Tuesday, January 15, 2008

I love sweatpants.

I have grown out of my pants for the most part and i have come to love sweatpants. If i could, i would wear them all the time. I would wear them to work, to church and everywhere in between. I used to despise the thought of public sweatpants wearing, but now i wish i could parade around in my sweatpants all the time.
I am in my 15th week and just starting to show a bit. One of Ryan's co-workers bought me an early shower present. The Bella Band. It is wonderful. I can wear my old pants unbuttoned with no line or buttons showing through. It does slide a bit, but it is worth it to not be in maternity pants yet. They are still too big.
I had to remove my belly button ring this week. I have had it in for almost 8 years! It was sad to see it leave and know that it would probably never return. I am sure that my kids wont want to go with their mom to get her stomach re-pierced!
We have our ultrasound scheduled for the 12th of February. We are still undecided as to finding out what we are having. Ryan wants to find out and i am a bit confused. So, any personal advice on finding vrs. not finding would be great!

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Rantings of a Yankee

Today i went to my little local library, the Chesapeake area library, to return some books and to pick up a few more. On my way in I saw a sign about Lee-Jackson day. I figured it was just another heavily Confederacy laced history lesson for the kids and did not think much further about it.
Since i have moved to Virginia, i have been completely surprised, shocked and slightly annoyed at the southern "confederacy" bent to the history around here. I know i am in the south and with the former Confederate capital of Richmond and hour or so away, i should not be so shocked. I grew up in west Michigan and never once thought about my "Union Heritage" or about how "We" won the war. I just grew up knowing about it and knowing the Michigan was a borderline state that also helped with the underground railroad. Simple as that. No union flags, no re-enactments, no bitter calls for another battle. It was just a sad part of American history.
Since coming to Virginia i have seen more Confederate flags than i cared too. I have seen bumper stickers claiming that the "South will rise again!" or to honor the fallen Confederate soldiers, or for all of the "Yankees" to leave the south. For some people the confederate flag is a sign or rebellion, to others is a their heritage passed down from their forefathers. Some people consider it a sign of racism and are highly offended. Regardless of how people feel, the attitude down here is that the "horrible" Yankees ruined their south. Nothing is said about how the plantations and the south was built on the back of slaves.
So, as i was standing in line to check out my books, i read the sign. Friday the 18th, the library would be closed to observe Lee-Jackson day. The sign next to it was advertising that they would also be closed for Martin Luther King day. How odd. Too great southern generals next to the man who helped free his people and give them more civil rights. I have nothing against Robert E. Lee or Stonewall Jackson. Both men were godly men in their private lives. I do have a problem with celebrating the Confederacy and hoping for its glorious return.
So , enough rantings and raving... i have to make supper.

Snow, Bumps and Lug nuts.

Christmas time has come and gone and now we are experiencing some good ol' Virginia snow. Snow here in Virginia consists of a few flakes every twenty feet that melt on contact... nothing compared to the blizzard like conditions that we experienced not once but 3 times while in Michigan.
Michigan is gorgeous in the winter. The lakes are frozen, the trees are snow covered. It is not like the brown snow that Minneapolis would have. It is actually white and pretty. Of course, we can leave all the snow for Virginia fake snow. My mother-in-law thinks that is why we liked it so much... we get to leave it!
Christmas time with the family was filled with lots of running to and from houses and parents and friends. We really enjoyed our time, but i would get so very tired! It is a blessing to be able to see both sides of the family on the same day and the enjoy the company without any guilt of who is left behind.
My belly has started to develop a little bump. I think it looks like i have a fat roll, but i know it is the baby. I came to Michigan with not much to show for my pregnancy and left with a little roll. I think that my Mother prayed that bump to appear so that she could "see" her first grandbaby. My clothes that fit so nice two weeks before i left were getting a bit tight. The old high school "acquaintances" that did not know i was pregnant must have thought i put on a bit more weight. In actuality, i lost a pound from what i weighed at my last dr.'s appointment, but still i continue to swell a bit.
We were suppose to leave Michigan on Sunday night. We checked in and boarded the plane. We seemed to have been sitting on the plane with out the door closing for quite some time. The captain than announced that a lug nut just fell off the plane when they were closing the door. He had never seen that happen before. Unfortunately, Grand Rapids is not a large airport and they had to fly a mechanic in from Detroit to fix the plane. Our flight was canceled and we were able to rebook to leave on Tuesday instead. We would have missed work anyway and why not extend our vacation a bit? We also knew of a little secret planned for my sister the next evening.
On New Year's eve at midnight down in Chicago, Abbey's boyfriend Kurt proposed. She obviously said YES! and we were able to meet them for a quick lunch before we took off. Our family has now expanded again. I am not sure if poor Kurt knows what he got himself into!
Our plane coming from Detroit also had mechanical issues, but we were able to arrive back in VA 5 hours later. We were greeted by a very happy kitten. Oscar would not let us out of his sight.That meant that when we were sleeping he would periodically walk up to our heads to make sure we were still there.
Our next dr. appointment is next Monday. We will be able to schedule our ultrasound than. I am pretty sure that we are going to find out what we are having. I have not decided 100% yet though. I have heard many things about both sides. So many things to consider.
With the new year underway, it is time to start preparing for our new little life that will be joining us in 2008.
Many blessings to you all this new year!