In the life of me.

Appetizer
How fast can you type?

I can’t remember, but I can type very quickly without errors. Go me!

Soup
What is your favorite online game?

I will admit, I am a Neopets player. I’m a child at heart.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), how intelligent do you think you are?

I would give myself a 7

Main Course
Name three of your best teachers from your school years.

Mr. Davis, he was the greatest of them all. He was my third grade teacher and helped me through my parent’s divorce.

Mr. Moses, though the faculty at the highschool didn’t like her all too well, I enjoyed her highly as my 10th grade English teacher. When I went to college, she was there too, teaching.

Mr. Dropps, my choir director all through highschool. Never before had I met a more determined person to get us motivated for compititions and concerts. And for once, he made us altos feel special. Quote, “Sopranos are air heads. Altos actually have to work at what they do.”

Dessert
What are your plans for this upcoming weekend?

Mmm, tasty hehe. Saturday is D&D. Go dice rolling!!! Sunday involves a quiet day at home with the hubby. We don’t get nearly enough of those.

*hugs*
~Jen

April 26 (Thursday), 2007

Dear John Richard,

We obviously found out what you were just thirteen days ago. SInce then we’ve been given lots of things for you. Already you have clothes. There are a few dragons to protect you now too. Mommy put up the coloring book pages and Daddy put up the torch lights. It’s really looking cool in there.

Sometimes at night, just before Daddy reads to you, you kick my tummy. It’s almost like you know what time it is. Whoa! I just felt a ton of your flutter kicks just now. Perhaps I should stop using my tummy as a book rest…

Today is a special day. Your Pop-Pop passed away four years ago today. I still remember sitting on my dormitory floor when I got the news from his wife. It was hard losing him when I was 19, I still find it hard today.

This morning I woke up in tears. It felt good to let it all out. Your Pop-Pop felt the same way. He was never afraid to cry in front of others.

His laugh could get anyone to smile, or maybe it was that twinkle in his eyes when he did it. I’ll never forget the sound of it.

My Daddy’s hugs were the best. The sort that were so tight it was like a bear was hugging you. They were so full of love too.

I remember summer trips visiting him. Days when he’d come home from work we would snuggle together. Back then I only got to see him twice a year. Mommy lived in New Mexico and Pop-Pop in Pennsylvania. So those small moments we had, we held dear in our hearts.

I even remember when he took me to my first tattoo parlor. We went to get the cartledge of my left ear pierced. And he showed me the tattoo he wanted when he lost his weight. Daddy stood and watched as that needle plunged through my ear. I didn’t grimmace, having him there I knew I was ok. That smile he had afterwards was awesome. It was like a proud smile or a, “that’s so cool!” At least that’s how I remember as a 16 year old.

Today is a day of rememberance, not sorrow. KNow that he would love to hold you in his arms. Know that once you get older, he’d play pranks and tell you jokes (boy could he tell ‘em!). His heart was always full of love, his ears open to listen, and his shulders perfect for those tears. He was protective but still let me have freedom. Daddy always gave the best advice. Your middle name, Richard, was his middle name. It’s a strong name and I know you’ll carry it well.

I love you so much, my little John Richard!

Love Always,

Mommy

Ooooh I didn’t see the new one for the week. Shame on me. Hey, and now I have Friday’s Feast listed in my blogroll, so go look!

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of bread? Olive Loaf! I have fallen in love with it.

Soup
When was the last time you bought a new pillow? I bought a body pillow about a month ago to help me adjust to the different things pregnancy does to you, even while you sleep.

Salad
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net? It honestly depends. Most days I tag in about an hour or two. So I’ll say 14 to be on the safe side.

Main Course
What’s the highest you remember your temperature being? Pnemonia, 1989…temp: 104ish I think. I do recall hallucinating.

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: When I ____________, I _____________.
When I walk, I fart. Sadly, another pregnancy thing. I used to be able to control it. Just don’t walk behind me in the store now to be safe hehe. *pad, pad, pad* “Whoops, stepped on a frog!”

The D man found this and I rather like it. Let’s see if I can keep up with this every Friday. Forgive me for not linking. I copy/pasted and um…yeah hehe. I’m still rather new here.

Appetizer
When you were a child, which crayon color was your favorite?

I honestly loved just about every color of the crayon box, except for olive green. I never liked that color. That particular color always had the perfect tip to it because it was never used.

Like D, I also pondered red-orange and orange-red. I came to the same conclusion as a child, red-orange has more red than orange in it. But isn’t that silly? Orange is a combo of red and yellow isn’t it? So it’s more of an orange with more red in it. Hmm…

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how likely would you be to change jobs if it required you to move?

1, I like my job as a stay at home wife. Granted, I’m a military wife so I go where the hubby goes if I’m allowed to.

Salad
Take all the numbers in your birthday and your phone number and add them up, one by one. What’s the total?

72 if dialing within Germany, 87 if you are anywhere else.

Main Course
Have you ever “re-gifted” anything? If so, what was it and who did you pass it on to?

I have never re-gifted. I just give the doubles of what I have away or I have a yardsale! Recently, my mother-in-law sent our Christmas/B-day packages and within it was a cookbook her mother gave me for my birthday. The first friend I ran into that loved to cook got the extra cookbook.

Dessert
Name something you need from the store.

Queen Helene’s Cocoa Butter! I cannot find it at the PX. There are too many pregnant woman here right now and they all take the good stuff. I tried the cheaper stuff and sadly, I got a horrible rash. Then I passed the cheapo cream to my preggo neighbor and she too broke out in a rash. Now I must pout as I watch my stretch marks grow and as I scratch my ever growing belly. Rapid growing skin itches like crazy!

~Jen

Ok folks, I had the big ultrasound today! Sadly, it wasn’t with my regular doctor and the one in his place…stunk. Sure she fiddled with the u/s tools properly, but did she let mom have a good look, newp. Only when the baby flipped did she snap a shot and pause it to turn the screen so I could see the meatballs and sausage stare at me. Hello John Richard! Did she even give me a copy of the u/s? No. With her I had to request it and I still didn’t get it. My regular doc hands ‘em over without us having to ask. So Bry got to see the entire show the baby put on after a 20 oz Pepsi entered my blood stream. Apparently, it was a good one. The doc even told the baby to stop moving. I even told her about my allergies and the recent discovery of lactose intollerance again. She didn’t seem to care one bit. That irked me. Then the nurse seemed rather incompitent. When she weighed me she tried on the far end of the kilo side and I about wanted to die. Hello, I’m not a cow. Politely, I mentioned that I was 81 kilos last time so maybe she’d want to try over on that end. Low and behold, that worked. I’m at 80 now, sitting on the pot regretting every last bit of milk and cheese I had consumed does that. Sorry for the TMI. Then she attempted to do my blood pressure. Oh my goodness. Several times she dropped the stethescope and she was having issues with the BP cuff. I wanted to take it from her and do it myself since I know how, but she gave up and got another cuff and that worked too. I think she recorded that wrong too though. Mine has never been that high (140/65). Just yesterday it was 107/52. By the way 140 for the top number (Systalic) is high for a pregnant woman, she didn’t even consider telling the doctor about that. Sorry, I’m miffed, but I’m happy I did get to see what I did of my baby, even if it was just his bum and boy bits.

*hugs*
~Jen

As the weeks fly on by and my tummy expands and stretches, I find myself more accepting of this change. Before this pregnancy I did have a poor body image of myself. I thought if I just got my tummy a little smaller or just toned up my arms a bit more I’d be happy. I got it all wrong. Instead, it’s watching my stomach grow that is making me see that I’m just fine the way I am. That my body is a great machine, capable of giving life. Everytime I walk past a mirror I can’t help but to lift up my shirt and admire my adorable, round belly. These changes are so wonderful and I never knew that an experience like this would change me so much. I feel so much more positive. I feel like I am ready to be a mother.
I can even see my own husband change. Before he was more stiff towards children and the other day I had to pause while chastising him about grass stains on his jeans…he played with the kids of friends we know! He got messy and didn’t care! Now he’s more open to scolding them when they do wrong instead of letting the parents take care of it (sometimes the other parents are out of the room or engrossed in some other activity). He also seems more relaxed, more willing to spend the extra time with me. Now I think we’ve both realised that these are the last 24 weeks we’ll have together completely alone until the kids are out of the house. We had a great talk last night while holding hands like we did when we were first engaged (we were the quick to engage and quick to get married type). It was wonderful! It felt so nice to see us both open up and be honest about our expectations of parenthood. For once, I feel like we are honestly ready for this plunge. We’ve been through a lot and this little blessing here is making everything worth it. I guess this munchin is our reward for working out our kinks and accepting each other fully for who we are. We’re trusted with a life, a life we’ll be with forever. I’m gonna love it!

~Jen

March 6, 2007

Dear Baby,
It’s hard to believe how fast time is flying on by. Already we’re at 11 weeks!

Grandma Fachado finished the bumpers for the crib, so when I get them in the mail, I’ll put them on. Mommy and Daddy need to finish coloring some pages to hang on the walls of your room.

Your Auntie Dawn is doing a Native American Sampler for you. (It’s a cross stitch that announces the baby’s name, weight, etc.) I can’t wait to see it!

It’s been three days since Mommy has had morning sickness. Now I can nap a little less too…a half an hour compared to the two hours I used to nap!

Daddy might not be able to go to this next appointment. It makes me a bit upset, but I can at least bring the video camera. He’s had to work a lot more lately, but that’s ok. Your Daddy is in the Army, so his job is very important.

Cinnamon, one of our cats, loves to snuggle up against my belly and purr at you. It soothes me and I wonder if it will do the same for you when you can hear. Hunter, the other cat, has become more gentle and loving towards me. Today he napped in my lap and stretched out his paws to my belly and left them there until Cinnamon layed on top of him. You see, he was under a blanket I was curled up under.

I love you baby! I’ll see you in 9 short days!

Love Always,
Mommy

March 19, 2007

Dear Baby,

Daddy did make it to the appointment on Thursday! Dr. Kern even held off on the ultrasound until he got there. Eva was with us the whole time.

It was neat seeing you again and you put on quite the show! At first you were still. Then I think you knew you were getting an audience. You spun around on your back and did interesting things with your arms and legs. We got to peek at you longer because the doctor took measurements of you.

In the words of the doctor, everything is perfect! That makes us very happy! We still dont’ know if you’re a boy or a girl. On Friday the 13th next month, we should know. But you have to cooperate for us!

We’re almost o our second trimester! It’s all starting to feel so real now. I think Daddy feels the same way. He puts his hands on my tummy now. We’re anxiously awaiting to feel you move.

Mommy is starting to learn to squat down instead of bending down. Having a bigger belly makes thinks interesting. NO longer can Mommy fit into her pre-pregnancy pants. She’s ha da hard time finding clothes too. This weekend she went all over down town to find dresses. No luck! OldNavy.com has been there for her though.

More toys have been found for you too! We now have a walker and an exersaucer for you. They were free! There is still quite a bit we need for you. Mommy made a list to keep track of everything still needed. But the most important thing to bring home to the nursery is you. Just six more months!

The cats are slowly learning that the nursery is not for them. Cinnamon rarely goes in there anymore. It’s Hunter that can’t let go. He keeps going for the glider chair. Cinni liked the crib. It took two weeks to kick her of that habit.

Well, I must get going and get the Easter decorations up. I love getting things together for holidays. I need to find my orange cheesecake recipe for Easter this year. It’s very yummy!

Love Always,
Mommy ***Insert comic of a very pregnant woman dashing to the bathroom with a thought bubble that reads “My belly’s bigger, my butt’s bigger, my boobs are bigger, even my feet are bigger, everything but my $%@#! bladder!

April 3, 2007

Dear Baby,

Sorry it’s taken me so long to write to you again. Mommy had a dream about her Daddy and maybe you or the baby she lost. He was feeding this dear little blonde haired boy that was sitting in my lap at church. I won’t know if it’s you in the dream until I really see you. But I honestly think that it was the angel God took back with Him. That your Pop Pop and brother are watching over you.

Mommy’s belly is getting larger and larger as you grow inside (So large that one day a jacket fit perfectly with the lovely bump and the next day it could not fasten shut by a long shot). It makes this pregnancy feel more real to daddy now. We’ll start reading to you every night now (Daddy is the exclusive reader since I get to talk to the baby all day). I’ll have to play music for you too.

Around week 13/14 I started to feel you move. Cinnamon even felt it! She was laying against my tummy with her ear pressed against it. Thump, thump, thump you went and Mini just looked at my tummy and rested her head on my tummy again.

Time is really going by fast! In about a week and a half we’ll be five months along. I almost wish it would slow down a little.

Great Grandma Minkler has knitted a hat, sweater, mittens, booties, and a blanket for you. They are all white with a bit of pearly white within them. She also made you some newborn bibs.

Grandma Fachado is making pillows for you now. She’s making them like the ones her mom made for me as a baby. I loved those pillows so much that replacements had to be made.

Your “Aunt” Sarah is getting a package ready for you too. See, so many people love you and you aren’t even here yet! It means so much to Mommy!

Mommy has gotten four stretch marks so far. She has two on the sides of each of her hips. They are small, but big enough to make her slather on extra cocoa butter. She doesn’t mind, it smells so yummy!

Now she can cook raw meat again. She’s very happy to be able to cook properly once more. Granted, yesterday and today she hasn’t felt her best so she hasn’t been cooking much lately.

Love Always,
Mommy

P.S. Mommy and Daddy can hardly wait until the 13th when we find out if you’re a little girl or boy!

The long awaited belly pics!

12 weeks

13 weeks

15.5 weeks (The day the belly grew! Seriously, it felt like I did crunches all day but I didn’t, that’s how tight my tummy felt.)