It's a GIRL!!!

YAY!! I got my FOURTH ultrasound this AM and the woman was wonderful! She told me within 30 seconds, "Oh, it's definitely a girl!" And she told me I'm 27 weeks instead of 25!! So two weeks sooner-- I'm SOOOOOO excited!!!! Now my due date has moved from May 13th to May 1st. Woooo hooo!!

Annnnndddd.... she's 2 lbs 6 oz so far. And everything looks great. I've gained 6.3 lbs so far so she is sucking all my pre-prego poochiness away! Better than liposuction!

So we decided on the name: Bayley Elizabeth. We think that will be perfect. It's the ONLY girl name we could agree on.

And we are picking up the nursery furniture today. J is picking it up instead of paying $100 to have it delivered 24 miles to our house. He'll be happy working on putting it together (would've cost another $150 to have it set up) tonight. OOOOHHHHhhhhh... and the bedding I won on eBay for $9.38 is on the local Fed-Ex truck for delivery to my house today. WOO HOO!! So all I need now is a crib mattress...which I emailed my Daddy about so maybe Grampa will bring one to me when he takes me to lunch tomorrow. heheh. I know, pathetic, but hey... it's his FIRST blood-related grandchild and he is BEYOND THRILLED. When I emailed saying be on the lookout for those C-shaped Snoogle pillows, he ordered one on Amazon.com THAT NIGHT and had it shipped to my house!! How cool is that?! I just wanted him to look for a cheaper one than Babies R Us had.

So... I guess next week will be my third trimester? Baby-gaga.com says Week 27 is third trimester? Well, I'll just claim 3rd trimester myself. Makes me feel closer to having sweet Bayley Boo in my arms! Guess now the peeing every 20-30 mins, restless legs, fitful sleep, etc. are now making sense. I kept thinking, "Wow, I'm ahead of schedule!" But not so. :) heheheeh. I am SO excited!!

J.... well, heck..JOE.. That's my husband's name. I hate acronyms anyway. JOE took the u/s pics with him so I guess I'll have to snag them tomorrow and scan them to here.

Uh...TMI alert -------> I feel gassy. But I can't do anything about it cause the nurse who works across from me would hear it. Ugh. I just want to run down the hall and let loose!

And don't tell.... but Joe and I ate IHOP today after the u/s and I had two pancakes, two pieces of bacon, two eggs, and two pieces of toast. Well, I ate one piece of toast b/c it was burnt and only one egg. So then...when I was on my way back to work, I stopped at Wendy's and got chicken nuggets!! I'm A FRIGGIN PIG!!!! I have eaten 3 of them over the last few hours...but. still. DANG. SHHHHhhhhh.

And I sipped some more of the pickle juice last night...it's soooo good. I know, I'm a freak of nature. According to Courtney, Bayley may grow up LOVING pickles. Because of me. heh. What a cool thought. I'm going to have a little girl who could look or act like me. Wow.

Ranting...

I hate being a stepmom sometimes. Like, when Z is in trouble and I can't play with him or joke around with him. So yesterday I get home and he is sound asleep. J had a long talk with him and Z cried the entire time, according to J. So he slept from 4:30pm to 7pm when I woke up him to do his homework. I sat and helped him for the first half and J did the other half while I made dinner and ran a bath for Z. Z ate his dinner and took a quick (no toys) bath. He was grounded from everything. Basically, he slept, did his homework, ate, and went back to bed. Poor little guy apparently needed it, though, because he didn't argue and he was out like a light. I hate it so much because we won't get to have him spend the night again until NEXT Tuesday because this coming weekend is Mommy's weekend. Sadness.

This morning I woke him up and he said, "Did you have good night-nights?" I said, "Yes, did you?" But I was really thinking, "NO. I tossed and turned because I am NOT a side sleeper and my arms and shoulders HURT and my hands go numb. And of course I felt UBER GUILTY for not spending a lot of quality time with my family since Z was asleep and J was napping or doing homework down the street." :: sigh :: I don't mean to sound cranky because I'm not... it just really sucks when I have to be a "mean" step-parent.

On to other topics...

Yesterday I was excited to go to my doctor's appointment because I knew I'd get to have an ultrasound and get measured to see if I'm still measuring big. Well, the u/s went as I expected: very grainy, unable to tell gender, but she left my table up a little so I could see the actual u/s screen. I was SO excited!! I've never seen anything but ceiling tiles during ultrasounds and then am handed a creepy picture of some alien-looking thing that is supposedly growing in side of me. It was SO awesome to watch the u/s!! J was pointing things out on the screen for me and I was impressed by his knowledge. He said, "Well, honey, this isn't my first time around the block..." I just rolled my eyes cause it's MINE. So we got to see behbeh sticking its finger in its ear, making sucking motions with its lips, and just chillin'. Well, some kicks and punches too. Baby is very active and healthy. We got to see the face (only a grainy 2D, so nothing detailed) and a profile shot.

I am 25 weeks but am measuring 30 weeks (GASP!!) because of my pre-pregnancy pooch. Never in my life would I have though I'd be so happy to be able to pinch an extra inch of fat on my tummy. :) So I chose another location (different from my 18 week experience) and they got me in on Thursday! So tomorrow morning I get to find out the gender! And YES, I WILL find out! I will stay there for hours if I have to. This is my FOURTH u/s and dammit, I'm gonna find out what I'm having!

Speaking of u/s... I am waiting to hear back why my insurance DENIED my 18 week u/s when they state in my benefits that they cover one pre-natal u/s during weeks 16-22. My first was at 8 weeks and it was covered because I had spotting. The 18 week is being denied for two reasons: it was 3 weeks after my doctor appt (the soonest Radiology could get me in, mind you), and the coding was for an inpatient visit instead of outpatient. WTH?! So... I called and asked them to please have someone review this for payment because I was entitled to my u/s. I called last Tuesday. I checked yesterday and it was "still in review." UGH. I hate insurance. If I was on Medicaid, I would never be hassled for ANYthing. And I pay my damn premiums every month and my co-pays, deductibles, etc. It just isn't fair. J and I joked once that we should get divorced but still live in the same house and he would pay me "child support", so I can get Medicaid and not have to pay for my child being delivered, get food stamps and welfare, and get vouchers for childcare and go to college for free. Now, I know some mothers out there really do need help. But I work in the healthcare system and I see a lot of people taking advantage of the system. 90% of the people with Medicaid that I saw while I was working in family medicine (thankfully, I got out of that clinic!!) drove nicer cars than me, were able to work despite their claims of disability (patients getting up and dancing.. yes, DANCING.. in the waiting room and joking around), had nicer clothes and jewelry than I could EVER afford, and got everything handed to them for FREE. They were the rudest, most unappreciative patients I've ever met and it made me VERY bitter. Demanding isn't even able to BEGIN to describe them. But, like I said, there were a few (VERY few, mind you) patients who really did need the help and I would bend over backwards to help them out in any way I could. I just feel very frustrated that I work so hard to pay my bills, do everything the "right" way, and every year my insurance rates go up, so I bring home less money to my family, and I get a bill in the mail from the hospital saying I need to pay $275 for an ultrasound to make sure my baby is growing and developing normally. And when I deliver my child, I will be in the hospital for at least one day. That's assuming I have the baby vaginally and don't have any complications. That visit will cost me a $200 copay, and I have a $500 deductible, then I pay 20% of the remaining bill up to an out-of-pocket maximum of $1000 (that original $200 is NOT included in the $1000 out of pocket expense). Do I have an extra $1000 laying around? Of course not. So what am I to do? I could pay $25 a month for over 3 years. I chose instead to do a Medical Flexible Spending Account. That will save my life. Money is taken out of every paycheck and put into this account. I am doing $1000 for the year. The cool thing is that I can even use it on contacts, contact solution, my hubby's GI meds, etc. So I'll be able to cover most of the delivery using that. The 18 week u/s was in December so I can't use my FSA anyway.



Um... once behbeh is born my cousin wants to watch it because she's incredible with kids and she can't have her own. She's in her late 30s and I love her to pieces. I'm just afraid of what she may charge... I hope she's inexpensive. I know she'll be exceptional and I don't worry about a thing with her. I asked her and her hubby to be the Godparents. And I didn't mean that in a religious aspect... but if something ever happened to J and me, I'd want Tracy and Randy (my cousin and her hubby) to get custody of our kid(s). She has taken care of her neighbor's two kids and raised them and now takes them to and from school. I haven't talked to her in a month or two, so I guess I need to make sure she's still interested!!

I'm having lots of heartburn today. I have a thing of Tums sitting on my desk. I feel old.

And my bladder is quite active lately. I waddle to the bathroom tons of times a day. You know, I wondered what made women waddle. Now I know. It's not that you've got a big belly, it's that your hips EFFIN HURT when you get up and move! At least that's MY problem. I feel like my hips and joints are ripping apart at the seams and if I don't waddle, then everything will collapse and I'm left hurting like hell! Why am I using so many !!!! ?

Ugh. I seem bitchy in this post, but I am actually in a fairly decent mood. Tonight I will see Z for a few mins before his Mom gets him, then J goes to class at 6...so I'll have the house to myself from 6 to 7:30. woo hoo! I'll prolly balance the checkbook. Fun stuff. Oooh...and watch American Idol. heh.

Saturday I get to go to a baby shower where I know only the mommy-to-be. I will prolly go just because I'd like her company at MY shower. IF I have one. I'd like to think someone will want to give me one, but I can't be sure. Guess it's kind of bold to assume lots of people will be standing in line just to give you presents. That'd be cool, though.

Happy Birthday to Bae

Today would've been my precious baby's 8th birthday had she survived this year. Her name was Precious Baleigh Snowflake and she was not a dog to me. She taught me responsibility, accountability, unconditional love, and respect. She kept me from depression, listened intently when I was talking Calculus out loud to myself to study, and she would lay outside the bathroom door whenever I went in and shut the door. She was my first "baby" and I will always cherish her and love her. I miss her more than anything.

I LOVE YOU, BAE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

(She is the sheltie on the far left.)

Kindergartener Kraziness

So... is it normal for a 5 year old to go nuts during their first year of school? I mean, seriously. Z is AWESOME. But... we have discovered him lying to us the last two weeks (more on that in a min), he's been extra crabby lately, and Saturday he threw the Granddaddy of ALL TANTRUMS. And Z's not a tantrum-throwing kid. I've known him to throw 2 or 3 in his life, and they weren't too bad. But Saturday... well. I just have to say J and I were just shocked. We sat there staring at him in stunned silence. Finally I stood up, looked Z in the eye and said, "You should be ashamed of yourself. You apologize to your Daddy right now and then go back to your room and lay down." He sniffled out an apology and then he was sound asleep within the 2 minutes it took me to regain my composure and go check on him in his room. I know, kids are crabby when they're tired. He usually cries when he's tired or runs around wired like he's on speed. But he has N.E.V.E.R. acted like this before. Sunday he decided to throw his lunch down on the floor in a restaurant and J took him to the potty to "have a chat" with him. They came out and Z was still sniffling and I asked if he got a spanking. "No, just a big boy chat about how some kids don't get to eat out at restaurants and how some don't even get food everyday. He's being wasteful and disrespectful and I'm tired of it." Granted, all weekend, Z was a handful. So since his quesadilla was on the floor, he had to eat ALL of his rice and beans. I don't think he liked them very much, but what Daddy says, goes. So he ate every morsel. There wasn't much, of course, cause it was a kid's portion. My Mom (who takes us to lunch every Sunday. See, Jen, I'm spoiled too. lol) looked at me while J and Z were in the bathroom "chatting" and I said, "I feel so mean!!" She said, "Honey, don't. Kids just need discipline and if you don't give it to him, he'll just act out all the time." So, I felt a teensy bit better. An hour after getting home, Z says, "Jiffer, I'm hungry." So I responded, "Guess you should've eaten your lunch instead of wasting it, huh?" He sniffled, "Yes ma'am." Then I felt like a jerk, so I said he could have a banana and that was it until dinner time, when his Mommy would pick him up. Mommy said Z's been acting up at her house, too, but we just said our goodbyes.
This is a picture I took a year ago at a Chili's. Note the drooly chin on Z. And look... J is clean-shaven!! Woo hoo! He prolly got lots of smooches that day.

** And I got permission from J to post a pic of Z's face on here. **

Then comes Monday. Z decides to not listen to anything Mommy says that morning. She tells him to get dressed and comes back 20 minutes later, to him still in his pjs and flipping channels with the remote. She said he pitched a fit and she got him dressed. He was supposed to clean his room 2 weeks ago, but he won't do it (at her house).

And as mentioned earlier, the last couple of weeks he's been lying to us (Daddy, Mommy, and me) and I busted him yesterday in the middle of it. Yes, I emailed his teacher because I was feeling a little suspicious. So his Mommy and I get to my house at the same time. after work We get him from my neighbor's house and ask him how his day was. I ask where his note was. (They get good or bad notes everyday.) He LIES again and says, "Oh, we aren't getting them anymore." I said, "Really? Because I talked to your teacher today." He pooched out his bottom lip and his eyes welled up. Mommy and I don't buy into the cute-little-me-so-feel-sorry-for-me-pouty-crying-face. "Um, I think I lost it in K's house." (K being our neighbor.) I said, "You need to go back in and find it?" So Mommy tears into him about his lying and I agree with her because it's a zero tolerance policy at our house. Not sure about Mommy's policy, but I know she hates it too. So then J calls and I let him talk to Z. Not sure what was said, but Z keeps crying. I know we sound mean, all ganging up on him... but we like to present a united front. I know a kid in our neighborhood who pits his parents against each other. He uses that to his advantage and that kid is a holy terror. We aren't going to let that happen with Z. So Mommy and I talk for a few minutes and Z sits in her car sniffling.

This morning she texts me saying that she found a stash of uneaten snacks in his backpack and found his "bad note" curled up in his coat pocket. (His school asks that you send a snack everyday for them to eat after naptime. If you don't provide one, the teacher has a few extras. I recently bought a ton of snacks to replenish her dwindling supply.) So he has decided to lie to his teacher and say we don't give him snacks and he's hungry. Again, not a big deal... but all these little lies add up. And like I said, ZERO TOLERANCE. Yes, we're strict. We're so so so mean. I've heard it all before. But when you meet Z, you see how wonderful of a little boy he is. He's very well-adjusted and we have a great relationship. J says we don't need to defend our parenting to anyone because he will raise his child how he sees fit.

So anyway.

Here I am feeling all mean because I removed all the toys from his room, including removing controllers for his playstation, removed all games and movies and disconnected his cable. So he has his bed and pillows to lay on when he's in his room. He comes to our house tonight and J said he will be given extra chores around the house and then he will go to bed. We don't spank often, but when he really deserves it, yes, he gets one. I don't know what the decision will be tonight, for that's J's decision. I just always feel like a jerk for punishing him. :(

SO ON TO OTHER THINGS...

I go to my doctor today (she's family practice, not an OB/GYN) and she's going to measure my belly and see if I'm still measuring a little too big and she's also going to attempt an ultrasound with a really old machine. She's not very experienced with reading u/s, so she said not to expect much. So I'm not. But wouldn't it be cool to find out what I'm having??

Um.. I'm 25 weeks today. In 3 weeks I can call about this study that does free 3D/4D ultrasounds. :) That would be awesome!!

And last night... this is really gross.... I wanted pickle juice. Not just a pickle...but the juice. So I opened the jar and drank HALF the juice in the jar!! How sick is that?!?!! Then I ate a couple little pickles. This morning, I ate a breakfast croissant and then 3 small dill pickles. I could totally drain that pickle juice right now. Ugh. So last night I looked at the jar to figure out what I needed. Dill pickles are high in sodium...that's really about it. I think I get enough sodium...so I dunno. Guess I'm just a freak.

Stinky Breath Should Not Be Allowed On An Elevator!

So yesterday, after my last post... I went down the elevator to the little in-house convenience store thing and got a drink. As I got back onto the elevator with my splitting, caffeine-withdrawl headache in full swing, there were only 2 other people on the slower-than-Christmas elevator. We reached the 2nd floor and someone got on. Then they decided to HOLD THE ELEVATOR OPEN as they chatted with people they WERE JUST STANDING WITH before they got on the dang elevator!!! *&&*%^$%^
So as I'm standing there, mildly annoyed, that someone who just got on convinces these 4 VERY LARGE people to get on the elevator with us. So as they cram in, I am shoved into the back corner and someone's purse is jammed into my belly. I'm trying to maneuver around to free my belly, and one of the other people is a heavy breather. You know the types... who not only breathe VERY LOUDLY and labored, well... this one had B A D, S T I N K Y breath too!!! So I realize this stench is also making my hair sway, since they are huffing their fumes down on my hair! And did I mention this elevator is SLOWER THAN EFFIN CHRISTMAS?!?!? Well, thank GOB (thank you, Jen) that I only had to endure this painful torture for ONE floor. But it was the LONGEST elevator ride of my life!
( I don't mean to sound so rude about large people, I mean, I was a size 18 before I got pregnant. So I'm not exactly a poster child for skinniness. But these people were TALL too... and this elevator isn't meant to hold more than 3-4 people comfortably.)
So then we get to the 3rd floor and the herd stampedes off, only to realize that they meant to get off on the 4th floor so they turn around and try to get back on while I'm trying to catch my breath and get off. I get pushed back ONTO the elevator while I'm saying frantically, "I need off!!!" So this one lady who pushed me back on keeps saying, "I'm sorry, excuse me," but never really MOVES OUT OF MY WAY. Finally, I took a deep breath and just PUSHED past her. GYAH!!

MYOB!!

So today I'm in the breakroom at work and some lady I've never seen walks up beside me wearing her pretty white labcoat and picks up the box of a dinner someone left behind.
White Coat: Wow! 15g of fat! That's NOT GOOD!

She then picks up my box, which I just removed my food from ...

White Coat: Wow! Yours isn't any better!

Me: Well, I'm 24 weeks pregnant and have only gained 5 lbs, so I must be doing something right.


*&&*%%^&^TW&**&^&*^%^$%(&*))_(_)(_%$$#$3

Sweet Deal!!

Yay for Ebay!! I just won a crib bedding set (9 pieces!!) for $9.38 and $19.99 for shipping. I'm so excited! We aren't sure of the gender of our baby yet (thank you, bitchy u/s tech) so we're trying to just go with what we like and can be used for either gender. We don't like bright, primary colors because we're more earth-toned people. I think this will look FAB in our nursery. I LOVE good deals!

I have bid on 4 other sets, too, just in hopes to get ONE more to have a backup set. No, it's not the same pattern. :) If I get any, I'll post pics of it too.

I'm having a much better day than yesterday. I got to work early and no one has been here except me and two docs. They're long gone and I've only got one more hour to sit here and rush the clock. It's a long weekend because I'm off Monday (thank you, State Job) and I can't WAIT to lay around and watch tv all weekend! Well, I say that, but J always creates things for me to do. And we may have Z Monday since his Mommy has to work and he's out of school.