Seconds Old

1 Day Old

Baby Burrito

Hiccups

8 Months, 3 Weeks, 4 Days Pregnant

Pictures!

Some notes since I couldn't write captions and didn't take the time to figure out why.

*HOT! That is the temperature without the heat index.
*My dresses are getting too short because I keep getting wider :)
*Jeremy brought me home whole wheat french toast with a cream cheese and strawberry topping. Yum! It is safe to say that french toast never saw me coming. It is long gone now.
*Like my toes? I can't bend over to paint them so last week I got a pedicure and it was worth every penny (even if the b**** cut my toe twice).
*Look pretty good for almost 9 months pregnant, huh?
*The plaid hat and bodysuits were a gift from Krisha (she loves baby shopping) and the little man polo shirt was something I picked up. We really haven't bought him many clothes so when we buy something it feels very special!

8 Months, 3 Weeks, 4 Days Pregnant

8 Months, 3 Weeks, 4 Days Pregnant

Article

I recently read an article that (in a nutshell) said that educated women are not bearing children at the rate that they used to. It called this phenomenon 'childlessness in educated women' and broke it down further by ethnic groups and ages. (If this were a paper in which I had to write, I would cite the article here but I lost the link so just trust me!)

I found this article to be fascinating. It stated that black and Hispanic women with college degrees are not having children and this is higher than any ethnic group. White educated women were found to be the group that thought children were most important to a healthy marriage.

I really took the time to read this article because I have often debated with myself about society's pressure to get an education and at the same time to marry and have children. Here I am, 26 (almost 27! Yuck!) and pregnant with my first child. This was the earliest I could ever imagine having a child because of the belief that I needed my education first plus at least two years of relevant work experience. I found it hard to balance my professional expectations for myself (pressured by society) and my desire to have a family.

The average age of women bearing their first child has risen over the years as well. I think what is happening is that women are trying to find a balance between having children at 16 (giving up all hopes for a career and pursuing higher education) and severe career dedication that does not support the 'American Dream' family. Think about Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City. Do we expect educated women to not have time for children? Shouldn't we want educated, successful and strong women to have the MOST children?

So interesting. If I could do my thesis on this subject, I just might. Unfortunately, I have to stick with a subject in the music education field but I'm sure I'll find something just as stimulating!

Also, someone leave me a comment because I haven't gotten any since I changed the layout of the blog. Shelley, I got your comment the other day but I deleted the post because it didn't say what I wanted it to say! Leave a comment so I know everything is working. Also, don't forget to click on all ads because I get a few cents every time you do! Diaper money.

Unmarried and Pregnant

My fingers are officially too fat/swollen to wear my engagement or wedding ring. First I put my wedding band on my right pinky, since that one has always been a little tight. Then, I had to switch both rings to my right pinky since that is my smallest finger but now I can't wear either of my rings on any of my fingers! My hands are always a little bit swollen but never too too bad, so I'm hopeful that I will be able to wear my rings again soon.

I went to JCPenney today to just look around and I stopped by the cheap jewelry section. I found a few rings that would pass for wedding rings and they were only $8but they just weren't my cup of tea. I'd rather look like an unmarried pregnant lady then a married pregnant lady with bad taste!

I must admit, I looked quite cute today and got complements from a group of workers at JCPenney. They said how cute I looked pregnant! I got a dress yesterday from American Eagle that was originally $40, but anyone who knows me knows I would NEVER pay full price! I got it for $11 :). Anyways, I wore it today with cute sandals, earrings, and huge sunglasses. Love summer dresses. I haven't worn pants in a while and I don't miss them.

My Back

My lower back has been aching for the past couple of days but today, Jeremy and I went for a relaxing drive together and I thought I was going into labor! It hurt SOOOO bad. I was sweating and on the verge of crying! As soon as we got home and I got out of the car, my back felt much better. It still is hurting, but I took two Tylenol (I should take morphine!) and have been doing yoga stretches to try and ease the tension. I'll have to mention this to my doctor when I see him next Tuesday.

Krisha also has an appointment on Tuesday where she finds out the sex of the baby!! I can't wait!!

Jeremy and I had a great day today. We went grocery shopping but made the best of it. It was the first day in a while that hasn't been over 100 degrees so after dinner we took Parker out and let him run around the field. Jeremy took Zoey for a walk earlier in the day so don't feel bad for her. It was 87 degrees and Jeremy and I felt like it was fall! Really nice to have a slight break in the heat.

I'm reading a book right now and I'm at that point where I start to really get to know the author and dread finishing it. I'm about 3/4 the way through and I'm not looking forward to the 'break-up' once I finish it. The next book I'll read will be 'The Lord of the Flies'. I read it once back in 8th grade but I thought it might be a good read for the summer. The book I have now is called "Mozart in the Jungle" and although I hated it at first, I eventually came around. Makes me glad I'm not a professional musician though. The author is a failed professional oboist turned journalist because all the orchestra jobs dried out. Teaching is much more rewarding anyways, even though I get paid $60,000 less per year than the lowest paid member of the New York Philharmonic.

Anyone seen the commercial to "Zoosk"? It is a dating website and I hate the commercial for it. It makes me so angry! Also, what about that Dell commercial where they sing 'Lollipop'? Watch that commercial from the beginning and tell me what you think of the first 15 seconds. Pay attention to what is going on and see if you think the same thing I do. I hate that commercial too. Love Billy the Exterminator. Good show. Love hardworking Americans. Love Police Women of Memphis. Good show.

Sleeping

I have been having a hard time sleeping the past couple of nights because I just can't seem to get comfortable. I slept on the couch for an hour or so last night just so I wouldn't wake Jeremy up. I tend to watch TV when I can't sleep and I crank the volume. He was so sleepy last night and I wanted to make sure he slept well :). Besides, I wasn't sleeping.
Jeremy suggested that I use the body pillow we have to try and find a comfortable position. I think I will try that! Thank goodness for summer vacation because I am going back to bed right now and trying to catch a few more hours of sleep. I'll wake up in time for soap operas though. I have to find out what Phyllis is going to do about Nick. Did I mention that I love summer break and weekday TV? :)

Fiber

I've been eating all this fiber and it is not doing it's job. Same with tums. I'm going to sue the fiber and tums people for false advertising.

Why I Married a Chef

I hate cooking. I know some people can make an afternoon fun by experimenting with recipes but I am not one of those people. I much prefer Jeremy's cooking, or anyones cooking. I am good at assembling, but that is about it. I can buy tortellini and boil it and add sauce. Sometimes I even make a salad to go on the side. That is about the extent of the cooking that I will do willingly.

I did manage to make a really good spinach quiche, for which I am proud but I will quit while I am ahead. Today I started to make this brown rice and lentil casserole and it looked so much like barf that I threw it away and said 'screw cooking!'.

I miss Jeremy, I need the moral support after my failed casserole attempt.

Now What?

Ok the summer music camp is over so the next thing on my list of summer to-do's is.....complete my inventory (I am the definition of a procrastinator), get my long term substitute packet ready so the sub won't mess up my program too bad, and then..........hmmm, I know something is coming up.....OH YEA! Have a baby :)

Today I had a stomach ache and I forgot how much I hate those. To me, a stomach ache is a fate worse than death. Jeremy hates headaches with a passion and I can't take stomach aches. While I was waiting for it to be over, I text Jeremy and said that if giving birth is anything like a stomach ache, then I will certainly opt for the epidural. Something tells me my threshold for pain is a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Jeremy is still in Maine and won't return until Monday. The good part is that he is spending time with his step brother Tim and relaxing. I think they are going golfing tomorrow which is cute (considering the last two times they got together they went to strip clubs.....bachelor parties). I hope they have good weather but even if they don't I know they will still have a great time.

You know me, I have to complain about something. The only thing with weekends is the TV. What is up with weekend TV? The worst. Also, David Hasslehoff is now on my soap opera. Come on Y&R, really?

Happy weekend everyone! It is now time that I lay down in my huge bed, all alone, except for the company of two cute puppies.

8 1/2 Months

Don't mind Jeremy in this video! He is exhausted and in need of a vacation :). Not the life of the party in this video. You'll see.

Seriously!

I am so irritable today. No reason, but everything is pissing me off. Hair trigger you might say. So, I did the only thing that I knew would make me happy. I made pancakes (and I had pancakes for breakfast too), ate the pancakes with raspberries, and now I will proceed to lay down and slowly digest the pancake goodness which is in my belly. My huge, still growing, stretch mark ridden, and full belly. I told my mom I wanted to have all the skin on my torso replaced after this baby, and I think I will. They should do some lipo on my inner thighs and arms while they are already there. I seriously can't imagine this baby growing more. He has a month and a half left before he is due. I have no idea how he could grow more. I'll post pictures next time but for real, there isn't any room left in my body.

Benefits of Dogs

Parker and Zoey are totally benefiting from this pregnancy. Although they get less walks, they do get lots more table scraps. It has become a symbiotic relationship. I drop something, they pick it up. Everyone is happy.
For example, today when I was getting out of Jeremy's truck, I dropped his leftovers on the garage floor. First, I felt really bad. Then, I realized that I had to clean this somehow so I bent over (ugh) and picked up the carton it was in. I then proceeded to open the door to the house and let the dogs out to clean the mess. I couldn't think of a more efficient way to clean the mess. Turns out they like chicken pad thai. I am praying that I don't wake up to pad thai barf at the foot of our bed. Now that would ruin my plan.
I was so proud of myself for my ingenious cleaning solution but Jeremy wasn't as big of a fan. He said "that's probably not good for them" and I said "probably not, but it's great for my back!". Besides, I didn't see him offering to clean my mess.

Nursing Bras

I learned that I should pack a nursing bra in the hospital bag. I went to the Motherhood Maternity store to purchase my first nursing bra. The only worker (an 18 year old girl who kept smacking her gum and suggesting I buy ugly things) was quick to attend to me and ask me what I want and I said what I was looking for. She promptly pulled out the measuring tape and wasted no time in wrapping it around my chest. She said (while smacking her gum in my ear), "You need to get a 36DD because you are a 36D right now and you will go up another size."

36DD?!?! Holy, I have always been the smallest chested in my family and was shocked to hear that I had grown that much! Good thing stretch marks have avoided that area or else they might look like raisins after I am through with nursing Ethan.

The sales representative heard me laugh a little bit (out of pure shock at my mammoth chest size) and the immediately remeasured because she thought I was laughing because she was wrong. No, she was not wrong, I do have a 36D bra size.

Happy weekend everyone! I have strict plans to sleep in as late as possible (working at this camp is great but I still hate getting up in the AM), clean the house, seal the shelf I stained last weekend, clean the spare bathroom, and make a ton of veggie dishes to portion and freeze so we will have a freezer full of healthy and fresh meals. I can't wait to accomplish goals and cross things off my to-do list. Crossing off things on my to-do list is the best feeling for me (I assume it is like the high one feels after smoking crack or something similar). I have such a hard time sitting in one place with no plan for the day ahead. However, there are days when I waste time ALL day and those days are great too :).

Clarification

When I said Jeremy didn't like his birthday, I meant it to sound more like he doesn't care about his birthday. He just sees his birthday as another day because he always has to work and stuff like that. That's all I meant! :)

Ethan has had hiccups for the past hour and they are persistent! Just when I think he is done, I feel it again! It is like a twitch you get in your eye, not painful but irritating! The first time I felt it, I got so excited but now I'm like "ok Ethan, hold your breath and plug your nose and they will go away". I even tried to scare him so he would stop hiccuping. Jk, that wouldn't work (would it?).

Celebs for Psoriasis

Here is an article about a model with psoriasis. My skin hasn't been as bad as hers in a long time, but my elbows are still red and white and when my skin heals, I have the SAME white spots! Neat to see this article. Just today I got asked, "What is this rash I see on your arms?" and I said "it is psoriasis and it hasn't been this good in years. I couldn't be more pleased."

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/06/04/caridee-english-psoriasis/?icid=mainhp-laptopdl4link2http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stylelist.com%2F2010%2F06%2F04%2Fcaridee-english-psoriasis%2F

8 Months??

Yup, I am 8 months and 5 days pregnant right now and I feel pretty good. Doctor said the due date is July 28th, which is actually 41 weeks and in my birthing class the nice lady told us that full term is 38-40 weeks SO I'm going to guess my own due date and say July 20th. It has to be an even number. Odd numbers make me feel weird.

Jeremy is so funny because he never likes his birthday (July 14th) but I said that I'm going to make Ethan be born on his birthday and he got mad. Jeremy said that he wants to have the option of liking his birthday if he so chooses.

I had the first day of camp today and I found out I am getting paid so that was sweet :). I will never turn down money for doing what I love and what I'm good at.

What are your guesses for the due date? The winner can get an Emily bobble head.

Baby Class

Jeremy and I are just getting back from an all day birthing and parenting crash course. It went from 8-4:30 and was very informative. My back was killing me through the whole thing, but thankfully the teacher gave us lots of breaks. There were 14 couples in our class which was kind of strange because I thought I was the first person to ever be pregnant or at least the only person pregnant in the Memphis area. It is strange to realize that there are 13 other carbon copies of Jeremy and Emily's.
Had a good day, learned a lot, super tired. Gonna watch tv and cuddle with Zoey.

It is Getting Better

I am starting to embrace my new summer routine. So far, I get up fairly early (for me), run errands, do busy stuff, clean, and then I watch soaps and take a nap. The rest of the day goes smoothly from there.

I am working (well volunteering for experience) and a band camp next week that runs 8-3 everyday. I am looking forward to the experience and working alongside the good Memphis band directors. I need to learn some new teaching strategies and I'm sure I will. Hopefully, they will find money to pay me but in the meantime, I am going for purely selfish reasons and plan to steal teaching techniques like crazy.

Jeremy said something cute today. He said that now that we have a child, he wouldn't go skydiving again because it is not worth the risk. Of course I said that I must not be worth living for since he went skydiving while we were married but I was just saying that to be funny. I think that his comment is telling of Jeremy's character. Gotta love him!

I'm Trying!

Ok I'm trying not to complain of boredom since I know how lucky I am to have the summer off, but I can't help it! I'M BORED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've watered the flowers, I've brushed the dogs, I've played with the dogs, I already changed the sheets, the baby's room is immaculate, my car is already clean, the garbage is already taken out, I don't need anything at Target, I'm sick of my DS games, I have checked every one's status on facebook hundreds of times, Eric hasn't posted any new pics of Nora since the last hour I checked, the carpet need not be vacuumed AGAIN.............
I suppose I could start my sub packet for my maternity leave, train my dogs to massage my feet or bake something but I don't want to.
I think I am just a whiner in general and need to change my attitude asap. What can I do? So bored.