gender results

i've always known that i HAD to find out whether or not we were having a boy or girl. even before i got married i always knew i'd find out. yellow and green are just not my colors.

when my sister got pregnant and we sat around the dinner table we all guessed what she was having. "a girl!" everyone exclaimed, and my sister, hoping she was having one as well,agreed.

"most definitely!" she answered.

"you're having a boy." i solemnly declared. it wasn't what she wanted, but i thought it was right.

and it was. she's having a boy.

when we made the appointment to do the 20-week ultrasound it seemed forever away and gave me plenty of time to think about what i thought we were having.

my initial thoughts were that i WANTED a girl. what girl doesn't want a girl to begin with? ruffles and bows and pink. oh! the pink!

but a girl just didn't fit.

and so i knew. we were having a boy.

as i laid on the table this morning anxious and excited the nurse asked if i wanted to know what it is. "yes!!" i exclaimed. and so she told me. odie smiled and kissed my forehead. i squeezed his hand and it all made sense. i thought we were having a little boy.

and i was right.

the great break-up

dear cable,

i'm sorry we had to break-up on such short notice.

you've always been there for me, ESPECIALLY during my morning sickness phase where all i did was stare blankly as you projected tons and tons of great channels for me. for hours on end. that was fun.

once i was out of my haze i realized that there was life to be had again and energy to move about and, gasp, NOT watch tv.

sure i'll miss project runway.

sure i'll miss the biggest loser.

sure i'll miss property virgins.

what i won't miss is feeling like i'm wasting my time.

what i won't miss is the dullness i feel flipping channels.

as we took you back to your home tonight odie and i beamed at our decision to get rid of cable. we couldn't be happier we said. sure the refund is $17 a month, but the time gained is priceless.

here's to lots of book reading, snuggling, blog writing, scripture reading and anything else that doesn't involve a tv.

who's with me???

halloween: ovard style

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

i tried to look slightly possessed in this picture.

spooky, right?

any guesses on what odie's pumpkin is supposed to be?

you win the pumpkin if you guess correctly.

the incentives know no bounds on this blog.

never wake a crying baby. or husband.

sometimes when odie takes a nap it's all i can do to NOT run in and jump on the bed, screaming for him to come out and play.

he's just so cute awake that having him slumber while i'm not

seems like a crime.

this past sunday when post-church fatigue set in we both went down for a nap. mine was over in 30 minutes, per usual. odie's lasted 2 whole hours. 2 hours!!! when the clock struck 9, i couldn't take it anymore. i crept into bed, slid under the covers and gently started rocking him awake.

and VOILA! my husband was awake and i was happy.

he, oddly enough, did not share in the same happiness that i was feeling.

"haven't you ever heard don't wake a sleeping baby?"

he mumbled as he stirred.

"um, yeah, but you're not a baby so it doesn't count."

nice defense, right?

he just laid there. so did i. things got awkward.

i don't remember what we did the next two hours. but i don't remember them being particularly as fun-filled as imagined. i went to bed at midnight with him still awake. i muttered a "sorry for waking you" before i dozed off.

he couldn't fall asleep until 3 a.m.

the next day when he went home early from work feeling sick i felt A-W-F-U-L. when he went in the day after that and tested positive for the flu i felt even more A-W-F-U-L. when he picked me up from the metro looking like this i tried to feel awful but laughed instead.

we don't take the chance of giving a pregnant woman the flu lightly.

so odie stayed away, wearing his mask and sleeping in the living room.

it's been several days and with tamiflu's help,

he's almost back to normal.

but it has NOT, repeat, NOT been a fun experience.

trust me, i will never wake a sleeping husband again.

choose you this day

everyone needs a little clarity on what to do with their month, their week, their day.
how to prioritize their time, thoughts and efforts.
i DEFINITELY struggle with this.

especially on mondays.

i found this video yesterday
and it left me so motivated and rejuvenated.

hope it does the same for you.

this is a pregnant me

next sunday i FINALLY hit 4 months

sweet mercy

p.s. someone PLEASE tell me what to do with my pregnant face.

me and my face are not on good terms.

i'm in need of some serious product recommendations.

i am with child

it's true.

I AM WITH CHILD

twelve weeks along.

odie and i had a grand plan.
it went something like this... go to thailand and then start trying. simple enough.
we got home and were faced with the reality of actually doing what we had talked about: trying. feared set in and i did the "am i ready?" game again. i prayed and prayed to make sure it was exactly THE perfect time to start trying.

heavenly father had a lesson to teach me.

instead of given the opportunity to try, my body played a trick on me. problems with my bladder found me post-trip in a doctor's office. i've ALWAYS had bladder issues, but march-may brought lots of pain.

the month of june was spent with doctor's visits, blood work, ultrasounds, and a CT scan. those 30 days of being told i may have to have part of my kidney removed which would result in higher risks of miscarriage allowed me the time and perspective to realize that i really wanted a baby.
and i was as ready as i could be. lesson learned.

and just like that, i was fine. my tests came back negative and we were given
the green light to try.

one month later i found out i was pregnant.

these last 12 weeks have been the S-L-O-W-E-S-T of my life. each week when i could knock another week off the eternal first trimester checklist was momentous. i would celebrate by sitting on the couch feeling nauseous.

what i've missed most though is my desire to eat anything. it's a cruel, cruel trick my body played on me to turn my once favorite foods into bland, gross objects.
i'm still waiting for my appetite to come back.

that will be a glorious day.

so will be meeting this little one.

i want a girl.

odie wants a boy.

naturally.

either way, we've decided to name it tracy, jr.
just like i've always wanted.