Thursday, September 25, 2008

Smoke-Free Again!

In a delightful twist of events. . .

THE SMOKING BANK ROBBERS MOVED!!

They were loading up their car yesterday while I was loading mine up. And then there was a notice posted on their door indicating that everyone had to be out by 9:30 this morning, or else they would be removed from the premises. And there would be a lawyer there to remove them. Whoa! I guess the owner didn't like having smoking bank robber tenants either.

Of course, we're moving too. But the fantastic news is last night we had our windows open and there was no smoke! And tonight will be the same! And then we'll be in our house! I'm so glad that we can leave on a happy, smoke-free note.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Really?

Maybe it's because I'm not a dog person, but this seems a little over the top. Would anyone really buy this? Alex? ;)

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

One Word Answers

Woo hoo! My blog is loved! By Cheryl! There is a picture to go with this, but I can't seem to get it on my blog. Oh well.

So now I've got to answer all these questions with one word and one word only. Then I'm supposed to pass it on to 7 people. Here goes:

1. Where is your cell phone? Downstairs
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair color? Red
4. Your mother? Sweet
5. Your father? Historian
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Forgotten
8. Your dream/goal? Joy
9. The room you're in? Bedroom
10. Your hobby? Reading
11. Your fear? Loneliness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
13. Where were you last night? House
14. What you're not? Outgoing
15. One of your wish-list items? Cruise
16. Where you grew up? Utah
17. The last thing you did? Packed
18. What are you wearing? Pink!
19. Your TV? Addicting
20. Your pet? Ew.
21. Your computer? Friends
22. Your mood? Tired
23. Missing someone? No
24. Your car? Betty
25. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? Inferno
28. Love someone? Clarky
29. Your favorite color? White
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday

Um, right, I don't really like to play favorites. If your blog is linked on the left, I love to read your blog. So do this tag, if you feel so inclined.

Monday, September 22, 2008

NOT a smoke-free environment

Why why why oh why do people smoke? I seriously don't get it. It's well documented that cigarettes cause health problems. There are all those commercials on TV, they teach about it in schools, and every cigarette commercial has a surgeon general's warning right on it. It's bad for you. And it's an expensive little habit. And besides that, it STINKS! Really bad! And if you are a smoker, you stink! Really bad! It yellows your teeth, your clothes all smell smoky and nasty, your apartment stinks. Gross.

Oh, excuse me, your apartment doesn't stink because you decide to smoke outside. So my apartment stinks. My mistake.

It's finally cool enough at night to open windows. This is one of my favorite things - it makes things feel fresh again. No more stale AC air! We get cool breezes! Except that we opened our windows at 9:30ish, only to find that smoky smell wafting in. And by the time you smell it, it's too late. It's in. If you close your windows, the smell is trapped inside. You leave them open, and you get more of it. It's just a nasty, rotten trick played on you by said cigarette smokers. Smoker neighbors: Dude. Just quit. You'll be happier, I'll be happier. I'll even buy you a patch! And gum! Just quit. It's for the best.

We did close our windows for a while, and lit a candle in hopes that the smell would lessen. It sort of worked. So now it's 11:30, and we opened the windows again. IT'S STILL SMOKY OUTSIDE. Excuse me, how long does it take to smoke? 2 hours?! How many of those things are you going through? Or is it 2 different neighbors? We live next to idiots.

Only 3 more nights here.

Pregnancy Tag

. . . because no formerly pregnant woman can resist sharing all the details. You can blame Dot for this one.

1- Where​ were you when you first​ found​ out you were pregnant?
Oh, in the bathroom at home.

2- Who was with you?
Well, Clark was in bed still, and soon after he was out of bed.

3- How did you find out that you were pregnant? ​
My period still hadn't come (it was a week late), and I was suspicious. But seriously, 2 years of trying with absolutely no success, and 1 month of not trying? What were the chances? So I took the test, somewhat nonchalantly.

4- What was your first​ react​ion to finding out you were pregnant?
"Um, really?" I was elated, and at the same time terrified. Cautiously optimistic. Oh, and worried. You know, because of the possibility of major health problems. (If this confuses you, go here for more details)

5- Your husband's react​on?​
About the same as mine. Though he was probably somewhat less worried, because he's not a worrywart like I am.

6- Who was the first​ person you told?​
Well, Clark, of course. And then Danielle. We went on a walk that morning, and I didn't really know what to do next, so she advised me to go to the doctor and get a blood test to confirm it.

7- Did you plan to get pregnant?
Yes. And then no. But we were still happy about it!

8- Was every​body happy​ for you?
Um, yes.

10- Did you go out and celeb​rate?​
You know, I honestly don't remember. We went out for my birthday a few days later, and a week later the puking began, so we didn't go anywhere.

11- Did you want to find out the sex?
Most definitely.

12- What was the sex?
If you don't know that, hello, welcome to my blog, check out the ticker at the very top. Girl.

13- Did anyone throw​ you a baby shower?​
Yes.

14- If yes, who?
My family, my friends in SLC, and my friends in St George. I felt very loved.

15- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going​ to put on your baby?
No, I liked everything I got.

16- How much weigh​t did you gain?​
Net weight gain: 30lbs. Clark likes to tell people that I gained 45lbs, which is true if you factor in the 15lb weight loss at the beginning. But pre-pregnancy weight to day before delivery is a difference of 30lbs.

17- Did you loose​ all of the weigh​t that you gained?​
Yes. Well, I may still have a pound or two, but close enough.

18- Did you get a lot of stretch marks​?​
Not a one. Don't hurt me please. Though I did have some on my thighs from getting fat (getting curves, puberty, whatever you want to call it.) That's a real self-esteem booster right there, let me tell you.

19- What did you crave​ the most?​
I wouldn't say I "craved" anything, I just went through food phases. There was the juice phase (that was also known as the "anything that tastes good coming up" phase). There was the ramen phase. There was the white chocolate raspberry yogurt phase. There was the frozen waffle with butter only phase. Frozen burritos. Cookie dough (w/ no eggs). Popcorn. I'd just get hooked on a food and eat it every day for a month. Oh, and my bread had to be from Great Harvest for the 1st and 2nd trimesters.

20- Did you crave​ anything crazy​?​
Not that I can think of. Ask Clark.

21- Who or what got on your nerve​s the most?​
I wasn't really moody when I was pregnant. Which is funny, because normally I'm rather emotional and I cry at the drop of a hat, but I think I can count the times I cried while pregnant on one hand. Well, other than the times I cried because I wanted to stop puking. But come on, anyone would do that.

22- Were you married at the time?
YES.

23- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?​
Um, I don't know, I guess you could say the whole thing was a complication waiting to happen. Luckily everything was fine, and I only had to be on bed rest for a few days near the end.

24- Where​ were you when you went into labor​?​
In the hospital, getting the induction drugs.

25- Did your water​ break​?​
No. Your water does have to break at some point, doesn't it? Or be broken? I don't remember that at all. I wasn't so much alert for a lot of the labor, trying to catch some Z's before the action. And trying not to puke.

26- Who drove​ you to the hospital?
Clark.

Where is # 27?

28- Did you go early​ or late?​
Late. 1 week over.

29- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth​?​
Just Clark. Oh, and the doctor and nurses.

30- Was it video​ taped​?​
No way.

31- Did you have any drugs​ for the pain?​
Absolutely. Any and all drugs for pain are accepted here.

32- Did you go natural or have a c-section?​
The natural push-it-out method.

33- What was your first​ react​ion after​ giving birth​?​
Tears of joy, happiness that we'd made it to the end, trying to see if she really had red hair (yeah, that washed out).

34- How big was the baby?​​
7 lbs 11 oz

35- Did your husband cry?
I don't think so. Ask him.

36- What did you name the baby?​
Julia Diane

37- Did the baby have any complications? ​
She wasn't breathing really well at first, so she spent an hour or so in the NICU. I remember getting bored in the labor/delivery room - I was in there for 45 minutes or so after the doctor had stitched me up, all by myself. Did they expect me to sleep after that adreneline rush? No way. I was HUNGRY!

38- How old is the baby today​?​
5 months.

39- When is the next one coming?​
Well, that's why we bought a 3 bedroom house. . . HAHA. No. Give us a couple years.

41- ​If you could​,​ would​ you do it all over again​?​
Absolutely. I hope I can!

OK, blah blah, I tag whoever wants to do it.

Weekly Quote 9/22/08

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

You all knew this quote pretty well. New quote up!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Something to watch

These videos are for all you Julia Junkies out there - you know who you are. . . (*cough* Kim *cough*). They are kind of long, and not all that exciting, but I sure think she's cute. When she rolls from her tummy to her back, she throws her arm out there to try and push herself over. I find myself thinking of an elephant ballerina: those chunky legs, her little arm over her head. Hilarious. Anyway, enjoy!



Friday, September 19, 2008

Heaven

Sometimes Julia has a hard time falling asleep. She's tired, so she gets cranky, which gets her all worked up, and then she'll never fall asleep, which makes her more tired, more cranky, etc. You all know about that cycle, I'm sure. Last night was one of those nights. I try to let her cry for a little while, and then I'll go in and try to calm her down without picking her up. Pat her back. Give her a binky. Roll her onto her side. And then I leave the room again. Last night we did this a fair number of times. At some point, her cries became somewhat frantic. And so, I decided it was time to pick her up and see if that wouldn't help calm her down.

I picked her up. She stopped crying. And she rested her little head on my shoulder. That little head that is always on the move, trying to see what is going on, was just resting on my shoulder. I held her for about 1 minute, and then I put her down. She fell right asleep.

That 1 minute? That, my friends, is what heaven feels like.