You were good 2010

The older I get, the faster a year goes by. I am astonished as I look back how quickly this year came and went. I think back on it and words cannot express how blessed we were this year. 

Family: Obviously the biggest blessing and most exciting part of our year was Jaxson. I cannot believe he is already here and sadly, almost a month old. It seems like yesterday when Jana and I were heading out for a day of shopping and I peed on that little stick and it had a giant + on it. We are so thankful for a healthy baby boy that is growing like a weed and starting to let his personality out. I am so grateful for an easy delivery this time and for the opportunity for Michael to be off work for the first three weeks. I will never, ever forget those 3 weeks and the time we got to bond as a family. Jax is a great addition to our family and we love him more and more everyday. Jake also turned 3 this year! It's been a blast to think about everything he has learned and how much he has come into his own over the year. He is a fantastic big brother and I love watching the two of them together. The transition was smooth and Jake has really stepped up to the plate as a big brother. I have loved our coloring times, watching him as he paints and draws, playing board games (so glad to play Candyland and Chutes and Ladders again!), watching him and Michael have their dance sessions before bed, never knowing what one liner will come out of his mouth next, the list can go on and on. Jake amazes me everyday. Yes, he has his moments like all 3 year old children do, but one smile from him, and it wipes those little moments away.

Friends: I do not even know where to begin in this category. I look around and see the people I have in my life and words fail. The family and friends that God has given me, they are just amazing. I have so many wonderful memories from this past year and a whole lot of laughs that have extended my life by centuries. Even with one of my besties moving to another state, it's amazing what you can still do being about 12 hours apart! Especially when you have 3 cd's of songs about our relationship to listen to! Every single one of our friends have been there for us this year multiple times. The good, the bad, and the unexpected. The support and love that they have shown us, brings tears to my eyes. I want nothing more for them all to know how much we love them and support them in return. I am so pumped for all the babies that are making their debuts this year! I love the fact that we do have quite a few friends with children all the same age. It makes it a complete blast to be together! We are so lucky to have friends that get us. Love us for who were are and accept us for who we are. Our Tuesday night bible study group has been a rock for us and have taught us so much this past year. I cannot wait to see what 2011 has in store for all of us! I know we will all be there for one another.

Mi Familia aka my parents and sisters family: We have had a very interesting year this year. Two new boys to add to the crew. We all went through a rough time in May but have come out stronger and closer. Being adopted, I am astonished about how lucky I am to have been blessed with my family. I know things could have been different. God has a plan for everything and we are so lucky to have one another. I am so fortunate to have parents that are not only parents, but amazing friends. I have no problem saying "I love hanging out with my parents!" It is so funny when you realize you want to be around your parents all the time, more then ever before. We are blessed to have both sets of parents here and for our kids to be around them whenever they want. We are so thankful to them for everything they have taught us and done for us throughout the years.

Jobs: I may dislike my job some days but I am grateful to have a job. I know there are many people out there that don't. Some days are not as good as others but the people I work with, wow, that makes all the difference. I am fortunate to have a boss that treats us like adults, most of the time. In house, the people I see everyday make each day a new adventure. We have shared many laughs, tears, experiences, changes, challenges, and more laughs with each other. It does end up being a second family. When one is gone, the whole dynamic is different and off. I have been off work for about 6 weeks currently, and I do miss them. Even though I wish my leave didn't have to end, I am looking forward to seeing their faces again! Michael also has been blessed with his job this past year. He is still one of their leading men and has a fantastic relationship with his bosses. He was spoiled the 2nd half of the year working on a giant house for an amazing couple that treated him like royalty. He was also lucky to have received many side jobs over the year. Even though we are both contemplating career changes in the next few years, we are thankful for what we have.

Extras: We spent a giant portion of the beginning of 2010 getting our house ready for 2011. We have 8/9 projects completed and are starting to box up a lot of our "extra" things. We hope 2011 will be the year we can sell this place. It's been good to us but we really need more space for this over-sized family of 7 (including the animals.)  This house has been our home for almost 5 years and it was our first place together. Although I will be sad to see it go, I hope 2011 will bring us a new adventure in housing! The new SUV. Ruby was good to us until July of 2010. Sadly, we had to put her down and move on. We are so thankful the accident wasn't as bad as it could have been. We were so lucky that Jax was okay, only being 18 weeks along was pretty scary having been in a roll over accident. We found our new SUV in a matter of a week and it has been good to us so far. I know Jake enjoys it! We also enjoyed many concerts, date nights, mini vacations away, a ton of wonderful family nights, and so many memories.

Michael: He gets his own. Michael has made me fall in love with him even more then I ever thought. Watching him with the boys alone, just amazes me everyday. I am so lucky to have a fantastic role model and father for my children. I hope one day they see how lucky they are. I know how lucky I am to have him in my life. He still gives me butterflies and there are many, many times that I feel like we are still dating and everything is new. I love the fact that we can still cuddle up on the couch and watch movies. I enjoy the fact he always grabs my hand while walking anywhere. TMI for some, but I love the fact that he still loves to make out like we were in high school. I think it's sweet that when in public he usually his holding my hand, has his arms around me, or is always making "his eyes" at me. I love they way he loves him and the way he takes care of our family. I may not show it sometimes, but the fact that he loves to get on the floor not just with our kids, but friends kids and act like a total goof melts my heart. I love that he loves to dance and isn't afraid to break down at home or in public! I am sure I don't give him enough credit and I try extremely hard to let him know how amazing he is. I can't thank him enough for everything he does. I also can't thank God enough for him. I still sit back and think that I never expected to marry someone I grew up with. God has reasons for everything. I am glad Michael was my "reason" and part of my "plan".

I am sad to see 2010 go because we had so many amazing experiences and blessings this year. I am though, extremely excited to see what lies ahead in 2011. I know there will be good and bad, but I am sure God has many things in store for us. We have a few changes coming up. Changes that have to be made and we will be better for it! So bring it on 2011!

Christmas 2010

Christmas has come and gone. I am sad but at the same time, I was ready this year. I think it's because I really wanted my house back in order. Even though I am no longer pregnant, I still am nesting. I get OCD if things are messy or out of place. In some ways, I hope it passes but I also don't want it to. We will have to play it out and see what happens.

Let see, we spent Christmas Eve with the Janzen clan. We went to church and then headed over for dinner. It was our typical Christmas Eve dinner of ham, potatoes, veggies, oyster soup, rolls and raspberry jello for dessert. It's nothing too exciting but it's the normal and rounds out the the whole Christmas Eve vibe. It was a good evening with family.

Christmas Day was insane. We woke up and ate breakfast as a family. We read the Christmas story and then Jake opened all his gifts! We just let him have at it. 3 year olds aren't the most patient so we thought we would let him open everything first. He was super excited for everything! His big gift from us was a major hit! We bought him the Fisher Price iXL and he loves it. He will sit there for hours writing, coloring, reading, and playing games. It is amazing. I am just so thankful he likes it. He is more of manual toy child. He has all the Thomas the Train engines and a ton of cars and trucks, so this whole new electronic era is completely new. I am excited he is interested though! Michael and I put our gifts in our stockings! I was super excited that one of my gifts was a new iPod Nano. Ok, yes I have a barely year old iPod that has about 9000 songs on it and quite a few movies but it's huge. Not huge, but I wanted a small one that I could take on walks and all that. The new Nano's are so small. I need to get a wrist/arm band for it for sure. I think I have had almost every generation of the Nano and this one is the smallest. I was super excited though! Come one January 6th!

After cleaning the the disaster that was our living room after Christmas morning, I started to get everything ready for my sista,s house! Somehow, we made it on time. I really don't know how but we did. Since it wasn't quite dinner time we let the boys rip open their gifts. Can we say Grandparents spoil them? Man, seriously. We honestly were shocked we could fit everything in our SUV. It was packed full. We had bags stuffed on the floor and I had a few things on my lap coming home. It was just madness. We had an amazing dinner and the boys went sledding in the backyard. It was a great day filled with family and love. It was perfect. I will say, I was beyond exhausted when we got home though. Jake of course wanted to play with everything but it was way past his bed time also. Michael and I spent the rest of the night curled up in bed, watching a movie. It was perfection. Jax basically slept through the whole day. I didn't expect anything other then that from him. He did get an awesome floor play yard that he loves to already play with it. He reaches for the toys and loves his tummy time on it. He honestly thinks he is 3 months old instead of 3 weeks. It's crazy. I am sad because since he is the last Janzen we are producing, I want him to stay small longer. Although, Jake was the same way so I had little chance of that happening. He has rolled over twice now. He also holds his head up like a champ. He's such an amazing little man and we love him more and more!

The 26th, well, it all came down. I woke up and my OCD kicked in. I needed my house back in order. We packed up the tree, took down all the decor, put all the wrapping paper and trimmings away, deep cleaned and now my downstairs living area is clean and back to normal. We really needed the space. We honestly did. I forgot how much stuff you have with a baby. It's beyond ridiculous. I also want to get things kicked off to start packing up things we do not use or no longer need. March is going to be here before we know it and I have a few things to get done before we can put the house on the market. I do need to purchase some more packing boxes. That should be my #1 priority. The worst thing I need to do is pack up my china. I don't even know where to begin with that. I will tackle it soon enough!

The Christmas season has come and gone. It was a great time with family and friends and we loved every minute of it. From the parties, to the baking day with my favorites with the exchanging gifts which was amazingly hilarious, to all the family and friend time we were blessed with, the reason for the season, and the time I got to just spend with my three boys. I am so thankful for this time we had together as a family. I am so blessed for my boys and I love them all very much.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Christmas is 2 days away! This has been the most relaxing holiday season of my life. I know that probably sounds insane due to we just had a baby 2 weeks ago, but we had all our holiday shopping done in November. Most of the gifts have been wrapped also for quite some time. We had a few last minute items but this whole season has been the most enjoyable one I have ever experienced! It's also been a major blessing to have Michael home for 3 weeks. I know both boys have loved having him here. I find it funny that even though he has been off work, we have been extremely busy. Between Christmas parties, birthdays, friends being in town, and just running errands, we haven't been home much. I don't mind it one bit. It's been just a blast being able to spend days with friends and family. I have loved every moment of it.

Jax is doing awesome. Growing like a weed and eating us out of the house. The child can put his milk away like a champ. He is starting to stay awake for about an hour to an hour and a half at a time during the day. We love it of course. We try to play with him but he doesn't find anything too interesting at this moment. He does love his brother and Jake loves him. Jax will just stare at Jake if he is talking or playing. It's so sweet. Jake is very protective of Jax. He is always making sure he is warm enough. If he is crying he has to report why and what we can do to help him. It's so funny and very sweet. He loves helping at bath time, feeding time, diaper time, and just any time he thinks Jax needs him. I love it and am so thankful Jake has really been a fantastic big brother!

It's suppose to snow starting tonight. I am a little excited to have a white Christmas. It makes it really feel like Christmas! It's the icing on the cake! I just hope it doesn't cause chaos like last year. Church was even canceled and that made me sad. I hope that it isn't as bad as last year! I just love Christmas and the whole meaning behind it. Jesus is the reason for the season and I love focusing on that. God gave us one amazing gift, His Son, and because of Him, we are free today. I am so thankful for everything He has has blessed us with and even the hard times that He has challenged us with. We are stronger for it and I am thankful for that! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

2 week check up!

Jax had his 2 week check up today! 

Here were his birth stats:
Weight: 7lbs 9oz

Length: 20 inches

Here are his 2 week stats:

Weight: 8 lbs 14oz

Length: 20 3/4 inches

He is in the 90% for both! We know he is growing! He is perfectly healthy and is doing great! Always a good thing to hear!

SLEEP!!!

I have been getting sleep! This is fantastic! Little Jax has been sleeping about three and a half to four hours at night! This is fantastic. I know that I now have probably jinxed myself but the past three nights have been amazing! Only having to get up about once a night makes a huge difference in everything! Jake has gotten over a fear as well, which I won't mention, and this is day 2 and he has kept it going! I am stoked! I do not want that to jinx at all!

I have been in such a mommy fog that I didn't realize Christmas is next weekend. Yikes. I still have a few last minute things to get but all of our big things are done. We have about 5-6 things coming in the mail between tomorrow and Tuesday that will have to be wrapped up but we are good to go! We have 3 people that we still have to buy for. One is a gift card and the other two, well, we are hounding them tonight when they come over for dinner. I need to know these things! Seriously people!

Christmas cards are done and done! I left the stamps in the car so I have to wait till Michael gets home to finally finish them but they are stuffed, addressed, and ready to go. I am so thankful my parents were able to come over on Monday and take some quick photos for us. We needed to get an updated family photo obviously since it has changed in a week. I am so grateful they were able to do that! I don't look the greatest but hey, Jake and Jax are the ones that matter! It's extremely hard to get a photo of Jake too. Trying to contain a 3 year old for a photo is ridiculous. We got a few though! 

I have a scarf to knit but honestly, I think that will take only about 4 hours to do. It's only two colors and we have some down time this weekend so I will be getting my knit on! Which reminds me that I need to find the other spool of yarn that I need. Crap. I need to go digging for that. I had it two weeks ago, but that was before chaos exploded at our house. I am hoping that I can get a few things cleaned up too. I feel like I haven't been able to clean at all lately. It is really irritating! I enjoy and take pride in a clean house. I hate having things out of place. Once Christmas is over that will help in many ways. The piles of gifts and being able to take the tree down will help like crazy. I have a feeling I am taking it down a lot sooner then I have ever before. I am talking the day after Christmas. All this baby stuff is eating up our house!

First Christmas celebration kicks off this weekend! I am so excited! I need to get back in the mood. I have been so excited for it and since I have been off work, well, my Christmas spirit has gone down. Mainly because I am not out and about doing normal things I would have been. I need to blast the music and start baking! I think Jana, Becky, and I need to have a bake day while she is here! HA! 1 day!!! Ok that is my excitement coming out! Jana gets here in 1 day and I'm a little excited!

Since Jax is asleep, I better get my wrapping done!

Adjusting

(If this means anything, I wrote this entire blog and then it magically deleted itself. Then of course it saved it as a blank document. Boo!!)

Jax is a week old. A week and 1 day to be exact. I completely forgot what it was like to have a newborn around. Talk about a wake up call. I am thankful that we are still pretty young and can live with little sleep. Jax is eating like a champ. He takes in about 3 ounces every feeding. Unfortunately those feedings come every 2 hours. Seriously?! Ugh. We were so spoiled with Jake so I didn't expect anything less then a child this time around that didn't sleep in 4 hour increments right off the bat. He has a very mellow temperament though. The only time he cries is when he has to have his diaper change. Sometimes when he thinks he is going to starve to death he wails also. He is a fantastic little guy though and we love him so much already. Nights have been rough. I take the night shift so that Michael can sleep from 10-7 solid and take over in the morning. I get 3-4 naps twice a day so that helps a lot. I hope and pray he starts to stretch out his feedings. I can dream of day he goes for 4 hours and stays there. Just to have to only have to get up once a night would be amazing. Yet, him and I have a lot of fun during the wee morning hours. TV absolutely stinks but you can always count on the Hallmark Channel to have some Christmas movie going!

Unfortunately, I have been sick. For every good day I have, a bad one follows. I honestly think it was the flu shot I got before I left the hospital. It's just taking it's time to get out of me. I have no idea what I would do without Michael. He has been absolutely amazing. Over this past week we have grown even more closer and stronger as a unit. I never think I can love the man more, but then I do. My heart is overflowing with the love I have for him. It's beyond ridiculous. Last night and today I have been fighting this horrible stomach ache. It comes and goes in shifts and has caused vomiting and other unpleasant things. Michael has been fantastic with taking care of Jax and myself. He even went out and got me chicken noodle soup and saltines without even asking. It's been just a blessing to have him home during this time. He is even thinking about taking next week off work. I am so blessed!

Jake is in love with his brother. He refers to him as "My baby" and is always wanting to help. Not in annoying way at all. He helps with feedings, diaper changes, cleaning up, he shushes people if he thinks they are being too loud, he checks on Jax if he even makes a peep, and he very carefully rubs his head when he is sleeping or being fussy. It's so sweet. I was afraid he might rebel and go the other way but he has been amazing. he tries to play with him. He brings him his toys and reads to him. It's so sweet. He teaches him how to count to 65 (that is as high as he knows currently), count to 20 in Spanish, and the ABC's. It just so fun to watch them interact. Jax really focuses on Jake when he is around and cracks a smile in his sleep when Jake talks. It so sweet.

The whole experience was pretty good. I stressed for nothing of course. Everything went as plan. It was a completely different experience this time. No scary moments, no fear, hardly any pain, and a healthy baby to boot. We got to the hospital at 6am and no one else was there. We were taken care of by a fantastic nurse that had the same humor as us so we just had a blast with her till 8 rolled around. My least favorite part would have to be the spinal. I knew I would get sick and I did. I didn't throw up but I did have a few gag moments. Try gagging when you can feel anything below your chest. It's a weird experience. My anesthesiologist was hilarious and he took awesome care of me. The surgery went well and quick. When they said he weighed 7lbs 9oz, I think I about died of shock. Jake was only 6lbs 4 oz and I wasn't expecting a child that weighed more then that. Plus he had a ton of dark hair. Jake was practically bald till he was 2. I believe I asked Michael if he was sure that was the child that came out of me. Other then the food at that place, we had a great experience. We had a lot of family and friends that came and we are so thankful for their visits. Other then having this amazing little boy and seeing Jake with him for the first time, the next highlight was my shower. Your first shower after you have a baby, it's an amazing feeling. You just feel completely renewed and refreshed. It's just an amazing shower experience! =) The 4 days at Mercy flew by and we were so grateful for an amazing staff and great experience!

Christmas is fast approaching. We have 11 days. SCARY!! I hope I am feeling better tomorrow because we need to go out and get some last minute gifts. Jake is at my mom's tomorrow so I would love to get his stalking stuffers and all that jazz. Maybe even pick up a few last minute gifts for him.

Jana gets here on Friday and I am way beyond excited! I cannot wait for her to meet Jax! I also can't wait just to spend time with her and everyone. She is the piece that has been missing during this past week or so. It sucks but we make it through!

Other than that, we are slowly getting along and are just over the moon in love with the new little Janzen in our lives. We couldn't be more blessed and thrilled to have him. He is such an amazing blessing from God and we can't thank Him enough for him!

He is here!

Jaxson Charles Janzen

Born: December 6, 2010

Weighing: 7lbs 9oz

Measuring: 20 inches long

Last night in a silent house.

I am sitting here, in the quiet, just relaxing with my feet up, wondering what it will be like on Friday when we are all home. When I say all, I mean, the 4 of us (yikes) and the dogs. Our family of 3, well 6 with the animals, will become a family of 4 (7 with the mammals). My c-section got pushed up from 10AM to 8AM so we now have to be at the hospital at 6AM. That means my alarm is set for 4:15AM. That already makes me nervous. With the time being moved up, Jake went to go stay with my parents tonight. I already miss him. I think I will miss him terribly over the next few days. Not being able to tuck him in, wake him up, listen to him talk non stop, playing...ugh. I already miss it now. The dogs have been shipped off to the kennel until Friday. They are already living it up and having a blast. Figures. So the house is silent. The most silent it will be for a long time. To be honesty I am wigging out. I feel like I am about 15 minutes from just breaking down and crying. I am nervous for the surgery for starters. I don't want to vomit, I hope the spinal goes okay, and I pray that the surgery goes according to plan. I know things don't always go as you want them to but I really hope tomorrow does. I am also getting nervous about what he looks like. Is he healthy? How big is he? Are we sure it's a he? I have a million and one things running through my head and I hope I can just fall asleep tonight. I better be able to. I also have a nose thing going on. I don't have a cold or a sore throat but my nose is stuffed up something fierce and it's really causing me to not sleep well. Like I need that. I shouldn't be worried about it and I know God has a plan for everything. I am just hoping that tomorrow He will give me the comfort and strength I need to make it through the day. I am just praying for calm nerves at this point. I want to have a light heart and be relaxed and joyful tomorrow. Next time I write, we will have a new Janzen to talk about! =)

With Monday fast approaching, I find myself reflecting on the past 8-9 months. I cannot believe how fast time has gone and it seems like yesterday when Jana and I were heading to Williamsburg and I found out about #2 on the way. It was months ago but I feel like it was yesterday. I am extremely blessed with the people I have around me. My family and friends have been completely amazing and have been there for me through so much. I can't thank them enough. I even had a few friends that I got to share this time with since they were expecting before and after me. We have had some good chats! There have been quite a few people that have had babies around us so after each one was born, it was just one step closer to ours. One thing I am completely grateful for and God was really watching out for us was my car accident. Anything could have happened that day. God was protecting us and kept us all safe, including the baby. We have been blessed throughout this whole experience and I am so thankful and grateful for everything we have been blessed with. 

A few things I will miss:

Movement: This baby was 100% more active then Jake ever was. It might of been his position but I could feel him from 15 weeks and Michael could since about 17-18 weeks. I will miss Jake's face light up when he could see his brother move and roll around. Sometimes he would even yell at him because he thought the baby was hurting me. I can't help but laugh about that. I will miss it terribly but can't wait till I am holding him in my arms.

Food: I should really say eating whatever I want. I will not tell a lie. I engorged myself this pregnancy. Not really with bad things but I was starving all the time. Total plus side is I have gained a total of 1.5lbs. That is it! Being pregnant in the Summer and Fall completely helped. It wasn't till about November that I started not wanting to do as much because the weather wasn't as great. Downfall currently is that all I really want is fruit and it is way out of season. Bummer.

Jake: He has been so excited about his brother. He talks about it and points out toys and clothing and is always like "That is (enter name here)" or asks "Is my baby here yet?!" I have a feeling it will change once his brother is here. Jake dislikes noise. It will be interesting with a new baby crying how Jake reacts to it. I am sure he will love his brother and be a great help. It's just been fun watching him want to help out with everything. He helped put the bassinet together, the pack-n-play, helped Michael get the car seat ready, and loves to put his clothes away. He will learn something and then say "I will show (insert name here) how to do this when he gets older!" It's adorable.

Sleep: I love sleep. It's been great going to bed at 8:30 and getting to sleep about 9-10 hours a night. I love that Michael is so helpful with Jake so I could get to bed some nights at 7:30. Jake was an awesome baby and slept in 4 hour increments from birth so I was only getting up once a night. Every child is different so I have this fear this baby will be an every hour baby. We will see. It's funny because once you start waking up with the baby, you want to. You don't have that "ugh go back to bed" feeling. It's weird. Maybe I am the only one like that. I will miss being able to sleep for 10 hours straight though!! Michael is home for 2 weeks, maybe even 3 so I look forward to nap time daily!

There are other little things I will miss and I can honestly say I really enjoyed this pregnancy! Not having pre-eclampsia was a huge blessing and made it much more enjoyable. We also have a ton of new stories in the book for the wacky things that have happened to me during the past few months! Glad I could make so many people laugh! =)

Things I won't miss:

The back and shoulder pain.

The light bladder control issue when I sneeze, laugh, cough, hiccup, and do other little things.

Feeling like I need a crane to turn me over in the middle of the night when moving from on side to the other.

The pelvic pain. This is something I will never miss. TMI for some but I want my vajayjay back thank you!

Constantly having to use the restroom.

The flatulence. We have enough stories in the book on this subject for the past 9 months.

The word "Preggo". I hate that word, always have and always will. Use the proper term or do not say it.

Going to the to doctor a ridiculous amount of times in a 9 month period. 

Being so exhausted all the time. There is a difference from being "pregnant" tired and "staying awake with baby" tired. Pregnancy tired messes with your whole body. Your body just aches for no reason.

I am sure there are other things but I can't think of them right now.

It is hard to believe that in 3 days we will be a family of 4! It scares me a little but we will make it through. I am so thankful for everything going on in our lives right now and I cannot wait to see what else lies ahead.

FYI on the lovey doveyness ahead:
I do want to take a moment to thank Michael for everything he has done for me. He is the greatest husband a girl could ever dream of. He is always willing to help out and not complain about it. There were days where he knew I was just exhausted and would make dinner or just help out. He is so supportive and shows endless love to me and Jake. He is such a fantastic father and I am sure he will just be better with two. I love him so much and more and more everyday. He makes life exciting and  new and I can't thank God enough for blessing me with him and for guiding us together. I love him more then words can express and he is my other half.

Final doctor appointment!

After many scheduled and rescheduled appointments over the past few days, I finally had my final doctors appointment. My doctor is currently suffering through the flu and has thrown a giant wrench in at the clinic. It was packed when I got there. We are usually in and out in 15-20 minutes flat. I had to wait 25 just in the waiting room and the nurses and receptionists were running around like crazy. I saw one of the other ladies which was fine. She went over a few odds and ends with me. I got to listen to the heart beat, which I love, and then she did my measuring. Of course, I had to go out with a bang. She was trying to feel the position of the baby and she pushed down on my stomach and forced out a lovely week old smelling broccoli fart. We busted out laughing immediately. I was so thankful she was just as immature as me. We were laughing so hard, I did it again and we started laughing all over again. She had to sit down and we both had tears streaming down our faces. A nurse came in asking what was going on and we couldn't even talk. It took us about 5 minutes to calm down. She is currently pregnant with her 3rd and said that she is a walking Gas Bomb. Some days I wish I could just record my life. That was my funny for today.

Last night was not a good night. I should say this morning since I woke up at 2am. I had horrible stomach pains. Michael of course immediately thought it was labor and couldn't fall back asleep. The pain in my stomach never went away so I knew it couldn't be contractions. I spent the next 5 hours throwing up from both ends. I literally got hold of a bad burrito. I took a shower around 4 that lasted an hour and it was amazing. I sent Michael to work and after he left I had the worst part of it. I then slept from 7-11 and woke up feeling 315% better. I am afraid to eat anything so I have been working through a box of crackers. Haha. I am hoping to get another nap in this afternoon. I do not want to repeat this morning. That was horrible!

1 week

How can 38 weeks pass by so quickly, yet seem to take forever at the same time? Hopefully (we better) have a new little Janzen by this time next week! I think it is about to hit me. I am way emotional about it. I don't know if it's stress, just being scared (surgery wise), or the fact we are adding another little one into the house. If I think about it too much, I will cry. That is one thing I will not miss about being pregnant! I see a Hallmark commercial or a Folgers commercial and I have tears streaking down my face. It's not right. I have my final doctor appointment tomorrow. It's our pre-op appointment so it's about an hour long and we go over everything for next Monday. I hope I don't break down in the doctors office. I am sure I have gained like 30lbs in one week. I am not even kidding. The kid has dropped so I have an appetite now. Took 38 weeks but now I'm starving all the time. Thanksgiving didn't help either. I loathe the holidays for it's awesome foods and sweets. 

We are trying to get Jake ready. He knows he has a brother coming and is very excited about it. We are just trying to explain that it's happening next week. It's all hypothetical until that little one is here and crying that he will realize it! He keeps saying how he wants to help with baths, diapers and feeding. We will see how he feels after his brother arrives. We are trying to plan something fun to do as a family this weekend for Jake. I might want to get on that!

The name. We have had quite a few people ask about the name. Sorry, but it's under lock and key. Ok, so a few family members and good friends know but that is it. A little about the name though. We love the nickname or short name we are going to call him. It is the only reason he has a full name. I would just keep it the 3 letters but Michael wants the 6 full letters. I will say it's a common name currently. We got a little different with the spelling and he is our child so I don't really care if anyone else has the name. It works! Jake of course loves it. He's been calling him by his name since we figured out. Hence why family members know. I had to run it by my BFF's when I first fell on it so they of course know. This time next week, we hope to have it out there!

I still have to pack. That is the worst task ever for the hospital. You never know what you will all need. We also have to pack up Jake for a few day stay at my parents house. I will wait till the last possible moment for both. I had to order a few new pairs of pants and tanks and I pray they will be here on time. I am keeping my fingers crossed they get here by Saturday. Otherwise, I might be in trouble. Oh well, I'll make it work! I feel like I have a ton to do but I really don't. Other then packing up myself, Jake and Michael, I don't have much going on. I have a scarf I have to finish, or at least try to finish by Wednesday but maybe if I don't get it done I can finish it and bring it to the hospital for when she comes to visit. I worked on it for 2 hours today. It is taking forever. I went with a much thinner yarn due to they are odd colors that are hard to find. Luckily I am off work right?

So here is to the next 7 days. May they take a while, yet go quickly! =)

Thanksgiving 2010

It was a very different Thanksgiving for us. Just being home for the whole weekend was....amazing. Being able to be together as a family and just relax, it was priceless! 

Thursday we got up pretty early, still sleeping in compared to a normal day. I started cooking and baking pretty quickly. I didn't have much to do but I wanted to get it done and ready. We had lunch at my sisters house at noon and it was of course, amazing. Thanksgiving dinner has to be the most amazing meal of the year. We need to do it more often then once! After dinner the boys all went to Bass Pro Shop and spent a few hours running off steam. Michael called his family down in Arkansas and for the first time in...well, forever, they were trapped. Turns out rain and ice hit them hard and Grandma couldn't even get to their house for Thanksgiving. When Michael talked to her she had made a hamburger on her Foreman for lunch. Poor Gigi. We spent the afternoon going through adds and nibbling on left overs and pies. It was a very relaxing afternoon with family. I enjoyed every second of it!

Friday, well, that is what I call a waste of a day. We did nothing. Literally nothing. AND IT WAS AWESOME!!! I am not lying on this. We stayed in sweats all day, cleaned up a bit, and just spent the day as a family. It was heavenly! A very much needed day of nothing. I would like this to be every Friday. 

Saturday we actually had to look "alive". We ran a few errands and did our normal Saturday routine. For the afternoon Connor and Charlotte came over. Jake had a blast. Other then the baby powder fight, it was a good time. Even though Charlotte is almost 1, it was nice having a baby around. After Chris came and got the kiddos we cleaned up and Jake had a fantastic time in the bath! The rest of the evening consisted of dinner, playing with Jake and after he retired to bed, Michael and I watched a sappy Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel. Don't repeat this, but Michael loves the Hallmark Channel at Christmas time. He loves the movies. It makes me laugh. Mainly they all have happy endings and make you feel all warm inside. So we canoodled up by the tree and watched a movie. It was perfection!

Today was a normal day. Trying to get back into our normal routine. It feels weird actually being Sunday. Mainly because the last 4 days have felt like Sunday. Michael and Jake both took long naps and are now running around like kids! Football has been watched, cookies have been baked, and now the final week is upon us. This is the last week of us being a family of 3. That is extremely scary and exciting to think about! We are just taking it one day at a time.

Here are some recent photos that have been snapped around here.

Found Jake with the stockings!

The boys at Thanksgiving

Caleb

The boys!

My little boy

Kinnick though Jake's fish was really food, then he slept on it

Zoey and Michael

 This kid and his static electricity. His hair looks like this 90% of the day!

Michael and Charlotte, so adorable!

I love her!

I have been a gigantic fan of this lady for a few weeks now. It started November 1st and every commercial has been absolutely fantastic! Her workouts and game plans....they are just fantastic. This card one takes the cake! I saw this commercial on Black Friday and about peed my pants! I couldn't stop laughing! Mainly because I could see myself and a few of my friends doing this! I will miss her after Christmas and I hope she returns next year!

Holiday Flicks

With late night feedings and a lovely incision that is limiting my mobility, I have found myself watching movies like a mad person. I am excited because I am getting my fix in of holiday movies. I have quite a few that I love and have to watch around the Christmas season. Usually I have to keep watching them into January but due to maternity leave, I have watched almost all!

Movies I have to watch at Christmas time:

While You Were Sleeping

Elf

A Christmas Story

Love Actually

Funny Farm 

Home Alone and Home Alone 2

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The Polar Express

Babes in Toyland (ft Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore. Keep laughing, it's okay.)

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Die Hard and Die Hard 2 (What? They take place on Christmas Eve!)

Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Ft Jim Carrey)

It was bound to happen....

It's that time of the year again! When you get on KCCI.com and there are weather alerts. You click on that one link that says "Road Conditions" and get into a little funk. Get ready Iowans! It's just the beginning!

Something new

This year is marks a new peg. It's the first time in 7 years we are not traveling south to Arkansas for Thanksgiving. With my due date a week and a half away, we thought it best to not travel down. I really do not need an Arkansas birth thank you! Michael still makes fun of me and says it answers a few questions that I was born in Missouri. Har Har. I will miss the warmth. It is usually 20+ degrees warmer down there. Take today. They high down in Bella Vista is 71 degrees. Yes it may be rainy but that is a whole lot better then the current 27 degrees it is out now. Our high for Thanksgiving is 21. Are you kidding me?! I expect that on Christmas Day, not Thanksgiving. The high down there is at least 42! The first year we aren't going down and they are actually suppose to receive a rain/ice mix on Friday. The whole town will shut down if it happens! With us not going down it frees us up for the whole Thanksgiving, 4 day weekend. Well, not 4 day for me but for Michael. I'm on a 64 day vacation! 

Wednesday. Normally at this time we are packing up the car and driving down south. The whole day of Wednesday was spent driving down. Today Micheal is working which he never has done before the day before. I get to spend the day baking and relaxing. I do have a doctors appointment but that isn't till 4. A day that use to be pretty stressful turned into a day of relaxation. I welcome it!

Thursday. Usually the men (Chuck, Dave, Michael and Andy) would spend the morning cleaning up Grandma's yard while the women cooked and took care of the young ones. We usually ate around 1 and then crashed. Tomorrow, different story. Michael gets to relax on a day off! He is a tad bit excited about it! I have to cook 1 thing for lunch and it's crock pots job! We are heading over to my sisters at noon to eat our selves out of our pants and I am so looking forward to it. Being pregnant over Thanksgiving has it's perks! Although, I am getting to that point where I am running out of room so I don't eat as much. I will just have to snack throughout the day. The rest of the afternoon will be spent with football and my family. We haven't had a Thanksgiving together, well, ever since Michael and I got together. I think we need to start alternating. Especially since we have children now. 

Friday. Black Friday. No one in Michael's family is very gung-ho on Black Friday shopping. Now, I do have all my Christmas presents bought, wrapped and under the tree but I still love going early in the morning! My dad and did it a few times when we I lived at home and loved it! The people alone are insane and I love it! I don't even need to buy anything but if we come home with a new TV or something along those lines, oh well. I have quite a few things saved in "checkout boxes" at a few places online. Let's hope they don't crash! Most of the items are hoodies and comfy pants for the hospital. Also, GAP is needing pajama outfits for 14-19 year old woman for a organization in Des Moines. I need to pick some of those out. I believe Old Navy is having crazy deals on PJ's! 

We then will just have a normal weekend!! We are already 95% done decorating and all done with wrapping gifts! I have a few homemade ones to finish up and the weekend will hopefully be perfect for it! I also have an idea or two for some last minute gifts. I also have to think of a few gifts for our white elephant Christmas party in December with friends. Looking forward to that evening!! Odd to think we will have another baby at that time!

I will miss the time in Arkansas with Michael's family. I know Jake will miss time with his cousins. I will miss the warmer weather and the hours of playing football. I am embrace the change in scenery for this Thanksgiving and I am thankful for so many things! We are truly blessed!

Thank you!

I may get flack from this due to a few family members being fans but I would like to thank Richard Seymour for finally doing what millions have wanted to do for a while. Punch Ben Roethlisberger in the face. First off his last name is a pain in the butt to spell. Rothlessburger. That is how it should be spelled. It makes him sound like a horrible piece of steak that no one will eat. Second, the guy is a douche. I am sorry but he is. His past actions and attitude has really turned me off to anything he has ever done. I would gladly take the $25,000 fine for letting him have it. That man makes my skin crawl. 

I also have an idea. This whole helmet to helmet situation. I witnessed a few fines that were given as a result from some games this weekend and started thinking about this situation. They started fining players for unnecessary helmet to helmet contact. I think it has prevented some but not all cases. There are some hot heads on the football field. My proposal is this: Whoever you hit helmet to helmet, you pay them the $35,000 instead of the NFL. I am sure players will knock that off immediately. Losing your money to the NFL isn't as depressing and losing it to another player. Just an idea.

Again, thank you Richard Seymour! I owe you one! =)

HP and a few other things

Friday was my last day. It went well. Very quick and busy. Turns out somehow my time is all messed up and the nurse and I are playing phone tag and it's really getting old. She has to be the hardest person to get a hold of. After getting ditch work early Becky and I headed to Monterrey! Amazing as usual. The cheese sauce was perfection along with our chicken chimi's! After stuffing our faces we headed to JC and walked around a bit. Turns out Michael ditched work also and met us for the movie. The movie was pretty fantastic. There were a few parts that I felt were extremely slow but payout was good. There were a few moments that I knew didn't belong but what can you do? Overall it was great and I enjoyed seeing "the darker side" and can't wait till the 2nd part! The rest of the evening I spent with a 3 year old! Michael had to go over to Max's to work till about 9. Jake and I watched a movie and cuddled. It was pretty fantastic! =)

Saturday we awoke early. According to Michael, too early for a Saturday. We headed over to my sisters house to babysit. Her hubby had to work till noon and she was headed off to KC with friends! The kids were all pretty good and the morning flew by! We didn't get home till about 1:30 and Jake went down for a nap. He was extremely tired. We watched as Iowa failed to come up with the win against Ohio State. I honestly was shocked we played as well as we did. Michael and I planned out our list and decided to go grocery shopping that night instead of our usual Sunday. It was an adventure. Even though we went around 7ish, it was still insane. On a good note we got everything but 2 things on our list! We got home and put Jake to bed and proceeded to be lame and go to bed around 10! 

Sunday was typical. Although, we completely slept through church. Ugh. I forgot to set my alarm Saturday night and we woke up a little too late to make it on time. Depressing. We basically stayed at home all day and cleaned, did laundry, played and colored with Jake, watched some football, and zonked. The whole family took a 3 hour nap together and it was heaven! I loved every second of it! Although, we all stayed up later then usual due to that long of a nap. I was suppose to go to Ingrid Michaelson at Prairie Meadows with some friends but I was exhausted. I got the privilege of seeing her earlier this year so I didn't feel too bad. I missed the girl time but Jake honestly, really didn't want me to go anywhere. He has been very "mommy" lately and gets upset if I leave to run an errands or just leave the room period. I think it's the baby and knowing that it's right around the corner. So we had family time which resulted in Michael and Jake dancing for a few hours. That is pure entertainment right there. 

Now I am home for my first official day off work. I sort of don't know what to do with myself currently. Jake is still going to my mom's because the boy is OCD and loves his schedule. We didn't want to break it so Monday-Wednesday he is going there this week. Then it's turkey day! It is the first time in 7 years that we aren't going to Arkansas. It's a weird feeling but I welcome the change. To be at home for once, it will be nice. Other then the year that Michael was in Iraq, this is his first time in about 20 years of not going. We have a good reason and I'm sticking to that! 

I think I'm going to work on some projects. One thing about being home is, day time TV sucks. I've just been listening to music and working through the morning! Zoey is loving me being home. She hasn't left my side or my lap. I am trying to finish up a scarf and it's hard with a pup sitting on your lap!

Well, the day is finally here; tomorrow is my last day at work until 2011. It's surreal and a shock. I'm excited about not having to go into work everyday and being able to be off work for the holidays. I am just going to go in panic mode since the big day is two weeks from Monday. I just have to get through Thanksgiving first. I'm going to miss going in and seeing certain peoples faces everyday. It will be nice to be at home though and be able to take a nap when I want or wear sweats all day! Just being able to have some down time before the baby comes will be great! Time to relax and enjoy some quiet!

Tomorrow is going to be a fantastic day!! I get off work at 10:30, then I am heading to JC for lunch and to take part in the Harry Potter phenomonom! I am pretty excited about this movie! I really wish I would have read the book again. I will definitley read it before June. I just didn't know where they were going to cut the movie off and I hope they don't mess this one up like the Half Blood Prince. We will see tomorrow!

Ummm, hello?!

I ran into someone at work today that I hadn't seen in a long time. I work at 1200 and she works at 1100 so it sort of limits the face to face time. On a grading factor of keeping up with friendship, I receive an F- for this one. We never had any falling outs, just buildings kept us apart and job changes limited our time in seeing one another! Haha. Anyways. We got to talking and she of course asked about Jake and life. Then one of her questions about knocked me on the floor.

"When are you thinking about having another baby? Jake is 3 right? Are you guys wanting anymore kids?!"

Ummmmmmm, what do I say to that? I didn't want to be rude so I was responded "Actually, soon! My last day is Friday and we are set to have him in 2 weeks!"

I honestly could see the "Oh crap" look on her face. She then apologized profusely and said she didn't know or even notice. I told her it was fine and that I don't really talk about it all the time and I was a sucky friend for not emailing her or something. She then asked if she could visit us and I of course said yes. We hugged and went our separate ways.

In the elevator, I was still a little numb. First off, I was wearing a shirt that is what I call a "Hello, how can you not tell I have a giant watermelon harvesting in between my pelvis?" Did she think I just gained a ton of weight in my gut? Oh well. I guess it's an honest mistake. You just don't expect to hear it at 37 weeks. 25 or so, maybe, but not when your time is about ready to pop!

In other news:

I had my doctor appoitment today. I was so lucky enough to have my Strep B test today. Ugh. They also checked my cervix and thank goodness I am not dialated. She said if I was I would have to come in twice a week to check to make sure I don't go early. She said they like to stay ahead of the "time bomb" if it's possible. Since I have a scheduled c-section they try to keep on top of things. She informed me that if I was starting to dialate they might have to push up my c-section date. No thank you. I need the next 2.5 weeks! All worries aside, I wasn't and life is good! I only have 2 appointments left and then it "C Day".

Two days left of work and both are half days! Child side coming out "Suck it Coperate America!" Well, until January 31st! =)

iTunes

It has been my downfall recently. I could spend my paycheck every two weeks on this program. It is getting a little out of hand. It started with downloading Christmas music. Major weakness of mine. I could buy them all. It's horrible. I then found out a love of mine, Josh Groban, was coming out with a new album on Monday. I of course, had to have it. I now need a candle lit room and a bottle of wine to get the full experience. I guess I will have to wait a month for that but the album is still completely fantastic. I love his voice. It's just mezmorizing and makes my heart melt. Glee, another downfall to my wallet. Their holiday album was released this week. Jake is already in love with song #2 and I have made about 7 copies for friends and family. It's bad. I have an obsession with Christmas music. I really do. Plus the weekly downloads from the episode. We will have to see what I purchase next week.

You know you are jealous....

Because I have all of my Christmas shopping done. Yes, done! I have 2 gift cards left but those do not require anything from me! They are Michael's job! This weekend I will attack the wrapping chore! I will have all of them wrapped and under the tree by Sunday! Guarantee it! =)

We put our tree up Sunday night and let it hang out a day until we decorated it. Our new tree is much larger then our older one. Yikes. We don't have enough ornaments to cover it but that is okay. It's still pretty. Jake is obsessed with the train we bought to go underneath it. He wants to play with it every night, all night long. He just loves holding the remote and making it play songs. He yells at Kinnick or Zoey anytime they get too close. It cracks me up. Hawkeye could care less about the tree. I like him for that. Kinnick hides underneath it because he knows Zoey is not allowed within 5 feet of it. That mutt. I tell ya what. Ugh.

Michael still wants to put some lights up outside. He should have done it earlier this week. The weather this weekend does not look friendly for anything outdoors. Maybe Sunday he can get them up. He also said our wreath is "pathetic". What did you say? I do recall last year that I wanted to buy a new one and he replied "We don't need one, ours is fine". Men. I might wait a few more weeks and then get a new one or just wait till after Christmas. I will have to hit those sales to get some more ornaments to fill up the tree.

I got the question I dislike the most at Christmas yesterday. "Well what do you want for Christmas". I think my mom has my name. I have no clue. I hate getting gifts. I know that sounds weird but I have everything I could need. If I want something particular, I usually just go and buy it. Now I have to think over the weekend. Something I dislike doing also. She wants a list and I have a blank sheet of paper currently. I might put "world peace" as the only thing on the list. I don't think she will find it as funny as I would. I am much better as a gift giver then receiver. That is why I never was a fan of bridal/baby showers. One, I hate all that attention. Two, I feel awkward. Thanks to some lovely friends they not only gave me a surprise baby shower a few weeks ago, but did so in a very public place. I still love them though.

I also have finished 2 out of the 4 scarves that are required for Christmas!! I think I about died of shock on Sunday when I was able to cast off on two of them! I am re-doing one due to a mutt (who will remained nameless) that decided to make one her bed and put a little whole in the middle of it. That one was 75% done too. Oh well. I should be able to finish it this weekend! I might make a few extras for friends so we'll see how ambitious I get.

I will like to report my loser status. I am currently going to bed every night between 7:30 and 8:30. I apologize to the text messages that go unresponsive to until the next day, but I found out that it's my prime time to sleep. On the weekends, it gets pushed a little but oh well. Last week of work starts next week. That in itself is absolutely crazy. I have a few half days next week which will be perfect for napping! I cannot wait!

26

That is it. Twenty-six days until our scheduled date. I'm starting to freak out. Not about getting things done but going early. Lately I have been feeling like absolute crap. Headaches, stomach aches, a stead "flow from below" if you get my drift, and just exhaustion. All things that are signs of your body getting ready. Knock it off already! 26 days, just stay in there for 26 more days kid! I beg you! I had a dream last night he came early. That didn't help either. I know it's not up to me but I woud love for him to stay on schedule. Here is to keeping my fingers, among other things, crossed for him to stay put for another 26 days!

Yeah....I need sleep

One of our many text conversations of the day:

Jana: BTW...you are going to coach with me over Christmas. Just sayin!

Me: Coach what? Basketball? Wait, you're here long enough to coach a sport?

(3 minutes later)

Me: Ohhhhh, you mean the store.

I can dream....

I honestly could keep watching these for hours. We have had them saved in our "favorites" folder for a few years because we just are fascinated by them. Jake loves to watch them over and over. I could only dream of being able to do this. Being married to an Electrician, you think I would be able to someday. He already said he knew how it all worked. Something to think about when purchasing our next home. HA! Although, the electric bill would probably be a years salary! I still love watching it though!

Booyah!

I am getting a little excited here! I have honestly got a lot crossed off my list in the past two weeks! I am way proud of myself! I deserve an A for this! Michael cannot believe how fast things are getting done. I can't either!

Friday we finally went around and got our tree! We had about 3 we were looking at and we finally decided on one! I am way excited about it! I love Christmas. It's may favorite season (minus the snow) and I wish it would last a lot longer then it does. I can do without the gifts and that jazz. I just love the meaning, the music, the lights, the movies, the family time, all of it. Anyways, when we went to pick up our tree we also found an awesome train to go around it at the bottom. Jake wants to play with it so bad and gives attitude every time we say "no" and tell him we have to wait till we put up the tree. He was so excited that we bought one though. I know he will love it! We also got a big dent in our Christmas shopping started on Friday. Yes, I know it sounds early, but we have to have it done. I do not want to leave Michael in charge of it come December and I also wouldn't wish that on anyone to have to go out alone for a lot of shopping. We got home after a very productive evening, ate dinner, and I will not lie, crashed. I was exhausted. This week did me in. 

Saturday we got up early as usual, had a fantastic breakfast, hit up Starbucks and went out shopping again! We now only have 2 more kids to buy for and 3 adults! Rock on! Jake is completely done! The sales are insane already. We even got wrapping paper and all the trimmings so I can start on that this week! I figure that if I wrap as I go, it will be a lot easier. David also came home for the first time in 2 months. The kid has been MIA for way too long. He looked like it too. We took Amber's photos in the afternoon and I felt it went pretty well. She didn't want anything "senior pose" like, so it's interesting to get her in her own element. Jeff being there really helped. He got her to laugh at the right times. We then stopped by the rents to check up on them and talk about the Iowa game a little bit. Jake will make any excuse to stop by my parents house. I think it's cute. He is very into my dad right now. He talks about him at home all the time. The boys watched football and played their game the rest of the afternoon. I cleaned. I got 3 more things crossed off my list! Check and mate! We had a pretty low key evening of pizza and a movie. We stayed up later due to gaining an hour of sleep. I tell you what, I could have gone to bed at 9 instead of 11:30. I was beat. 

Sunday we woke early, went to Perkins for a fantastic breakfast, went to church, got our grocery shopping in, and then headed back home. I wish 'falling back' would actually work on kids. Instead of the normal 6:30 wake up call, we got a 5:30. You can't blame the kid, he doesn't understand it yet. Ugh. I wish they did though. This afternoon I got the pantry cleaned out (another item off  my list), filled about 2 body bag trash bags full of junk, and went through all the food in all the cupboards in the house. My dad gave me a call to help with taking some photos in the afternoon so I then decided to finish my 3 loads of laundry and headed out to do that. We had dinner at Michael's parents house. We got a few outfits that Michael wore when he was a baby. It's so cute. I think it will be fun to take a few pictures of Baby J in them. Hopefully they will fit. Michael and David were pretty small for awhile. We will have to see. I also got a sneak peak of Baby J's blanket from Marilyn. Oh my word. Amazing. She went all out. None of the other grandkids have a blanket like this. I love it. I can't wait till I'll be able to have a baby to wrap in it! We finally got home to watch the Packers beat up on the Cowboys. No surprise there. Those Cowboys are sucking it up this year. We took some time to put up our new tree during the beat down. I love it!!! It's taller then our old one, that is for sure. I think I'm going to donate it to Goodwill if we can. I am not sure if they take Christmas trees or not. We will see. I will decorate it during the week this week. I figured we could let it "relax" a little on it's own since it is new this year before we attack it with our decor. I could just sit here and stare at it. It's relaxing. 

Another weekend down, only a few more to go. We are under the 30 day mark. I only have 2 more weeks of work left. That in itself is scary. I am really looking forward to that though! I need naps! I really do. I hit the final hump and now I want to sleep all the time again! Yet, I have so much to do still. Taking it one day at a time!

Politics...they make me want to vomit

I will not shove my beliefs down your throat. Please have the respect to do the same back. I believe what I believe. I have stern convictions with certain topics and whether I go one way or the other, that should not be a reflection on who I am. That is one part of me. I could go into how much I either like or dislike how Tuesdays events unfolded but I won't. I could say how much I loathe/like how the elections 2 years went, but I won't. I don't talk about it because you can't do much to change it once it happens. I do research, I go above and beyond with looking at who I am voting for. I don't vote for someone because the majority does, or because some famous person endorses them or because my boyfriend love them and I am trying to please him. I do it for me and me alone. Yes I grew up in a Christian home and I still hold those beliefs dear to my heart and will always. People who really know me and what I am about, know that I am a Christian first and everything else is branches out from that. We all have different views on how we want the US or even the World to run and we all don't have to agree. Just don't attack people for making changes when you are only one person. You can't make someone vote/believe the way you do. So why bring them down? It just makes you look like a fool. Especially when you blast everything on FB people! Seriously, keep it to yourselves or just tell someone. Don't dump all your feelings on your FB status. Do you know the people that look at that then lose respect? Quite a few. Especially when you start name calling. Just because you voted different then someone else doesn't make you an idiot or an a-hole. Sometimes I wish people would just keep their mouths zipped and move on with life. Not everything can be handed to us they way we want it. That is life. Welcome to it!

Ok that is my rant from today. I have had it up to the 5th floor with talk from both sides today. What happened last night, happened. Not much anyone can do about it so let's move on! I am just thankful we have at least another year off before primary starts for the next round. Ugh. Again, I dislike politics more then anything but I do have my beliefs and I stick with them. Love me or hate me, I am who I am. Nothing is changing that! =)

Major upside! No more polictical ads during football!!! I can live with that!! (I am sure they are on during other TV shows but I record most of my shows so I can fast foward through them!)

Another upside: It's Wednesday! 2 days left of the work week!!

To each his/her own.

Am I pregnant? Didn't realize.

Apparently I don't talk about being pregnant enough. First off, the word "preggo" makes me want to vomit. I hate hearing it, I hate seeing it written out, I dislike the word period. It just sounds...lazy. I don't know. Anyways. It's becoming apparent to people that I am pregnant. I guess that only took 8 months. Come on! I have a round baby gut that has a 4 foot clearance and can wipe out a glass if it's too close to the end of the table. People keep telling me that they just forget I am because I don't talk about. I don't think I need to. Why complain? Why say unnecessary comments to get people to ask questions or remind them I am pregnant? I do not need any extra attention. I am not going to log on to my FB or constantly talk about being pregnant. I am sorry but it gets really old when all people can talk about is being pregnant. I can maybe understand if it's your first, but by your second or third, you should be use to it and not have to complain or comment about everything. The worst for me is when people are only in that 6-16 week mark. They complain about smells, sickness, names, babies sex, how it hasn't hit them yet, and if they just keep saying over and over and over that they are pregnant. I get it if you feel the baby move the first time, you find out the sex, maybe your due date is set, or if people ask. I will ask if I want to know. Somethings are personal and I feel like pregnancy is a pretty private experience. I'm not going to get into every gyno appointment I have so others shouldn't either! I of course tell my close friends about certain "accidents" or little things but I do it to the ones that get me and that I know care. I am not going to ramble on and on to people that either know me at work of via the internet. So yes, I am pregnant. If you haven't figured it out yet, well, it's not big deal. I only have 5 weeks left so bring on the countdown!

I feel like when it rains, it pours. I have a few friends that are just going through some unnecessary life experiences right now. Well, in my opinion they are not needed.

1) I have a dear friend that had a normal uneventful surgery that has turned out to be not even close to uneventful or normal. She doesn't deserve it. Her family, who are amazing, do not need to be put through this either. It's always hard to see a loved on hurting, in pain, sad, feeling like they are going no where. Set backs are never something we like to deal with. You have a plan for something and when it doesn't go through, it's hard to get past it sometimes. I think about my "plan" for this arrival of this baby. I know things happen and there could be difficulties or a change in plans but I still always hope that it will go as is. Jake sure as heck didn't, so maybe this one will be good. A verse that always comes to mind is Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today's trouble is enough for today." It's very true. Today is today, tomorrow is another. We can't predict what is going to happen tomorrow or the next day. We can only have faith no matter what happens, it has a reason and a purpose. Life gives us trials and tribulations for reasons that are unknown. Whether it's to make us appreciate something or to understand someone else's perspective, or just to grow from, we have to have these experiences to make us stronger. Another verse John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me." I continue to pray for her and her family and hope things are starting to look up! I miss her terribly everyday and I can't wait till I am on leave and I can bug her daily, in person!

2) You know those parents that are just awesome? The ones that you strive to be because they just blow your mind? Well I know a few but one in particular because she has gone above and beyond for her kids. She gives the most amazing advice for parenting (among other topics) and is always there to listen or laugh! Lately she has had a giant speed bump in her road. Something she doesn't deserve and that honestly, no one deserves. She is my Mother of the Year nominee every year. You can't control people, which at times I wish we could, but my heart just breaks when someone thinks they have a right to mess up everyones lives because they are selfish. It really comes down to that. I am not going to go into detail about any of this. But she knows that she is loved by so many people and we would all do anything for her and we will always be there for her! She is my Elphaba! I love her so! =)

Halloween

This weekend brought the end to October. After today, it's November! What? Where did the time go? Seriously, this month flew by way too fast. I remember thinking just 31 days ago "I have about 2 months and I am sure they will take the longest". I was proved wrong. D-day is rapidly approaching and I have no idea what to do! One day at a time.

Friday Jake stayed with my parents. They were watching Eli and Caleb overnight so my mom figured they would have all 3 and Jake and Eli could play all night long. That they did. We took advantage and had our probably final "date night alone" before #2. Our weekends are pretty packed and we have so much to do we won't have that much time for "alone" time. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I hadn't been there in about a year. I forgot how fantastic and reasonable it was. Those rolls are to die for there. I was glad we went because now Michael wants to go again! Plus they have "take out" service and they aren't far from us so we may be taking advantage of that come the baby! After a fabulous meal, we went to American to kill some time before our movie started. I will say, I love the Tempurpedic bed system. I could sleep on that thing all the time. I am not a fan of the sleep number at all. I know so many people that have had them and they are great for a while but then go down hill. We walked off what we could of our dinner and headed to the theater. We decided to see "Red". It is a total shoot 'em up movie that is completely unrealistic but I loved it! Bruce Willis has to be one of my favorite "action" stars. He still looks pretty good too. Take that Stallone, Van Damme, and Seagal! Seeing Helen Mirren use a giant machine gun just made my day. It was humorous and a feel good movie. I love John Malkovich. I really do. When he plays a corny, pshyco, off the wall man, he is at his finest. I laughed every time he spoke! It was fantastic. We then went late night shopping and didn't get home till about 11. Shockingly late for us! We didn't even go to bed till mindnightish. That needs to go in the record books!

Saturday Michael was gone most of the day. I woke up at the same time, got ready, and headed to the hospital to visit a friend. I then picked up the little squirt and came home. Jake was suppose to take a nap but 20 minutes in he started crying. I went upstairs and yeah, another Jake moment. He dumped an entire bottle of lotion all over our bed, including our new bedding we got the night before. He was crying because some of it got on him. Seriously? First he cuts up our sheets and comforter and now dumps lotion all over. Basically, nap time was over. Michael walked in about 5 minutes after his incident and we then spent about a half hour cleaning up. We then headed out, ran a few errands, and then got to my parents house just in time to order dinner. I finally got to eat them. 8 months later, I got to eat my Italian Fries. I love Big Tomato and I love their Italian Fries even more. I finally got to consume them after craving them for so long. Of course, I over ate but I didn't want to stop. They are so good. I did keep half for lunch the next day. We then took a few pictures and Jake went off for trick or treating. Two hours later of answering the door, watching a movie, and eating more candy then kids knocked, Jake returned. Full load of candy. Looking cute as ever! He immediately started to taking his costume off and wanted his pj's on. We headed home and the boy and us crashed from sugar.

Today has been a normal Sunday for us. Church, grocery shopping and football. I got a ton of things done though. We took a giant load to storage, cleaned out Jake's entire room, even the closet! Just threw a few things away and took some stuff to the dumpster. I felt bad because Michael had worked all weekend but we really needed to get some things done. I managed to get all the laundry plus some done and even got a few things ready for, you know it, Christmas. It has been a productive day and now I can relax for the rest of it. I am so exhausted and I think going to bed early is definitely in the cards tonight. I need it. Michael needs it. We all need it.

Another week is coming up! Tomorrow is my last of 3 Mondays I have at work!! Down hill slide! I am getting excited! Also, next weekend, our house is going Christmas. Get over it people. I have a baby coming and it has to be done by then! Tomorrow is the first day of November so the Christmas music will be blasting on the iPod!