night.
I was antsy to get the show speeding along, I am such an impatient person!

Ok, be on the lookout for part two, gonna spend some time with mom playing Mario to kill some boredom while Ari is sleepin.

I've Been Missing for a Few Days...

Cuz I was having a BABY!

Ariana Ralyn P.
Born Friday, January 15, 2010, 1:44am
6lbs 10.5oz, 19.25 in long
Today in her homecoming outfit. She's much happier when she's dressed.

I will update on the whole shebang soon, but right now I've got a checkbook to balance, laundry to do, and a yelling infant to cuddle with, soooo I'll be back!


PS It's pronounced AR-ee-ah-na. Not Air-ee-ah-na and not ANNA. Got it? Good. ;-)

Maybe Today

Quick update on the doc appointment.
I'm dilated to 4, almost 5, centimeters and my MW stripped my membranes.
She told me to go home, have a light lunch, and be back to L&D to have a baby in 1-2 hours.
I'm home, about to eat, and getting the last of my stuff together.

Just wanted to keep everyone who's interested in the loop. Cross your fingers that this midwife is actually accurate!!

You Know You're a Marine Wife When...

*First, a note of business, please head to my last post and ask me some questions. I've seriously only gotten like 3 or 4, and don't want to look like a loser, come on people!*

My friend Tamara, a fellow Marine wife (of a deployed Marine as well) posted these on myspace and I just had to share them, I find them quite entertaining. My notes and additions are in pink.

You Know You're A Marine Wife When...

- You can roll his sleeves better than he can.
(hubs always rolls his own, neither he nor I think sloppily rolled sleeves are acceptable, and although I don't roll his for him I will call him out when they aren't done well :-P)

-You know to stay off base between 1130-1400, unless you absolutely can't help it
(at least don't try to go anywhere near a place with food. Also, don't try to get off base/out of JVille between 1630-1830 or on/into JVille 0400-0600)

-You know his "last four" better than your own.
(I have to think, hard, about what mine is.)

-You find yourself up at night doing his MCI's because he has to get up early and needs to rest.

-You get out your ID at Walmart without thinking about it.

-You've said, "Good to go", "Roger that", or "oorah" without noticing.
(Good to go is def one of my most used phrases... oops)

-It only costs you $25 to have a child
(umm... it was free. Oorah, Naval Hospital)

-You've had a dog named "Sergeant", "Scout", or "Chesty"
(Chesty Puller, if you're confused... look him up, he's got some great quotes)

-You've used a crooked-neck flashlight with a red lens during a power outage because it was the only one you can find.
(And now he has it with him, hence why my mom says "We're taking the trash out in the DAYLIGHT I'm not feeling my way to the street tonight!")

-You think his skivvy shorts are hot.
(I thought most wives, like myself, laughed at these silly little things. They're AWFUL!)

-At a distance, you can pick out your husband out of 100 men with the same clothes and haircut.
(By the way he walks!)

-You're more "moto" than he is
(He calls me a motard, he thinks I'm going to get a high and tight...)

-You know that "field day" has nothing to do with a field.
(Yeah and it needs to be done in this house... I'm a mess)

-You know the exact day he switches from deserts to woodlands and vice-versa.
(But he doesn't, hence why I was running on base with his greens at 5am the day they switched)

-You know the exact measurements of his ribbons and medals on his uniforms.
(Actually I don't, I let him take care of that I just check for straightness)

-You get chills when you hear the Marines Hymn Play.
(Or you randomly hum it during the day, especially when you're apart and particularly missing him more than usual)

-You know better than to go to the commissary on or the day after pay day.
(O Good Lord!)

-You know how to cut a "high and tight"

-You know what boot bands are and find them all over the house.
(I'm still finding random gear parts... 6 weeks after he's left...)

-You can pack his sea bag better than he can.
(I was such a packing list nazi when he was getting ready for deployment, seriously, I was awful - "Where is this, why don't you have that? Why is that packed at the bottom??")

-You know what "motomail" is, and it's your lifeline.

(While I know what it is and I try to use it, it is not my lifeline I am, so far, not impressed)

-You know to pull your car over and prepare for colors at the end of the day, if you're really moto you get out of the car

-The National Anthem and any USMC recruiter commercials make you tear up (especially the new one - many will hear the call, few will be chosen - OORAH!)


-You have made a nosedive for a phone call that came up on the caller ID as "Private Name Private Number" or better yet you've gotten out of the shower with full soap on because of a "Private Name Private Number" call


Ok now it's your turn, how do you know you're a Marine/Army/Military wife? Add them in the comments (participation ladies, you get special points for it ;-D )

Your Voice is the Soundtrack of My... Life (Day 36)

Finally, Finally, Finally!!! *Jumps up and down with excitement!*

Oh no, don't get too excited, I'm not in labor. Yet.

The other best thing, I got to talk to the hubbers two times today. Ooooorah!! It's like he knew I really just needed to hear him and know he was ok, and there he was. He's always got pretty great timing like that. First he called me at 3 this morning (I'd just gone to bed about a half hour before... oops) and I could baaarely hear him. It actually kind of upset me because the call was a total of 9 minutes and some odd seconds of mostly "What" and "Babe are you there?" 's. It wasn't like the line was static-y, it was just the volume made it so I could only just hear him. In my sleepy stupor I said to him, "Babe, are you there? Your voice is so little!" But that is the best way to describe how it sounded, just like a tiny voice coming through the phone. Luckily he called again around 1pm my time and I got 41 minutes and 44 seconds of uninterrupted hubby time! It was pretty fab, I gotta say. We got to catch up, he knows I'm still preggo but could have this little girl any minute. He told her to come on out. A friend of mine had a theory that she was waiting to hear from daddy to know that he's available to be contacted when the time comes and to know he's ok before making her debut, so maybe now that we know what's up with daddy she can continue on the great descent. Fingers crossed that's all it takes ;-) So thanks for everyone for the positive thoughts and prayers that I'd hear from him soon. He sounds good, very tired (says he's been working 18 hour days, ouch), but sounds like he's staying as positive as possible which is one thing I pride in both myself and in him, we just try to keep our spirits up. He's so amazing and I'm so proud of him, just to gush for a second.

In other news, walked the mall today and picked up both "The Last Song" and "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks, as I've been hearing such rave reviews about both books and I always try to read the book before seeing the movie (although it doesn't always happen that way...) so I'll be reviewing those myself in the near future. Also visited the PX and the commissary today to pick up some necessities. During these trips I experienced a good deal of contractions here and there but of course nothing regular. Argh. I thought, Dear Uterus, that we had this conversation earlier in the week?! Get with it!! Mom has a feeling they may be telling me about a lot more progress at the appointment tomorrow and may just end up admitting me but we'll see, I'm not getting my hopes up. Her daddy reminded me of his stubbornness on the phone today, as to when she may decide to come. Her mama is impatient, her daddy is stubborn; could go either way - yikes.

We're watching American Idol (again) and there are another 2 points I'd like to make tonight (I really don't typically watch this show, as I said before I think it's getting a bit "played out" but hey it's on and I like laughing at people so... whatevs) 1. Mary J. Blige is rude and I just do not like her personality on the show at all. 2. I loved Guitar Girl's voice, I thought she rocked that song, regardless of her ridiculous outfit.

Alright that's all my 38 weeks preggo self has got for now, sorry if it was just rambling about the hubs and the baby but, hey, that's my life these days! Hope ya'll had a fantastic hump day ;-)

Idling -Or Idoling- Away (Day 35)

Today I partook in a whole lotta nothin'! It was half awesome and half awful. Awesome because sometimes it's just nice to have those days where you don't do anything but lounge around, watch the tube, and play video games. Awful because I felt guilty for not doing anything to "help" in the labor process, but I mean really, how much am I actually "helping" anyway? So mom and I enjoyed sleeping in late, watching random TV and playing lots of Mario Bros Wii (we are so addicted to that game, and almost have it beat!)

We are now indulging in a little bit of American Idol. I think it's about time they call it quits on this show (I mean really, what is this season 37? And how many Idols do people really listen to/care about anyway?) but alas I'm enjoying the first (few) episodes because I love watching the awful auditions. I get a kick out of these people who think they can sing and they are just horrible. It makes me giggle, laughing at someone else's expense, always a plus. I thought of going to American Idol auditions once. Not because I can sing, because, well I am pretty tone-deaf. But because a friend of mine from high school was going to DC for the auditions and invited me to come along. Alas I ended up having things to do the day they went down and my hidden singing talents have since remained undiscovered (and my dignity intact). Damn, I could have been a super star much like the She Bangs guy...

One thing about American Idol, everyone has got a sob story. I've never heard so many "I sing to feed my babies and my dying grandma" stories before I started watching this. Do these stories help people to win? Why can't there just be someone who is like "I am here because I want to rock out? I am here because I want to be a rich and famous pop star? I am here because I want girls to flash me at my concerts?!" Where are the real stories, the true American stories?? Ok I will end my American Idol review with two last notes (unless something super noteworthy happens in the second half) 1. The 16 year old who sang "At Last" was my fave, I love that song and her voice was beautiful. 2. Ryan Seacrest is a tool.

In other, more personal news, day 5 no word from Hubs. Sticking to the mantra "No news is good news" and praying I get a call soon, I miss him oodles! Still preggo, obviously, and contractions are random, so will most likely be preggo on Thursday for my appointment. Someone's gettin' slapped.

Dear Contractions...

If you're not going to amount to anything (i.e. Labor), then it'd be nice if you would just leave. I mean, if you're gonna get regular and produce a baby then come on, bring it. But if not, if you're just going to toy with my emotions, well then take a hike.

Love,
Mrs. P


Also, if I do make it to my appointment on Thursday (yeah, the one the midwife said "Oh I don't think we'll be seeing you next week, I think you'll have a baby before then!") I may just punch her in the face. I knoooow I'm only 37.5 weeks and I shouldn't be complaining (I know so many people that are past-due) but she got my hopes up and I thought she'd be here and so now I'm like... Hey, what's up?! Contractions have been coming all day but so freakin' randomly. Sometimes they hurt, sometimes it's just a tightening of the belly... but so far nothing has come of them. Maybe tomorrow... 12 is my lucky number, after all.

In other news, day 4 of not hearing from hubs, I hate those days. And, well that's about all, there's nothing else to report. Maybe tomorrow will be more eventful, but probably not.

New Boob Shopping (Day 32/33)

This weekend has been pretty nice. One of my oldest, closest friends (who also happened to be my MOH) came up for a little visit, pre baby. She wanted to be able to see "the belly" in person. So her and her 4 year and her 6mo old (!!!!) came to visit. We had a fun weekend. Did a little shopping, did a little wii-ing and did a lot of catching up. I also got to play with, what I imagine is, the world's happiest baby. Seriously, this little girl did not stop smiling, and when she smiled, her whole face smiled. Man, I hope we get blessed with a happy baby!!

So during the shopping, I went to pick out nursing bras. Basically one of the toughest tasks I've assigned myself in the past month. I know you all have shopped for bras in your lives, and I'm sure it's a difficult task for you. I used to enjoy bra shopping, seeing how each bra would change the shape of your boobs and picking out the bra that would make your boobies the most fab. While it was daunting to get the right one, it was still fun. Well, nursing bra shopping is so unfun. It's more about practicality than looks. They're all... well, pretty ugly. Duh. And then there's the fact that you don't really buy the correct size, you buy a size up, planning for engorgement (excuse me?!) and then apparently your boobs are different sizes throughout the day so you need a bra that is flexible enough to... size with you, so to speak. YIKES. Add that on top of my extremely sensitive preggo skin that would have nothing to do with lace (or itchy tags while trying-on) and the fact that I had to buy an E (!!!!!!) and it was certainly an eventful stop in Motherhood the Maternity store. It took probably somewhere close to 1.5 hours.

In case you're wondering, I'm still pregnant. Not exactly happy about that fact, so to speak, as I am extremely impatient and so ready for baby girl to be here, but it is what it is. I walked yesterday whilst shopping and mom and I walked outside for a bit today too. I doubt walking actually helps (despite the fact that everyone tells me it does, I think the only thing that helps is Miss Thang deciding she's finally ready - and maybe sex - the one thing I'm not privvy to right now) but I'll do all those silly wives tales in an attempt to speed up this process. I know, I know, my due date isn't even for another 2.5 weeks BUT the midwife really got my hopes up with the "you're 3cm and 70%, I don't think you'll make it to your next appt" talk. Bitch.

Also, the lovely Amber at The Survival Guide for the Young, Fabulous, and Newlywed nominated me for her first-ever award that she created! The Simply Fabulous Award. I'm pretty stoked to be "simply fabulous" as lately I feel pretty unfab (and bloated, moody, fat, hungry, etc... so unfab) so it's nice to be reminded that I once was and will continue to be... Simply Fabulous :)

The rules for this award are my fave for any award yet (way to go Amber!) I am required to:
- Post this award on your blog.
- Blog about a woman (real life, celebrity or fictional) that you think is *fabulous* and explain why you think she rocks.
- Pass the award on to 5 other bloggers that you think are deserving.

I've got a few fab women that I'd like to highlight, I'm bad at picking just one.
First, and foremost, whenever asked about an important woman in my life, I can't help but pick my mom. She's fabulous. I mean, she puts up with me, that's pretty freaking amazing in and of itself. She is strong, caring, and full of spunk. She takes no BS from anyone and always stands up for, well whatever needs to be stood up for at the moment. She's my biggest hero, my rock, and one of my fave people.

Next, military wives. In general, I find them pretty fabulous. As I've said time and and time again, it's not an easy job being a milwife and anyone that can successfully pull off being married to a person in the military is a damn awesome person.

Last, Lady Gaga. I love Lady Gaga. I love that she does what she damn well pleases. I personally find her gorgeous, her music catching, and her style entertaining. And who cares which privates (or how many) she has.... She is just... Simply Fabulous.

Now I nominate 5 other Fabbo Blogs (these are blogs that are fairly new on my reading list and/or I haven't awarded before AND which are fab, but all blogs are read are fab, in case you were wondering...):
Mrs. Muffins
Mrs. GI Joe
MODG
Expat Girl
WC

Merry Sunday, see ya'll tomorrow

The One Month Post

Today marks a whole month since my hubby left for the land of the sand. I've made it a WHOLE month. Pat on the back.

And in this month, with impending labor, and wishing I could speed it along I am realizing...


I have not had sex in a month. Yikes. Insert SUPER sad face here. And sex, which is supposed to help speed up labor, is obviously not an option. And it's going to be such a long time before I get to indulge again. Again... sad face. Not to sound like a pervo but... I mean, sex with my hubby is wonderful and I miss it. So there ya go, TMI in the life of The P's.

In other, non perverted news, Baby Girl's room is set up (kinda). She's got sheets on her bed... she's got her changing table set up, the glider is put together, the stroller is put together... we got lots done today - yay us (me and mom, we're quite the team). It actually looks (somewhat) like a nursery. There aren't decorations up or anything because we're moving so much, once we get into the new house it will be phenom and she'll have the prettiest nursery on the block. Promise.

Also, I packed my bag today. I bet your wondering, Mrs. P, at 37 weeks pregnant, why hadn't you done the nursery or packed your bag yet? And the only answer I can give to that is... well... I'm a procrastinator. In my defense I was running around getting stuff ready for the Mr's deployment as well as shuffling between houses and preparing for the holidays, but excuses aside, I'm a procrastinator. Now that everything's done, Baby P is most likely going to take her sweet time... ugh.

I am experiencing some irregular contractions this evening, but nothing really noteworthy. My very dear friend Mags and her two beautiful babies are coming to visit me and she wanted to make sure I was still preggo when she visited, so hopefully right after Mags sees me Miss Thang will be like Ok, did Mags a favor now I can hop out! Hahaha... here's to wishful thinking.

Progression (I'm REALLY About to Be a Mom)

Not to sound repetitive or anything, but I'm going to be a mom.

This time, I'm not kidding. I went to the doc today for my 37 week checkup and some cultures. Miss thang has dropped, I am about 3cm dilated and 70% effaced.

She could be here any day LITERALLY!!!!! She could come... like... rightnow.
OR it could be weeks.

That's the part I hate... the fact that it could be any minute but I don't know which minute. Yeesh, high stress.

When the midwife told me this today, I thought I was going to throw up. The truth of the matter, if you hadn't noticed from my last post, is that I am getting a little nervous. And I really thought I had at least 3 more weeks. As much as I say hurry up hurry up, it's also like, wooooah now?! It's also a bit sad because I wanted to call Mr. P and tell him this news and, obviously, I couldn't do that. Mom said after I heard that I just looked petrified. Haha, I guess I just wasn't expecting to hear I'd progressed at all. Surprise! The midwife scheduled me for my next checkup in one week, but she says she personally doesn't think I'll make it that long. I think now that it's sunk in I'm back to being ready - get here, get here!!! But at first it really was a whole scary idea... any minute!

So... be on the lookout for the Labor post. Or the, why isn't she here yet post... if she decides to be stubborn.

Um, I'm Going to Be a MOM Soon

Yeah.
I'm going to be a mom soon.
Holy Fried Potatoes.

This is CRAZY! I mean really crazy. Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked. I'm more than stoked, I'm over the moon, excited, and ready for baby girl to get here. Buuut the whole idea of "I am going to be a mom"... is still totally blowing my mind.

As of today (well yesterday since it's after midnight, but you know what I mean... as of Wednesday, k?!) I am full term. So basically... she can decide she's ready any day now. I mean I guess she could have made that decision any time at all during the pregnancy but now it's just so real... there could be a baby. in my arms. any. minute. YIKES!
I'M SO EXCITED!

I just had to get that out, I'm sure it won't be the last time (and I'll probably be complaining she's not here yet in a couple weeks... haha)

Anyway, 37 weeks belly pic as well as one more of the pro-pics a la Kate Bailey (let me remind you to give her a call if you want some photos done, they're free til Spring and even if you don't get them free, they're clearly worth it.)


The Most Interesting Day (Not Necessarily in the Good Way)

Well yesterday was interesting, to put it lightly.

The day started out early as mom and I were taken to the train station by dad to begin our journey. This whole thing went pretty smoothly and in no time we were on the train headed to DC from Harford County. In DC, we had about a 2 hour delay, so we went to McDs for breakfast. After going pee, I came back to mom with the baggage and a look on her face that said "What in the hell are we doing here?!" as she handed me my purse and said "don't put this down." Then she told me about a kid that was going through the trash can eating people's left overs. It's sad, but it still creeps you out especially if if you're not used to it, as many of the commuters going through the station seemed to be. The man next to us said good morning and then proceeded to drink someone's left behind coffee with approximately 27 sugars while laughing at... I can only assume... whomever was in his head.

As we walked around in an attempt to make our 2 hours go as quickly as possible, we decided to go outside to cool off (it was about 85 degrees in the station) and for mom to have a quick smoke. As she chucked her butt into the butt-can, she missed and a the man standing by the can said that he'd get it. She thanked him and we went to walk in, as we looked up to open the door, we noticed that the man was smoking the chucked-butt. Like I said, really creepy if you're not used to it. I'm not trying to be insensitive or make light of people less fortunate, it's just something I'm not used to and therefore is memorable.

Our train continued and continued to get delayed and no one in the station was really helpful about what was going on and we were slightly worried that something was wrong with the train. Sooo, I called Amtrak (yes, from inside the station) and was utterly shocked to learn the reason for the delay was that the southbound lines were all stopped from Baltimore North because a tresspasser on the tracks had been struck and killed in Baltimore. We learned later this person was a 14 year old girl walking to school (the news is now saying she was ditching, but either way, a 14 year old girl). How sad, I feel really really bad for her family and friends.

We finally boarded our train at around 1 in the afternoon. The train attendant was a spunky old woman who was very nit-picky and stuck in her ways (possible OCD) and yelled at mom at one point when she tried to sit somewhere else when I was sleeping. The woman in front of me had her music so loud on her headphones it woke me up from my sleep. The bathrooms hadn't been emptied and had a rather pungent smell. It was basically the total opposite of my train trip going home, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The seats, however, were super roomy and if I ever do take another train trip I will definitely go business class again, definitely worth it.

We arrived in NC around 630 and had about a two hour drive into Jacksonville where we hit up Golden Corral for some much needed pigging out. Our waitress there seemed to have some kind of trouble understanding me (Seriously, I asked her where the bathroom was and she gave me a total blank look. I repeated bathroom? and she said Bathroom. Well it's right around here... after again staring blankly at me... and No, there was no accent or hint of her being a non-native English speaker) Then we finally headed to my place around 930. I open the door to my house and smell this God-awful smell. Almost like rubber burning. Definitely something burning. I begin searching for the source when I notice the heat isn't running and it's pretty cold in the house. Over to the landlord's we go... They check it out and deduce that there really isn't anything they can do until the heat guy comes in the morning, so they gave me $100 for us to spend on a hotel for the night.

We settled in to the Ramada Inn and tried to get some sleep, which wasn't the greatest sleep I've ever had but Oh well, I was glad the day was finally over. It felt like the longest day in history - one thing after another. My heat is fixed and running and mom and I are just hanging out now before heading back into JVille to hit up the Verizon store and get her a new battery. Baby girl is spending some quality time in my ribs before she begins the great descent - as I am FULL TERM today, hooray! She's almost here! And I got to talk to my love today for quite a while, even though the phone sucked, I still heard his voice which always makes me smile.

Phew, hope everyone else's day was a little less eventful than that, or if it was eventful it was good events!

This Dog Really Annoys Me (And Other Random Unrelated Events)

*I started this post... yesterday? But was too lazy to add the pics and finish, so here it is a lil bit later*

I'm sitting on the couch here at my parents house and my dad's dog, George, is just whining. He won't stop. It's driving me damn near insane. He does this often. He just wants to play, but I do not want to play with you, I want you to shut up. Hence the title of this post, but not the purpose. If he weren't so cute I'd be angry... haha

The last few days have been delightfully busy, thank God, the only thing that seems to make the days not crawl is constantly moving.

Before New Years, I met up with 3 of my sisters for lunch. We had a wonderful time talking and catching up. The three of them are in grad school (well one's in med school!) right now, so it was really awesome hearing about all goings-on of their lives, how different grad school is from undergrad, talking about the changes in my life, and just generally catching up to speed in the happenings of the last month or so since we've seen each other. I love having the kinds of friends that you don't have to see or speak to every day but you still know they're you're friends and when you get back together everything is the same.

The day before yesterday, one of my college friends headed up here to good ol' Harford County (a short but still substantial hike from the greater Baltimore area) to take some maternity photos for me. She is starting up a photography business and wanted some volunteers to do photo shoots free of cost, so of course I happily obliged. We took some really cool "moto" ones, where I was in his camis with the American flag behind me, some with a sheet wrapped around, and some in regular clothes. I'm very very excited to see how they turned out, they looked pretty awesome on her camera, so I'm hoping they look even more awesome in full size. Then we enjoyed lunch together at Panera Bread (I looove Panera Bread) and talked about grown up things like mortgages and married life. So weird, the paths our lives take and the difference a year or two can really make. Feel free to check out her photography (HERE) and if you like what you see and are in the MD area, give her a ring and help her start up her business! *She also said people in the MD area who want photos done she is still doing them free of charge until the spring, so hit that up!*

*Seeing that I wrote this post before she sent me the pics, I can now share one with you. There are a whooole bunch, and I will share more but you're getting only one for now*


Mom and I have been spending a lot of (ok probably even more than a lot, more like too much) time playing Mario Bros Wii. This is just a random side note, as I'm sitting here waiting for the Ravens game to be over so we can get back to business and beat this game! We've had such a great time together since I've been home (who am I kidding, we always have a great time together) and it's cool to be able to just hang out and play games with your momma.

Today after church I went and met another one of my beautiful sisters (and one of my best friends), Shannon, since it had been far too long since I'd seen her. We enjoyed some lunch at the mall and lots of girl talk and more catching up (I love coming home and getting to catch up with all my good friends). Shannon is in law school (my friends are all so motivated, I love it and am so proud of them) so I got to hear more about school after graduation (and wonder if I'll ever head back myself), I think it's so neat hearing people talk about the differences and similarities between undergrad and their graduate studies and I am very proud of all of them for the hard work they put in. We also talked about military stuff (her hubby's a Coastie), married life, and other grown-up things as well as the always lovely gossip. Then we hit up Victoria's Secret for always appreciated SEMI-ANNUAL SALE! We both walked out with bags, I with a night shirt and lotion, Shan with some lip balm and other cosmetics and I think maybe a bra. They had really good deals on bras. I have to say, no offense to any of my other friends, but Shannon is definitely one of my top shopping partners. Had I not had to be home for dinner at 5 (and her hubby wandering around the mall while we were at the girly store) we probably would have shopped for hours.
And I don't know what else I was originally going to include in this post, as this is where I left off, So we'll just leave it at that. I'm headed back on the train tomorrow to get back home and wait for lil miss thang to decide she's ready to come out and play. Hope you're all enjoying your first full week of 2010.
 

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