ABC's of ME!!!!

A-Age: 25
B-Birth date: January 16, 1984
C-Chore you hate: folding laundry
D-Dog's name: Maggie, Macy and Eddy
E-Enter or Exit: depends on what it is I'm entering or exiting.
F-Favorite color: pink!
G-Gold or silver: Silver, white gold, or platinum (my personal fav)
H-Hair color: Brown w/ blonde highlights
I-Instrument: I can play the flute
J-Job Title: phone operator...soon to be stay-at-home army wife and mommy!
K-Kids: Hannah Erin, due Oct 27th
L-Living arrangements: just me and my doggies til baby Hannah arrives and Aaron returns from deployment
M-Monkey or Moose: Moose
N-Nicknames: don't really have any
O-Odd thing about you: I like to eat peanut butter on my pancakes
P-Pet Peeve: clothes left lying on the floor that belong in the dirty clothes hamper, same goes for dirty dishes that belong in the dishwasher
Q-Quote from a movie: i don't have a favorite
R-Right/Left Handed: Righty Tighty
S-Siblings: none (thank God, cause my mommy still spoils me!)
T-Time you wake up? work days 0640, weekends when Aaron calls about 0800, every other day about 0930
U-Underwear: currently wearing maternity thongs -- the most comfortable undies EVER!
V-Veggie you dislike: asparagus
W-What makes you run late: me! I really hate getting up early in the morning, so therefore I get up at the last minute and am late, often.
X-X-Rays: Teeth, both legs,both hips, arm, idk what else
Y-Yummy food you make: my chicken and dumplings are pretty bomb, not gonna lie!
Z-Zoo Animal: penguin

Mental Health Day

Today I called in sick from work because I have an upset stomach. I am sure the cause of this is nerves, so really it' more like a mental health day to save my sanity.

Nothing ever really goes wrong when my husband is home. But of course, as soon as he gets on a plane to fly across the globe someone casts a spell on me that makes my life hell. And then everything goes wrong. Everything that I cannot fix and need him for. Such as my air conditioner.

Yep that's right. My a/c stopped working yesterday. So I called the person that I always do when in a crisis. My daddy. Since he is over a thousand miles away it's hard for him to diagnose a problem that he cannot see. He walked me through a few things to try to decided that it must be a blown fuse. Of course I had to wait until Lowe's opened today, because it was after closing time when my crisis occurred yesterday. I worried about it all night. Mostly I was worried about something else being broken with the a/c rather than the fuse. Something that I was incapable of fixing myself and would have to pay an arm and a leg for someone else to repair.

So, first thing this morning I went to Lowe's, got a set of fuses and came home, installed them, and voila! IT WORKED!!!!! Ten bucks later I am cool as a cucumber sitting at my desk typing this blog! I am ever so thankful that I didn't have to pay someone hundreds of dollars to fix it, thanks Dad!

I am going to spend the rest of my mental health day doing other things around the house that I have been putting off. Change the filters for the air-flow system, drag out the ladder and change the light bulbs in the fixture over my stairs, install a new front porch light that doesn't look like it fell out of the 1980's, put up our American flag for the 4th of July....you get the point! Today will be way more productive than if I had gone to work.

My baby shower

Today my friends here in Colorado Springs had a baby shower for me! It was lovely, pink everywhere! We ate, played games, and opened presents. I got so many nice gifts. I have such wonderful friends who really have become my Colorado family.


I would like to give a special thanks to Jenn and Taylor for putting it all together! You girls are the best!

A couple grapes short of a fruit salad...

I don't know if the stars are in a funny alignment or if it's a full moon or what, but these patients are driving me nuts! My job consists of answering the phone and transferring it to the appropriate party. So I talk to almost every one that calls this office. And there are two people today who have pissed me the eff off.

The first one was a woman who needed directions to our office. First of all it annoys me when people call and say, "I need directions." Um, okay, from where??? There are about a million different ways to get to our office from any part of town. Use your head people, think before you speak!!! Anyway this dumb bitch (yes I said bitch, cause that's what she WAS) called and needed directions. Of course I had to ask her where she was coming from, so she told me, and she was really only about a block away, but I needed to know which direction she was traveling in (ie north, south, etc.) so that I could tell her which way to turn. She snapped at me, "I don't know where I am or what direction I'm heading!" Well, for those of you that aren't from here or have never been here, Colorado Springs is like the the last place you would ever get lost. It sits at the bottom of the Rocky Mountains (which are west)...so that is a huge indicator as to which direction you are traveling. They are always west and they will always be west, so as long as you passed third grade geography you should be able to figure out which way north or south are. So then I asked her if the mountains were in front of or behind her. "Ma'am, you are confusing me, I don't know what the mountains have to do with anything!" So I then explained that the mountains are west and in order for me to give her accurate directions I need to know which way she is traveling. So, after we got that all sorted out, and she seemed to understand how to get here (she was less than a block away) we hung up. She called back. THREE times!!!! She needed directions on how to get into the parking lot (I am seriously not kidding) and where to go once inside the building, after I had told her a few times that we are in suite 200. And she wanted to know which floor that was on. Um, all suites starting with a 2 are on the second floor...duh! I am assuming that she was capable of opening her car door and walking through the parking lot into the office, but that might have been too difficult.

So then the second genius to call our office within an hour of us opening was this man who hadn't taken a dump in 3 days! Oh my God, call the FBI! And he went on, and on, and on about it! So I explained that the person he needed to talk to was in with patients and I couldn't interrupt her unless it was an emergency. His mommy called back. This man is 50 friggin years old! My co-worker then explained that due to patient confidentiality he would have to call himself. What she really should've told her was that since he needed his mommy to make his calls for him, she should give him an enema and wipe his ass for him too! Those two have called, oh about seven times today, and it's not even lunch-time.

Wow, I am SO ready for this day and week to be over! I seriously do not have the patience to deal with these dumb-asses!

sleep deprived

Me with less than eight hours of sleep = one cranky bitch! For some odd reason I can't sleep a full eight hours at night. I wake up like a million times to pee, due to the pregnancy, but then I can't go back to sleep! I laid in bed for over an hour this morning trying to fall back asleep. Eventually I did, but it took forever. Now I'm tired and at work, and people are already driving me nuts! And, needless to say, I don't want to be here.

One of my favorite shows is Jon & Kate Plus 8. I don't know how many of you follow the show, but it's about a couple who has two sets of multiples from IVF. Anyway they have been in the tabloids a lot in the past few months with a lot of scandal going on in their marriage. So on the show last night they announced that they are getting a divorce! This made me so sad. One of the reasons I love the show so much is because they are a family, and even though they aren't always perfect they still stuck together and loved each other at the end of the day. Until now. So, I'm not sure if I still want to watch the show.

Anyway, on a more positive note, my friend Jenn has joined the blogger community! She is recently engaged and moving back to the Springs! She will be here on Thursday and I cannot wait to see her! So go check out her page!

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Good Monday morning folks! I had a pretty good weekend, got some R&R, spent time with friends, was productive around the house. Aaron called Saturday morning pretty early, but after we talked I was able to get a few more hours of sleep (which, by the way, is one of my favorite things to do!). Then I went to see The Proposal with Sam the Army Wife. We met through our blogs and live in the same area, so we thought it would be cool to meet. We had a few minutes before and after the movie to chat, of course being that we read each other's blog, we pretty much are up-to-date on the recent happenings in each other's lives! The movie was super cute and funny. I defiantly recommend watching it. After the movie I went home and mowed the grass. Not the highlight of my weekend, but that's where the productive part comes into play.

Sunday I went shopping with my neighbor Sam and left my car at Sears to get the oil changed. We had fun, bought a few things that were on sale. I got to eat an Auntie Anne's pretzel, which I have been craving for quite some time. So it was time to pick my car up. When I dropped it off I left the keys with some little guy named Jose and gave him all of my information, including the fact that I would be needing a military discount. At six o'clock when I picked it up an older man assisted me with checking out. He rang me up and gave me the total, at which I politely responded, "Oh, don't I get a military discount?" He then got a disgusted look on his face and his tone immediately changed, "You should've told me that before I rang you up!" I explained to him that I had told Jose (besides it was right there on my paperwork). "It doesn't matter, you should've told me!" He shouted. So then he began typing away on the keyboard, and wanted to see my mil i.d. The whole process of applying the discount didn't even take him two minutes, but he acted as if we had to stop production and call in the national guard! I mean really, he needs to rethink his career choice to work in customer service!

So, this morning I get to work and check my yahoo email and facebook and I have a friend request from a girl, Brittney, that I was in the Navy with! I cannot even tell you how excited this makes me because after I got out and was moving around we lost contact. I have searched for her a few times and have never been able to find her. Here is a picture of us from my last day in Virginia when we were saying goodbye. Brittney is the one on the right, I am in the middle, and our other friend Crystal is on the left.

SSG Billings

finally called!

Poor baby is sick. But he said that he went to "check out" the place where they will be relocating to (yet again). He said that it's even shittier than where they currently are. I mean no electricity for a week at a time and a flooding tent of 300 guys isn't as bad as it gets?! I just cannot even imagine. He also said that I can expect to hear from him even less than the two times a week that he is calling now! Oh. My. God. This whole thing just keeps getting worse and worse. He said that they hadn't checked out the internet, so I'm praying that it's an improvement to what he has currently, and we can use that for communication. I know, it's doubtful, but I can at least hope.

On the upside, the Army has successfully managed to waste 1/3 of the deployment by not knowing what the eff is going on. He has barely been on any missions, and as far as I'm concerned that's great! I know he hates just sitting around all day, but at least he is safe. And I'm okay with that.

Four months down.....eight more to go!

I scream

For ice cream!!!!! HAHA!

I do not know if the combination of pregnancy and summer are good for me. Or for my pregnancy weight-gain anyway! I crave ice cream. ALL day, EVERY day. So far, my favorite flavors are Baskin Robbins chocolate-chip cookie dough (which I keep stocked by the pint in my freezer), rocky road, and vanilla with strawberries, chocolate syrup, and toasted coconut. But really, any flavor will do. I could eat this sweet, creamy, frozen goodness for every meal, and snacks too. Especially on a hot day. I have so much in my freezer, I might as well open up a 31 flavors right out of my kitchen! I have always loved ice cream, but this has become an obsession! And it's probably a good thing that Blue Bell doesn't sell ice cream here (this is an ice cream company in Brenham, TX). They make the best ice cream on the plant! Instead of my monthly weight-gain being 2.5 lbs, it would be more like 10 lbs!!!! I would probably eat it by the gallon every day, no joke. If I wasn't at work all day Mon-Fri I could visualize myself parking my expanding body on the couch and eating it from the time I wake up until I go to bed, and then probably having it as a mid-night snack too! Haha, just kidding (I hope).

Another odd craving of mine is bratwurst with sour kraut. Don't ask me why. I have never eaten a brat in my entire life until now. And I eat them at least a few times a week for dinner. I don't know why I can't get enough of them. I guess sour kraut is this pregnant woman's pickle.

And now that I have written an entire blog about the foods I love most from my desk at work, I am starving! Of course neither are accessible, so I will have to look forward to going home and having them both for dinner! Yum!

I've seen better days.

Yesterday was my 20 week OB appointment. I did not get the same fabulous report from my doctor this time. Now as far as I know, nothing is seriously wrong. But they want to do another ultrasound to look at some tissue that is growing on the bottom of my uterus. And the doctor also said that they didn't get good pics of the baby's spine. I am hoping that this isn't just a nice way of saying, "We think something is wrong with your child, but don't want to tell you until we are positive." My next appointment is in four weeks. I guess if anything was seriously wrong she would've wanted me to come in sooner. Let's hope anyway. Speaking of my next appointment, I went to the appointment desk to schedule it, and was questioned as to whether or not I am in fact expecting. Also, they told me that they had me as being 21 weeks pregnant with an estimated due date of Jan 20. Ummmm, NO. This is something that they do every day, they should be able to look at at that information and just know that if I am half-way through my pregnancy it isn't possible for me to be due in 2010!!! And I had to call radiology to set up the other ultrasound for two weeks from now. I called and was told that someone would call me back by 1830, they promised. Did anyone call? NO. Fuckers. So, I had to call back this morning again. Really, the people that work there aren't that bright.

AND my husband was supposed to call yesterday after the appointment because he said they were going on a three day mission. He didn't. Which is totally unlike him. But besides the fact that I waited for his call, I want to tell him about the appointment and now I can't til at least Saturday. UGH!

Ewwwww

I checked my Google Analytics this morning and someone had found my page via "baby bump - porn." Oh My God, that just creeps me out! AND they visited my page twice! Seriously, people have some weird fetishes. Gross.

OH MY GOD!!!!

I accidentally washed a pink and white tie-dyed dress with all my white/light clothes!!!! How do I get the pink out of them????

HELP ME!!!!!

Okay, so now that I know I'm having a baby girl I am trying to figure out how I'm gonna decorate her room. I have found two bedding sets for her nursery that I love. And I love them equally, so I'm having a hard time deciding which one I want to get! So, I thought I would post them on here and let my lovely followers help me decide!


Pink and Green Paisley



or pink and green flowers???

Your opinions and comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!

Thanks.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

So we got to do the VTC yesterday! I wore a cute little outfit (that he's never seen) and did my hair and make up. I looked pretty hot, not gonna lie! Anyway, they were having technical difficulties on his end (go figure) so he could see me okay but couldn't really hear me. He said I sounded like a robot. I had to practically yell into this microphone and speak slowly. And there was a delay from the time I said something to when he (sorta) heard it. But on my end everything was crystal clear and I could hear him just fine. It was almost like sitting across from him having a conversation! But it was hard because I kept having to repeat myself, and we only had 10 minutes so we really didn't get to say very much.

He asked me why I didn't bring the dogs, and I told him that I had come from work. And he said he could see my baby bump and that he's excited about our baby girl. I was so happy to see him and everything was just great! At the end of our conversation we were saying goodbye and he thanked me for coming (like I would miss it!) and blew me a kiss. That's when I lost it! I started crying and the soldier that was in the room operating the system gave me a hug. I don't think Aaron saw me because he had gone by that time.

But it was great and I hope that we get to do again sometime!

Gripe

I'm still sick of people's opinions. So now that I have found out my baby's gender people usually ask if we have decided on a name. So then I tell them, Hannah Erin, usually explaining the meaning behind Erin. And I have been told that they don't like that name, or Hannah is too common, or this would sound better for a middle name. Um, excuse me? First of all I didn't not ask if you like the name, nor do I care. And since this is not your child, you don't really have any say in what we name her. Didn't your mother ever tell you that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!

Okay, so my house has been taken over by moths. I don't know how they got in but they are in every single room of my house! How do I get rid of them?!

And I am STILL sick. This cold sucks and it has got to go! Going on day 9.....

A soldier's little princess is on the way!

Aaron called this morning! He was very anxious to hear the news from the ultrasound (he had known that I was having the appointment to find out the gender). So I told him that he's gonna have a daughter! I don't think he was all that surprised because I told him that I felt like she was a girl before. We had decided on her first name months ago, and I asked him today if he knew what her middle name was going to be, and he said no. I told him Erin, after him, but the female spelling. He really liked that a lot. It probably made his day! So, we are very excited to meet our baby girl Hannah Erin!

Also, I received an email from the FRG leader. Sometimes I read them, sometimes I don't. Usually the information in them doesn't pertain to me. Well, I actually happened to read this one, and it's a good thing I did! It was about a video teleconference (VTC) and listed the names of the soldiers who signed up to participate, and number two was SSG Billings. Well, SSG Billings hadn't informed me of any such thing! And it's this Thursday! So when he called, naturally I was inquisitive about the whole thing. He said that he hadn't mentioned it because they still didn't have a date....I was like, "Well babe, it's tomorrow!" Of course, no one had informed them of it, because it's the Army and they never do....Anyway tomorrow night I get to talk to my husband live and see his face for 10 whole minutes...OMG what am I gonna wear?!

It's a.......

GIRL!!!!!!!!

The ultrasound tech saw three lines, which means it's a GIRL! When he told me I asked him how long he had been doing it (13 years) and how many times he had been wrong ("maybe half a dozen"). Hey, I needed to know his accuracy rate! I still haven't been able to tell Aaron because he hasn't called yet...soon hopefully.

Oh, and I didn't pee on the table, even though I had to go so bad that it hurt. I was literally shuffling my feet when I walked because I thought my bladder was gonna burst. He let me go half way through, thank God! And my kidney's hurt from the water-overload.

The longest day in history!

Today is gonna be the longest day of work for me, EVER! I have my ultrasound appointment tonight at 6:30, in which I will be finding out the baby's gender! So today is already going super slow. But this will hopefully be the last blog that I write in yellow! And hopefully the ultrasound tech gets it right! I have heard too many horror stories from people who were told their baby was one sex and then it came out and it was the other!!!

Okay, so I have one confession to make. This whole time I have been pregnant I have "felt" like I'm having a girl. Now, ultimately I just want a healthy baby. Maybe I would be a little more excited about a girl because let's face it, they just make way cuter clothes for baby girls. And pink is my favorite color. But I don't really care either way. However, since I have felt this whole time that it's a girl I'm afraid that if they tell me it's a boy I might not have the best reaction. Like what if I get upset? Also, with the whole girl thing, we decided on her name right after I found out I was pregnant. We still cannot agree on a boy's name. So if it's a boy I'm gonna feel guilty! If the ultrasound tech tells me it's a boy I don't want me initial reaction to be disappointment. But I honestly think that I might feel that way, just a little bit. And that makes me feel horrible!

Another fear of mine is peeing on the table while I'm having it done. They insist that you drink like 36 ounces of water one hour prior to the exam and you cannot "void" until after it is done. Being pregnant makes me have to pee all the time anyway. I am worried that I won't be able to hold it for that long, especially while they are pushing on my abdomen! Oh my God! How humiliating would that be? Funny, but still embarrassing. All this talk of pee makes me have to pee! Ha!

So the next blog I post will let you all know what I'm having! Ahhhhh I can't believe this day is here already!!!!

I'm BAAAAACK!!!!!!

I can define the cruise with just one word. Awesome. It was the best vacation of my life, minus the fact that I wasn't with my husband. Had he been there, then it would've been perfect.

It, however, didn't start off the best.

Flight 1 from Colorado Springs to Dallas - woman with cat on board who meowed non-stop. I. Hate. Cats.

Flight 2 from Dallas to Miami - 40+ non-English speaking teenagers on the flight. 'Nuff said.

Taylor's suitcase got lost.

But after those little incidents we pretty much had a blast all day, every day.

Day 1: fun day at sea. Sat by the pool and read Tori Spelling's new book, which I have been waiting to read for like two months since I bought it. Also drank pina coladas (non-alcoholic of course), very refreshing!

Day 2: Massage and Grand Cayman. Saw THE funniest thing ever!!!!!

Day 3: Beach at Isla Roatan, Honduras. It was paradise there! Perfect temperature in the shade and a nice breeze. The water was crystal clear!

Day 4: Snorkeling in Belize. Snorkeling was fun, but this place must be hell. It was hot. And humid. If I never have to go back there, it would be too soon!

And I swallowed about a gallon of sea water. I still managed to get some stupid cold, even though you would think all of that salt water would've killed any germs!

Day 5: fun day at sea. More pina colada drinking and laying by the pool.

Day 6: Key West, Florida. Glad to be back in America!!! It's much cleaner, and I can finally use my cell phone. Missed getting calls from the hubs.

So, it was awesome and I highly recommend it! Carnival Cruise Lines was great and they have the best chocolate mousse cake that can be delivered 24 hours a day by room service. I think I miss that the most! I enjoyed that little piece of heaven every night but two!