Monday, February 22, 2010

Announcing...

All the pictures are labeled, mostly at the bottom. Just scroll!








IT'S A GIRL!!!


Thursday, February 18, 2010

Retro Thursday

So my oldest sister Rachael has been going over to my grandparents 3 times a week to help them go through their slides and old microfilms to put onto disc format to finish their family history. My grandmother is a big family history buff and had her personal history finished about 15 years ago so she could just add to it as the rest of her life when on. My grandfather on the other hand is much like me and took until just last year to finish his and they're both in their early 80s.

Anyway, I asked Rae if there were any pictures of me and she emailed me a couple and I was completely shocked at how much I looked like Jonathan. I mean, our expressions and the shape of our faces- everything! I spent quite a bit of time last night talking to Rae about how my personality was when I was Jonnie's age and apparently I was just as serious and a big people watcher, only rambuncious and giggly around those I felt safest with. But I love these pictures and HAD to share them! (If you click on the images, you can seee up close how much we really do look alike.)




My Grandpa and Grandma Clawson with my siblings 25 years ago at my sister's baptism, January 1986. I was 18 months old.
My parents, my siblings and I, Rachael's baptism.

I just love old photos of when we were little. There are so few from before the divorce, so when we find them, it's like a little piece of treasure- a link to our past for our childrens geneology.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Week ???

Week 18!

That's right! I'm 18 weeks and I'm just finding out I'm nearly half way through my pregnancy. I was only a week off of when I thought I was due. I still think I'm right until I get my blood work done in a couple weeks. (I was going to post photos, but my memory card isn't opening and I haven't been able to figure out what's wrong for a couple weeks, which is why there have been no photo entries as of the last month and a half.)

I met with an RN today to get all my paperwork set and go through my medical record- you know, all the necessary and boring stuff. The nurses were so nice. I was shocked to actually be treated like a person and not a number to be rushed in a pushed out the door for the next one in line to come in.

Here's the kicker, though: I've lost 15 pounds, which is nearly half of the weight I gained with Jonathan and never lost. I was shocked when I climbed on the scale and the nurse told me how much I weighed compared to when I last went to the doctor in December. I'm still sick in the mornings, but I can mostly control it if I take it slow and drink lots of water the moment I get out of bed. Something I never would've been able to figure out the first time around. It's amazing what you can figure out the second time around.

I have my first appointment with the doctor in 10 days, Monday the 22nd and it's an ultrasound. The most interesting thing is that I'll see my baby before I even hear her. I shouldn't say her, but I've gotten so used to the idea of having a girl, it just doesn't seem like it could possibly be anything else. But we'll see. I'm just so relieved not to be in between insurances and be fully covered to get these things taken care of. I've had a great day. Peace of mind is something you really don't know you've lost until you've worried yourself into an emotional stupor.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Time for CHANGE

Alrighty. Enough. I've been using Blogger and my Facebook status as an outlet for frustration latey.

I need a change. I wanted to post all the pictures that went with all the great happenings in that last couple weeks, but the truth is, I don't have the time or patience to upload them and I need to talk about how awesome life really is. All out of order, here is my life from the last little while.

I was able to go with my girlfriend Mary and Jonathan to Olive Garden for lunch last week. We had their lunch special and I don't think I could cram in enough salad and breadsticks. I loved the soup, but really, the true love of my pregnancy life is Olive Garden salad. Then I had a sitter for baby later that day and was in and out of my new insurance office before I could even sit down, in either waiting area I was sent to. Then I got to come home to find my husband already home, which was great surprise.

Jonathan has been learning all sorts of adorable things: he's finally figured out how to talk into a cell phone correctly (many other little boys of my friends around his age figured this out a couple months ago), and now EVERYTHING goes to his shoulder- including dirty socks! He knows how to climb on just about everything if he wiggles enough, which can be interesting keeping him from pulling things down off the counters. He's also figured out how to get past most of his baby gates!! He's been learning to WALK up the stairs and not crawl, although most of the time, he still prefers the latter. He will eat just about anything I feed him now, as long as it's not too bitter, like peas, so I mix them with another vegetable and the amount he eats, unbelievable! He lets me know when he's ready to go outside almost like a little puppy- he brings me his jacket (when we forget to hang it up on the coat wrack), socks from his dirty laundry, and his shoes. It cracks me up! He's very good about going to bed, he runs on a good schedule and hates it when we mess with it. And I finally figured out that when he holds his arms out to me and grunts, "Uooo, Uooo!" he's been saying "Up!"

He also LOVES to play fetch with his little soft baseballs. For a long time, if he brought me a toy that I was tired of being shoved me face, I'd toss it across the room or into the hallway by his bedroom and sit back down at the table or couch to finish whatever it was I was doing and he'd ALWAYS bring it to me in the next ten minutes. Then we eventually though about it, found a ball, tossed it across the room and told him, "Go get it!" He was fast about it! We had a good laugh about it when we figured out Jonathan thought I'd been playing a game for the last few months.

I've been working on anger-management being a mother and I can tell you, it feels AMAZING! I don't yell anymore, even when I'm frustrated and it's wonderful not to carry around the guilt that inevitably follows. It helps SO much that Larry and I try to get on the same page in our parenting and discuss things that we're not sure about to ask the other parent's opinion. I'm also happier because of it. I enjoy my time with my son so much more than when I was trying to make him understand things he's simply just to little to grasp. He's my little angel and I only get to have him tiny for so long before time and the world force him to grow up.

So there anger! Take that to the bank. I'M HAPPY DANG IT! Life is wonderful and there is no more morning sickness. How much better can life be when you choose to be happy no matter what the situation?