Great Article

As someone who is about to become a first time mom, I want to do all I can to help our kids to be successful in whatever they do. But most especially in school. I find myself absorbed in reading all I can to be a good mom. In my quest for knowledge, I came across a great article that discusses ways we can help our kids be successful in school. And, seeing as it is "back to school" time, I thought it would be something you might like, too! Want to read this great article? Click here.

Keep On Dreaming, Nancy...

Want to see what my dream scrapbook/craft room would look like? Click here.

Disneyland Giveaway

Want to win some adorable things for your next trip to Disneyland? Go check out A Little Bit Kooky for your chance to win one of these or other cute items available:

You have 9 chances to win. Head on over!

Baby Brain

I never understood what people meant when they said "Baby Brain" until I got pregnant. I've never had such a shlooshy mind in my life! Even when I was single and going dancing all the time and not going to sleep until 3am and then waking up at 7am for work, I still had a higher functioning brain. Some people say they got their brains back after they gave birth, some people say theirs is gone forever. I hope it comes back someday!

I'm So Crafty...I Make People

This picture marks 20 weeks along...the day I hit the half way mark of the pregnancy. Tender!

Mawwaige

I've been tagged.....

1. When is your "engagement" anniversary:
January 16

2. When is your "marriage" anniversary:
April 21

3. How long have you known your spouse:
4 years

4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged:
6 months, although we knew after a month we wanted to get married

5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time?
At a barbecue on the 4th of July with mutual friends

6. What is your spouse's full name:
Michael Scott XXXXXXXX (to protect the innocent) ;]

7. Do you have any children:
Yep. One in utero and 3 in heaven

8. How many - boys/girls:
3 angels and a girl on the way

9. Do you have any house pets:
None, unless you count stuffed animals

10. Do you own a house or rent:
Rent for now

11. Do you live in the country or town/city:
City

12. What is one of your favorite activities together:
Playing games and reading books together (I decided to keep it clean folks! I know! Shocker!) ;]

13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot:
Every vacation we've been on has been fun. Disneyland is probably the highlight though. I'd never been there before.

14. When did you first kiss?
On our third date after he had made me a yummy dinner and we had watched a movie together all cozy on his couch.

15. What church do you attend?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

16. Did you get married in a church? Where?
LDS Temple in SLC

17. What town is your current address:
Salt Lake City, UT

18. Do you work or stay at home:
I work full-time from home

19. Where did you go on your honeymoon:
Park City

20.What was the funniest gift you gave when dating?
I gave him Bear claw shaped slippers for Christmas (along with a couple of other gifts)

21.How long have you been together?
4 years since we met, 3 years of marriage

22. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
He asked me out the day we met.

23. Who asked who out?
He did. I made him laugh. He told me I was crazy. I agreed. He then asked me out. I told him if he knew I was crazy and still wanted to go out, sure!

24. How old are each of you?
I'm 35. He's 41.

25.Where do you each work or go to school?
Michael is a High School Chemistry teacher and is working on his Masters degree, I work as an at home Res Agent for an airline and will be going back to finish my degree once his is completed.

26. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Equally good and bad, I guess. I've never compared.

27. Did you go to the same school?
No

28. Are you from the same home town?
No, not even the same state!

29. Who is smarter?
Michael. He is so smart and has amazing knowledge retention. I'm okay with him being the brains.

30. Who is more sensitive?
It depends, but usually me

31.Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We have several favorite restaurants. First ones that come to mind are Sweet Tomatoes, Sizzler, Rumbi, Blue Iguana and La Hacienda

32. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Kentucky

33. Who has the craziest exes?
He does. I should know. I worked with her while Michael and I were dating. What are the odds!? Long and very complicated story! (Although I did go out with a guy who stalked me after we broke up.)

34. Who has the worse temper?
We have never had a yelling match. He gets frustrated a bit easier than I do but he always keeps a level head. Neither one of us likes contention.

35. Who does the cooking?
Usually Michael. He loves to cook and is so good at it! I usually try to do my fair share though.

36. Who is more social?
Usually me

37. Who is the neat-freak?
Me

38. Who is more stubborn?
Umm...my first instinct is to say me but I think we both can be.

39. Who hogs the bed?
Neither one of us. Although he does end up with most of the sheets and I end up with only the blanket.

40. Who wakes up earlier?
Michael

41. Where was your first date?
We went to Sweet Tomatoes

42.Who had more boyfriends/girlfriends?
I'd say we are about even.

43. Do you get flowers often?
Sometimes. He used to buy me a six pack of Pepsi and call it flowers because he knew I enjoyed it. Now I can't drink Pepseye. It makes me sick. :[ He does more service type things than buying me things. He is always doing little things he knows will make me happy. He's very thoughtful.

44. How do you spend the holidays?
We generally switch off with our families. Thanksgiving with one family and then Christmas with another. One of the sadness and sorrows of my in-laws living in Colorado. We can't share every holiday with them both.

45. Who is more jealous?
Neither one of us really. We are both pretty secure and trust each other. We are both very open and don't keep secrets. (Or do we?) ;]

46. How long did it take to get serious?
We kissed on our third date. We were both pretty hooked in from that first kiss. Neither one of us had any desire to date any one else. So we became exclusive that night. So... about a week from the day we met.

47. Who eats more?
Probably him. Especially right now.

48. Who does the laundry?
We both do. Whoever gets to it first.

49. Who’s better with the computer?
Probably Michael. He has more work experience trouble shooting than I do. I do know my way around a computer though.

50. Leave a piece of advice for the other couples.
Communication is the key to success. We constantly check in with each other and communicate frustrations and desires for the future. Neither one of us likes contention so we don't let things get contentious. Always talk with love in your voice and you will never talk down or demean the other person.

I tag anyone who wants to do it.

Ultrasound Pics-19 weeks

Here is a profile picture of our little girl sucking her thumb. So tender!

Here is a picture of our little gal looking at the camera. She looks like our little alien baby! Love it!

I'll spare her the future humiliation by not posting the picture proving she is a girl. But she is a girl and we are happy to know so we can plan and prepare for her to join us!

The Results Are In....

IT'S A GIRL!!

Yep. Anyone who guessed that we were having a human and a baby girl is correct. Michael and I were not among the correct guessers. We both kept feeling it was a boy. We are happy to report that we were both wrong. We are also happy to report she is growing strong, all organs are functioning as they should, and she is a very active baby. She was swimming around, sucking her thumb and kept mooning the camera. The very first picture we saw of her she was folded in half (her legs above her head) with her legs all spread open. She is her Mamma's daughter. Little indecent thing! :] Or maybe it's because all day yesterday I kept rubbing my belly and telling her she needed to cooperate so we could find out what flavor she is. If that is the case, then she is our sweet little obedient baby! Let's hope it's more of that and she is less like me or we are in a world of trouble once she becomes a teenager!

I'll post pictures once we get them scanned. Next item of business...shopping! Now that we know, I cannot wait to go register and shop. Thanks to everyone who put in their guess on my blog and on Facebook! You are all winners to me...except those that guessed boy. ;] Love to all!

Perfect Timing

The following was taken from my sweet hubby Michael's blog about an experience we had this week. He did such a great job of expressing the frustration and comedy of the experience that I had to post his version. Here you go:

As many of you may know, Nancy has been on IV Therapy for the last ten weeks or so. She receives two liters of fluid each day via IV to combat dehydration and to get some glucose, electrolytes, and vitamins into her system. We have all the equipment to do the IV drips here at home, but she has to go into a clinic twice a week to have her shunt changed. I typically go with her, at least until the school year begins.

She usually goes in on Tuesdays and Fridays, but if she has trouble with the shunt, she'll go in and get it changed early. That was the case last Thursday. She had experienced some swelling, and the fluid wasn't flowing as it should. So we went in and she got the shunt replaced, with the next appointment set for Monday, four days thence.

We went in on Monday, and the nurse had some difficulty getting a good stick. It's hard to find a vein to use in Nancy's arms anyway; they're usually too deep to find visually, so they have to use an ultrasound to find a viable vein. Monday's experience was even more problematic. The nurse kept doing the stick, but was unable to get good blood return. (Blood return is important in this process. No blood coming out = No fluid going in.) She thought she might be running into valves, which were preventing the catheter from accessing the veins. She also said it might be stress. Nancy was already stressed at the beginning of the appointment due to a conversation with a less-than-helpful rep at her insurance company, and of course the multiple sticks only added to her stress level.

After the fourth failed stick, the nurse advised her to take some time to relax and try again later. We had tentative appointments set up for later that evening and the following (Tuesday) afternoon. We ended up going swimming Monday evening—with the shunt out, it was the first time she's been able to get in the water in ten weeks or so.

So yesterday we went back to the clinic, and two different nurses started working on Nancy. One of them brought in a CD player with some relaxing music on it. It was a collection of pieces by Handel, designed to calm and relax the listener. Just what the doctor ordered, so to speak.

Anyway, over the next hour or so, they tried three more sticks, none of which took. Nancy had done only half a liter of fluid on Monday and none yet on Tuesday, so dehydration could have been an issue. Dehydration makes it harder to get a good stick because the veins tend to flatten if your fluid levels are low. Anyway, at this point the nurses started talking about other options like getting a permanent picc line installed, or maybe even a feeding tube. Nevertheless, they decided to try one more stick, even if it only lasted a day or two until her scheduled appointment with her OB/GYN.

This time, it worked. After eight sticks over two days, they finally got a viable IV line in. And as they did, the final track on the CD started to play.

It was the Hallelujah! Chorus.

If all the world's indeed a stage, and we are merely players, we couldn't have asked for a better soundtrack at that moment. We all laughed, loud and long, at the timing. Was it irony, or maybe serendipity? Or maybe both?

Whatever it was, it was the funniest thing we'd seen in a week.