The Circus

Coming Together

I finally feel as if things are starting to come together. Hallelujah!!! The bedroom for the nursery has been cleaned out, and Britt started painting on Wednesday. He finished the first coat last night. I must say that it looks pretty good! We are hoping to get the nursery furniture moved sometime this weekend. I cannot wait to see the finished product! I'll try to post some pictures along the way. I should have posted a before picture, but I didn't want y'all to think that we lived like pigs. The room before we made it into the nursery was an extra bedroom/Britt's closet/junk room/storage room. It was MESSY!!!

The pregnancy is moving right along. I'm getting bigger by the minute! =) I was looking at a maternity portrait that Moriah had taken when I was pregnant with Ashlyn. I was about 6 months pregnant in the picture and I hardly even had a belly. I look at myself in the mirror now and I'm at least double, if not triple the size that I was then. LOL! I truly believe that he's going to be one big baby! He moves constantly. Ashlyn was my calm baby, so I'm thinking that this one is going to be my wild child. I think that he sees my bladder and thinks it is either a kickball or a punching bag. It literally takes my breath away when he kicks/punches me right in the bladder. He's a strong little guy!

My body is going through all sorts of changes. Pregnancy isn't so easy on your body the second go round. I've got vericose/spider vains on my butt and thighs that I'm just PRAYING will go away after he's born. It looks awful! I told Britt that if they didn't go away I was having that procedure done where they put some sort of solution in your veins to make them disappear. Gas is TERRIBLE! You can definitely tell that there's a boy inside of me that's for sure! =) Acid reflux is an occurence after every meal. That's on my list of things to ask the doctor about when I go next week. My belly is getting so large that after I eat I have shortness of breath and get really light headed. I was really concerned the first time that it happened, but considering that it happens after EVERY meal, I think that my stomach must be pushing against my diaphram or something like that causing me to feel like I can't catch my breath. I'm also back to the EXHAUSTED stage again! As soon as I come home from work all I want to do is go to bed. By the way, I'm NOT complaining! Things could be MUCH WORSE!!! All in all this has been a piece of cake pregnancy.......so far! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things stay in the normal range. During your third trimester is usually when your blood pressure can sky rocket, so fingers crossed that mine stays low! So far so good!

Ashlyn is doing well. We had a freaky situation last weekend with her. She woke up Saturday night running a fever of 103. I gave her some Tylenol and put her in the bed with us. Not even 2 minutes after turning the lights this happened:

Ashlyn - Mommy what's her name?
Me - Who?
Ashlyn - That little girl.
Me - What little girl?
Ashlyn - (pointing up to the ceiling) That little girl right there with the blood on her face.
Me - (silence)
Ashlyn - Mommy what's her name?
Me - (still silence.....I don't want to talk about a little girll with blood on her face!)
Ashlyn - (again) MOMMY........WHAT'S HER NAME???

Britt was sound asleep and heard no part of this conversation. I woke him up with a quickness and was FREAKING OUT! Was she really seeing a ghost, was she hallucinating from the fever, or was she just dreaming? Britt told me that I was crazy for getting so worked up over a 3 year old's vision, but HELLO............would that not scare the pee out of you?
I slept with Ashlyn until about 5. I didn't get a wink of sleep. She was tossing and turning all night long. The Tylenol didn't do a bit of good. Britt slept with her until about 11 the next morning. It was weird because by Sunday afternoon her fever had gone away. She must have just had a nasty 24 hour virus.

On the bully situation, she's going to a different classroom in the early morning, so that's been a huge help! He hasn't bothered her since. Tuesday I picked her up and another kid had pushed her down. I'm not upset though because these sorts of things are going to happen to any child and any daycare. I just don't like the same kid bullying my kid day in and day out. Wednesday Ashlyn tells me, "Mommy, I had to go to time out today because I pushed Kalen down." WHAT?!?!? Ok, so now how do you tell your child that it's ok to push if the other kid pushes you first, but it's not ok to push someone down for no reason at all. UGGGHHHH!!! I'm glad that she's at least showing some aggression, but I wish that it was towards the bully and not one of her friends! Oh the joys of parenthood! LOL!

Tomorrow Mom and I are taking Ashlyn to the circus. I haven't been to the circus since I was a kid. I'm sure that we'll have a great time! I'll try to get some pictures posted sometime this weekend.

Holly's Baby Shower

Ginger, Holly, Me, and Lydia

All of us except for Lydia are expecting. Holly is due

before me, but you sure can't tell it from our bellies.

Look at my whopper!!! LOL! Holly's due in March.

I'm due in April, and Ginger's due in July. These

three girls are amazing friends!!!

This cake was the BEST cake that I've ever tasted!! DELICIOUS!!!!!

My Little Angel

VERY INSPIRATIONAL

While working for Metal Roofing Systems I have met some wonderful people not only at work, but also outside of work. The ladies at Peoples Bank and I have really gotten to know one another and I love going there daily to chat with them. One of the tellers has a niece who has a truly amazing story. She was updating me on her situation today and I had to check out her blog! If you have a chance please check out her amazing story! It will give you cold chills. It's one of those stories that will give you hope in even the darkest moments of your life. God is Great!!!

http://www.babydellinger.blogspot.com/

Update on the Bully

I broke down yesterday and called the director at Ashlyn's preschool. I kept telling myself to give it a few more days to see if things were getting better, but so far this week Ashlyn has cried every morning when I drop her off in fear of the little devil child. I expressed my concerns and let her know that it's hard to make a child aggressive if he/she does not have an aggressive personality. I've told Ashlyn everyday to stand up to him and tell him to LEAVE HER ALONE, but I think that he bothers her everyday which makes her that much more scared of him. She gets her feelings hurt very easily. That's just her personality, and you can't do much to change it. The issue that needs to be addressed is the physical and emotional harm that this boy is doing to my baby!

We decided that it would be best to keep Ashlyn and Dillon seperated, especially since they are only together maybe one hour each day. Ashlyn is going to go in a different room for about 30 minutes in the mornings. I think that she may be ok in the afternoons with him. Mornings are the hardest since she wakes up knowing that she has to face him first thing each day.

This morning when I dropped her off the assistant director was also walking in. She told me to bring Ashlyn into the office with her and her daughter for a little while. I sat and talked with her for a few minutes. I explained to her that I hope that they don't think that I'm overreacting, but that it's terrible for a mother to hear her child say that she's scared to go to school because of another child's actions towards him/her, ESPECIALLY at 3 years old. She completely understood and told me that she wanted not only Ashlyn to feel safe, but for me to feel that my child is getting the attention that she needs and feels safe while at preschool. I feel much better about the situation today than I did yesterday. At least I've expressed my concerns, and the director is fully aware of the situation at hand.

Baby Bedding

I have decided on this fabric for the crib bedding.

The sports fabric will be used for the bumper and the striped for the crib skirt.

I'm also using a few other fabrics, but these are the primary fabrics for his nursery.

A lady that lives in my friend Renee's neighborhood

has offered to custom make the bedding for me since I'm so

picky and can't find anything in the stores that appeal to me.

So Much to Blog About, So Little Time

First off let me start off with Ashlyn. She is such a little princess. All girl for sure! She is growing up so fast! I can't belive that she will be 4 in June! WOW! She is the sweetest little thing, most of the time. =) Of course she has her melt downs, but for the most part she has really grown up this past year. I think that alot of it has to do with her starting preschool back in August. She loves everything about it except for 1 HUGE THING. You see there's this little boy who's in the 4 year old class. She's only around him in the early mornings and late afternoons when all of the teachers haven't gotten there yet. He is such a bully. This is the same little boy that pinched Ashlyn on 2 seperate occasions at the beginning of the school year. I'm not just talking about a little pinch. He pinched her so hard that it left marks on her arm and hand. Starting back around November/December she would come home EVERY AFTERNOON talking about how Dillon pinched her, hit her, pushed her, etc. I figured that these stories were made up since this incident happened earlier in the year. I hadn't been getting any notes sent home with a message of my child being harmed. Finally about a week and a half ago I took her to school and she has gotten to the point where she won't even go and play due to her fear of this little boy. I talked to her teacher that morning about the situation and she informed me that he is very MEAN to my little girl. Why has nothing been done before now about this situation? The very next day I went to pick Ashlyn up from school and I talked to her head teacher about her FEAR. That day the little boy had shoved her out of the doorway and nearly knocked her down. I know that kids will be kids, but when this is going on day after day, and Ashlyn is fearing going to school because she has to be the target of a bully EVERY SINGLE DAY, something needs to be done! Ashlyn does absolutely NOTHING to bring this on. He targets her because she's the smallest and he knows that it bothers her big time. I'm heartbroken for my little girl to fear going to school at 3 years old. These should be the best years. She shouldn't have to deal with this at 3! It also PISSES me off to an unimaginable level! I finally told her to hit him back. This is her response - "But mom, I'm too little!" How pitiful! I also told her to tell him that her daddy's a policeman and if he doesn't leave her alone then he'll come and arrest him. Hey........whatever works! I really want Britt to drop her off one morning in his uniform. That would probably scare the you know what out of him.

The baby.............He's doing great, I'm doing great! I really couldn't ask for a better pregnancy. I went for my glucose test last week. I remembered that drink being bad, but I didn't remember it being THAT BAD! YUCK!!!! I nearly puked drinking it, and then after I drank it I was light-headed, hot, sick, and just felt HORRIBLE!
Still no definite name yet for the baby. So far we've narrowed our choices down to 3 - Walker, Locke, or Brynnan/Brennan. The middle name is definitely going to be Reid. How is it that we have his middle name but no first name? lol!
He is definitely a kicker. I think that he may be the next big punter for the NFL! =) He kicks and punches SO HARD! Sometimes it actually hurts. Ashlyn was very gentle while in the womb, not this little guy. It's funny how you can already tell a little about their personality from their actions and movements inside of your belly.

Life is good!

My sweet, sweet baby!

Christmas Memories

Ashlyn, Alaina, and Reid

Christmas Family Photo

Another with Britt's sister Kerry, her husband Ryan, Reid, Alaina, and Britt's mom Joyce

Silly cousins

Ashlyn finishing off the half eaten cookie that Santa had left behind. ;)

Ashlyn and the drunk Santa that Pappaw Lewis got her. LOL! (He didn't know that it was really a drunk Santa.) We lauged sooooooo hard Christmas day at this gift!

Ashlyn didn't like the drunk Santa. Notice she's holding her ears. =)

She LOVED her My Little Pony!

How did I get so far behind in blogger world? I guess it starts with being sick with a stomach bug the week before Christmas, and as for Christmas on...............well, let's just say that we've been running here, there, and everywhere up until today. Christmas was wonderful this year! Ashlyn is finally at the age where she truly understands what Christmas is all about. It went by way too fast, but other than that it was great. Ashlyn got SO MUCH STUFF! I was a little stressed trying to figure out where in the world we were going to put everything. I ended up going and buying one of those storage shelves with the containers that go on the shelves. That helped take care of alot of the little stuff and all of her baby dolls. We've finally gotten everything in it's place. The tree came down today along with all of the other Christmas decorations. sigh............it's over until next year, which shouldn't take that long to get here considering how fast this year flew by!

I hope that everyone had a very happy New Year! This was the first year since Ashlyn's been born that I've spent the New Year without Britt. He worked this New Year's Eve, so Ashlyn and I went out to eat with Mom, Dad, Pam, and Mike. Then Ashlyn and I went to watch Enchanted. What a great movie! We both thouroughly enjoyed it! After the movie we went grocery shopping (yes on New Year's Eve) at Wal-mart. That was the best experience that I've ever had at Wal-mart. NO ONE was there....Well mayble like 2o other people, but for Wal-mart that is D-E-A-D!!!! We made it home just in time to watch the ball drop.

Now for making my New Year's Resolutions and trying to stick to them. I'll post more about them later. Ta ta for now.

oh.............I'll try to get my Christmas pictures posted this evening!

Proceed With Caution

I am about to just breakdown at any given minute! For one I'm pregnant. That's should be reason enough, but I am so entirely stressed out. I'm going to go ahead and apologize before I blow off some steam. I just need to get some things off of my chest, so sorry for being in such a damper mood!


Ashlyn is a wonderful child........until you try to put her to bed at night and wake her up in the morning. She never wants to get up in the morning, so I've been putting her to bed earlier. She still won't go to sleep until after 10:00 each night. She sits in her bed and plays school with all of her animals. Even though I go in her room every 5-10 minutes with the same spill - "Ashlyn you need to go to bed because you aren't going to be a happy camper in the morning, and that makes mommy very upset.", she still WILL NOT go to sleep. Then the morning rolls around and we have world war III every morning at the Cody house. She won't get out of bed, she won't go to the potty, she won't brush her teeth, she won't get dressed. Do you see a pattern here? It is beyond frustrating! It doesn't matter if I get up 15 minutes earlier or an hour earlier, it's still a battle with her EVERY morning, which makes me late and starts my day off terribly!


I feel like I've got a million things on my plate at this very moment.........................Christmas shopping, which I did get most of it taken care of on Saturday. Mom and I went to Gaffney for an ALL DAY shopping trip. I've still got to get Ashlyn a few more gifts and 2-3 other people, so I've really knocked most of that out. Thank goodness!

My car has about a bunch of small things that need to be fixed. My headliner is falling down, my brakes need to be replaced, I need new tires, my passenger side window is leaking. UGGGHHHH!!!! I just spoke to Britt, who is also annoying the pee out of me, and he got an attitude with me on the phone because I have ANOTHER screw in one of my tires. I have completely lost count of how many times this has happened to me. I honestly have the WORST LUCK WITH TIRES!!!!!!! Of course it's MY fault that this keeps happening. I mean I intentionally drive through construction sites on a daily basis to see how many nails I can run over!?!?!? I'm stressed, so you could see where his little attitude doesn't help the situation at all!

Then we've got the nursery that we HAVE NOT EVEN started on yet! That's going to be a nightmare because all of Britt's clothes are in that closet and in both dressers in that bedroom. We'll have to move all of his clothes to the downstairs closet, which means that we'll have to move everything from the downstairs closet to the garage in the basement. Now do you see why I'm so stressed?

On top off ALL OF THIS my husband is having an affair on me with a little girl by the name of GOLF! =) He lives and breathes it! On his free days, other than today and yesterday - honey, he plays golf, so I come home to a messy house nearly EVERY SINGLE AFTERNOON! I am so freaking tired of having to come home, give Ashlyn a bath, get my shower, either fix supper or pick something up to eat, pick up HIS mess, do the laundry, and a bunch of other crap. I barely have time to sit down and get off of my feet because it's time to go to bed. Oh and by the way I'm pregnant in case you forgot, because I'm pretty sure that he forgets that his wife is pregnant and could use a little extra help. I'm not trying to use pregnancy as an excuse to get out of doing something, but it wouldn't hurt for him to help me out around the house a little.

So now you see why I'm stressed to the MAX! I'm trying to just bite my tongue and be pleasant, but it's becoming nearly impossible! Again.........sorry for the foul mood, but I just needed to vent. I CAN'T WAIT FOR OUR GIRL'S NIGHT OUT! I desperately need it!

My Little Model

Work Christmas Party

Ashlyn and Santa

Tonight we went to Marshal (where my dad works) with

Mom and Dad for their company Christmas party.

Santa was there to meet the kids.

Ashlyn asked for a computer and a tv for the car.

Santa was a little surprised by her request. Frankly I was too. =)

She's just a little high maintenance. LOL!

I honestly have no clue where she came up with either of these gifts.

If she's asking for this now we're in trouble when she becomes a teenager!

Polar Express Pics

True family photo.....

Me - "Smile Ashlyn."

Ashlyn being Ashlyn

Britt thinking - "When is this train ride going to end?"

LOL!

A little better

Terrible picture of Ashlyn and Santa since I couldn't use a flash. =(

The Lail's

Who............Me????

Lovin' on Daddy

Do you think she's gotta go?

What a beautiful face! =) LOL!

The Polar Express

Sunday was a fun-filled day in Bryson City for a trip to the North Pole aboard the Polar Express. What a wonderful experience! We made the trip with Ashley, Jon, and Grayson. When we first arrived we went through the train museum. I was SHOCKED to see the price tags for some of these trainsets. We're talking in the thousands$$$!?!?! After the museum we got our tickets and headed to the car to get the kids in their pj's. It was finally time to board the train. Once aboard we were given hot chocolate and a chocolate covered marshmallow. We were off to pick up Santa. On the way to the North Pole the Polar Express was read to all of the children. We finally made it. Just seeing Ashlyn's face when Santa stepped onto the train made the trip worth every penny spent! Her eyes lit up and were as big as saucers. She couldn't contain her excitement. Santa stopped and visited with every child and gave each of them a special momento, a jingle bell, as a reminder of their special trip to see Santa Claus. The only downside was that we were instructed that we could take pictures, but we couldn't use a flash. Alot of good that does when you're on a dim train at 6:00 in the evening. Needless to say our pictures with Santa didn't turn out. =( That stunk! On the way back to the station we sang Christmas carols and were up dancing the Twelve Days of Christmas. It was a hoot! LOL! It was time to grab some dinner and head back down the mountain. I highly recommend taking a trip on the Polar Express next year! We thoroughly enjoyed it!

I'll try to post pictures from the trip when I get home this evening.

Inner Joy

Day 3 of Moriah's challenge...................What brings you inner joy?

Every night snuggling with Ashlyn at bedtime.

Winning the football pool at work, especially since I'm the only girl. LOL!

Getting flowers for no reason at all.

Finding extra money that you forgot you even had.

Getting belly kisses from both Britt and Ashlyn.

Having someone let me go in front of them in line at the grocery store since I only have 3 items compared to their 50.

The first night of sleep on clean 800 thread count sheets.

A compliment from someone out of the blue.

Bargain shopping!

Coming home from work to a clean house.

Kobes.....YUM!

My bare feet in the sand with a magazine in one hand and a frozen drink in the other.

Having a girls night out.

Hearing Ashlyn's laugh.

Sunsets at the beach.

Getting a phone call from a long lost friend.

Seeing your baby smile for the first time.

The list could go on and on, but these are just a few of the things that bring me inner joy.

Be You!

Gosh.........this is a tough one Moriah!

I am a neat freak who tries to be messy in order to get over my obsession with cleaning. And it's not necessarily the cleanliness that gets me fired up, it's the tidiness and things being out of order and that drive me up the wall! For example............I cannot sit down and relax at night if there is an object, like a toy or even a stray leaf carried in from outside, laying in the middle of the floor. I never used to be like this, but I have transformed into this obsessive person after having Ashlyn. I, unlike most, strive to be messy instead of clean. What is up with that? It's humorous to me now, but once I get home in the eveinings I am overwhelmed with STRESS if one thing is not put back into it's original spot, or an empty plastic cup has not been thrown in the trash. I literally can't relax until I've straightened the house up and swiffered the floors. So I'm clean, and I'm good at it, but I don't want to be SOOOO obsessed with things that I get my panties all in a wad over toys not being picked up immediately after Ashlyn's pulled them out. I need to get a grip, especially with a little boy on the way! This little guy is going to ROCK MY WORLD if I can't get over this little cleaning obsession before he arrives. LOL!
There are many many other things that make up who I am, but right now at this very moment, this is a huge part of me that I'm trying to overcome. So, today I'm a neat freak, but hopefully down the road I can turn into that messy person who drives me batty today! =)

Speaking of inspiration................

Lately I've been watching the show Jon & Kate plus 8. Have any of you ever seen it? That lady is a true inspiration to all mothers in this world! The show is definitely one of my favorites; I'm so addicted! They have twin 6 year olds and sextuplets that are 3! I don't know how parents of twins do it, but could you imagine having SIX 3 YEAR OLDS plus a set of twins!!??!!?? I mean this lady is a true SUPERMOM! She not only takes care of the kids 24/7, but she also does all that's possible to ensure that they have the healthiest and happiest life possible. She is such an inspiration to me. I myself find it hard to stay organized with one child, let alone 8. She cuts coupons and saves close to $100 each week on groceries. She spends close to $100-$150 dollars a week on food to feed the entire family of 10. I spend close to $100 dollars a week for just Britt, Ashlyn, and myself. Not only does she save money but she tries to buy the healthiest food possible for her family. She buys as much organic food as possible and cooks for her family EVERYDAY! The family do as much together as possible. They even take all 8 kids out to go Christmas shopping. I nearly lose my mind if I take Ashlyn shopping with me even if it's a short trip to Target and back. I HAVE NO CLUE HOW SHE DOES IT! She is AMAZING! If you have never watched the show you should definitely check it out.

INSPIRED

I have been inspired by my wonderful friend Moriah (you may want to view her blog first http://www.moriahwedmonson.blogspot.com/ ) to blog each day up until Christmas. Each day she's going to post a different topic or different questions. This is going to be a tough, but fun challenge. Here goes nothing..........

I am learning more about life every day throug the greatest teacher ever.......my daughter.
I love my family.
I yearn to be the grown up that I've always hoped to be.
I feel excited about our growing family.
I understand that the house is never going to stay clean all of the time. I am the type that is usually right behind Ashlyn picking up any and every mess that she makes. What's the point? It just gets messy again. Why not let her enjoy her toys and enjoy her childhood instead of worrying about the house being tidy at all times. I want her to remember her childhood by playing with her toys and making messes, not remembering that she couldn't make a mess because the house had to be spic and span at all times.
I can't stand whiney children! (I'm with you on this one Moriah!) This is why I want the elf from the post below! =)
I trust too much.
I depend on people way too much! I would like to be more independent.
I show my emotions way too easily.
I think I'd like to get my real estate license.
I believe in God.
I don't relax nearly enough.
I could eat Italian food EVERY DAY!
I should bite my tongue instead of trying to argue with Britt all of the time.
I really want to finish school. Hopefully I'll be able to achieve this goal!
I see so much of myself in Ashlyn.
I hear Ashlyn whining as I type. =O
I smell a clean little girl. Ashlyn just had a bath and smells like her berry shampoo.
I touch my growing belly everyday. I guess it's a pregnancy thing.
I can do anything as long as I believe in myself.
I did turn into my mother.
I do thrive to be the perfect mother and the perfect housewife.
I am looking forward to adding onto my family. Adding a little boy to the mix is perfect! Life is good!

BRILLIANT!!!!

Why didn't I think of this? It is such a wonderful idea. I think that it would work perfect in my house since the only way that my 3 year old will behave is if I threaten to take her toys away, or better yet, now that it's Christmas I can threaten her with Santa. Love it!!!


The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition™ is an activity the entire family will enjoy. Based on the tradition Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s, this cleverly rhymed children's book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. During the holiday season, the elf watches children by day and reports to Santa each night. When children awake, the elf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location. This activity allows The Elf on the Shelf to become a delightful hide-and-seek game.

http://www.elfontheshelf.com/#

HILARIOUS!!!

GIRLS...................YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS OUT!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time!!! ENJOY!

=)

http://www.jibjab.com/starring_you/receipt/3263169

Ashlyn's School Pictures

Oh BOY!!!

Yep............that right.................we're having a little boy! We are thrilled beyond belief! Not that we wouldn't be thrilled if it were a girl, but adding a little boy to the picture makes it feel like the all american family. =) Honestly I would have been happy if it were a boy or a girl, but I know that deep down, even though he would never admit it, Britt wanted a little boy to play ball with and do all of the father son activities. Now Ashlyn and I can have our shopping outings while Britt and the little guy go golfing together. We are ECSTATIC! And Ashlyn, well she's been saying all along that we're having her a baby brother, and she was right! Now she keeps asking when "Zippy" is going to be here. She can't wait to meet her new brother! I've asked her what she thought about names other than Zippy, but she told me, "NO! We're naming him Zippy! That's his name!". All I have to say is BLESS HIS HEART if he gets stuck with Zippy for the rest of his life. =)

The baby measured about a week further along again. On Friday the baby measured 19 weeks and 4 days, so we're at the half way point. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by! Now we have the nursery to decorate, so I'm sure that the next few weeks will go by in the blink of an eye.

WARNING: MAJOR VENT SESSION IN PROGRESS!!!

Let me start off by saying - GET YOUR CRAP TOGETHER PEOPLE!!!! I am referring to my OBGYN office. First off they give me the run around on my blood pressure medicine. Then I have to do a 24 hour urine sample. This means that from my first pee in the morning to my first pee the next morning I have to catch the sample and put it into a gallon jug, store it in the refrigerator (I know.......YUCK!!!), and then bring the sample with me to my next visit. This particular lab only has to be done for people with high blood pressure, and since I have a history of high blood pressure, I was one of the lucky people who get to go through this lovely ordeal! It's not that bad, just more of an inconvenience than anything else, but after you've done it once you don't want to have to do it again. At my last appointment the nurse called me at work after my appointment because she FORGOT to tell me that my 24 hour urine sample came back incomplete...................whatever that means.......................so I would have to do it all over again. And by the way, "we need you to come back and pick up another container and have it sent back to the doctors office before your next appointment so that we can have your results back by your next appointment", which is this Friday. Since I work all the way in Denver I had Mom pick the container up on Friday, did the 24 hour thing on Saturday/Sunday, and had my lovely husband Britt carry my pee back up to the doctor's office this morning for me. Britt calls me this morning and says - "you're not going to be happy about this, but you have to be at the doctor's office no later than 4:30 today to have blood drawn." WHAT!?!?!?! They couldn't find my bloodwork, if they even did it, to go along with the urine sample that has to be sent in to the lab! UUUUGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am FURIOUS!!!! Why did nobody tell me until TODAY that I have to have more blood drawn TODAY????? I have already been poked and prodded about 5 times in the past 3 months from these people! So this week I will have to go to the doctor this afternoon for MORE bloodwork that I didn't even know about, go Thursday to a neurologist for my headaches, and go back to the OBGYN on Friday for my ultrasound. Get it together people!!!!!!!

Pregnancy/Baby Update

I went back to the doctor on Friday. The baby's heart-rate was 140. It's getting a little lower each visit. We find out next Friday what we're having! HOW EXCITING!!!!!! I probably won't be able to sleep the night before due to the anticipation. I can't wait to pick out colors, nursery bedding..................that is if we have a boy. If it's a girl she's going to get shafted because she is going to get all of Ashlyn's hand me downs. The lucky boy will get all new everything! As for the names I think that we finally have them picked out.........for now anyway. They have a great possibility of changing before the baby arrives. =) For a girl - Chesney Adeline (not quite sure of the exact spelling yet) Cody, and for a boy - Walker Reid Cody.

The doctor measured my belly and told me that it was just the right size. Britt and I both chuckled. I told her that it was just funny to me because I feel like a cow. It doesn't help that EVERYONE, whether I know them or not, continue to tell me how big I am. I constantly hear - "That's going to be one big baby!", "Are you sure that there's only 1?", "Are you sure that they don't have your due date wrong?"!!! Now, coming from my friends and family it's ok to hear these comments, but to hear them on a daily basis from strangers and people who hardly know me, well it's really starting to give me a complex! I KNOW THAT I'M BIG! I wasn't this big when I was 6 months pregnant with Ashlyn! Give me a break people! I can't help that I am showing alot sooner since it is my second pregnancy! At least that's what all of the doctors keep telling me, and it makes me feel somewhat better about being so big. =)

This pregnancy has been wonderful besides the dreadful headaches that I've been experiencing. I talked to the doctor again on Friday about the frequent headaches and how terrible they are. She referred me to a neurologist. I have an appointment on November 15th. Hopefully we can find out the cause of these nuisances and help me find a way to keep them at bay. I really don't know why I haven't been referred to a specialist before, especially with my history of headaches the past couple of years. It's about time!

Things are good at home. Ashlyn is loving school. It's so funny that the same girl who would wake up crying and begging not to go to school now wakes up on the weekends crying and begging to GO to school! Too funny how things work out. It was hard on all of us in the beginning, but it was so worth all of the struggles in the morning those first few weeks. I can tell that she has already learned so much. Her teachers are WONDERFUL! I couldn't ask for a better preschool for her!

Ashlyn is looking forward to meeting her baby brother or sister. She went with us to the doctor on Friday and got the hear the baby's heartbeat. She's named the baby Zippy, and that name has stuck for about 5 weeks now, so I have a feeling that no matter if it's a boy or girl and no matter what the real name is, it will be baby Zippy to her. We've even starting referring to it as baby Zippy since we don't know the sex yet.

Can you believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner? Time really does fly! I plan to have all of my Christmas shopping finished up by the beginning of December. Yeah right! I want to go to the Gaffney outlets one weekend and knock out numerous names on my list. If anyone wants to go with me I'd love to have the company. I'll probably leave Ashlyn at home so that we can shop til we drop. These outlets are the best around!

I'll close for now. I better get back to work........uggghhhh! Ta Ta until next time.