20!

Know what's funny? Text-to-landline messages. If you have Sprint, you have this feature. Send a text message to a landline phone and you'll understand. My favorite thing was yesterday when I saw my husband calling me at work. I picked up the phone expecting to hear his voice. Instead, I heard a robot lady voice saying: "Hello. I am a robot. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Pork sword!!" The whole 'pork sword' thing is a joke between Husband and I. Anyway, it was really funny, plus it was at 7:30 in the morning and I wasn't prepared, and I died. Hilarious.

Today marks the halfway point in my pregnancy! Yay! Only 18-20 more weeks before we get to meet Sofie-pie. Love love love her. She's the length of a banana this week. But I still can't really feel her kicks. I read something today that said she is being lulled to sleep during the day by me moving around. That explains why I can sort of feel things when I'm laying in bed at night. Even then though, it's not very noticeable. My friends say it's great once you start to feel the good kicks, but at the same time, it keeps you up at night. Well, that's okay with me. I hope that starts soon. Husband could feel her the other night when I was sound asleep. That's unfair. He should have woken me up so that I could feel her too.

Is it just me, or are Girl Scout Tagalong cookies thinner than they used to be?? I still like them, but they seem thinner. Maybe that's a good thing.

cravings

Look what I made for breakfast!!


What I really woke up wanting to eat was nachos. But that's probably not the best thing to have at 8am. Also, after putting the parfait together, I realized it'd be impossible to eat like that because I couldn't stir everything together. So I poured the whole thing into a bowl. I hate doing dishes too. It was really good though, and well worth it.

Back onto the topic of nachos...or Mexican food, in general. I guess there isn't much to say except that I WANT IT. I have some Tostitos in the cupboard but nothing else to make nachos with. I pretty much have nothing to make any sort of Mexican food with, so I foresee a trip to the grocery store in the next couple of hours. But then I wonder if I should go. What if I take all the time to make this food and then I don't want to eat it? Kind of like the incident with the pretzel salad yesterday.

For the past few days I have been craving salty/sweet, particularly this pretzel salad thing that I had at my friend Amy's a while back. I think it was for her baby shower. Maybe it was her bridal shower. Or maybe it was her sister's welcome home party. I really don't know, but it was at her house. Actually it was at her parents house. I'm really screwing up here. Anyway, I asked her for the recipe and she never gave it to me. So I asked her on Facebook a few days ago and she never responded. I am going to trust that she just hasn't read her messages or gotten around to responding. OR, she is keeping it a secret. I wouldn't blame her. It is a pretty good recipe and sometimes certain recipes are worth keeping secrets. I didn't want to bug her anymore about it, so I tried to find it online. I think I found it, or at least something similar to it. Either way, the recipe I found was sufficient for my purposes, so I made it. It took longer to make than it did for me to have a bowl of it and realize that, although good, my craving was gone and I now have a huge bowl of this stuff in my fridge that will probably be thrown out in a few days. :(

It's pretty good though, so if you're going to a potluck or some other party, you should make it. It sounds weird, but it's really good. Then again, I am pregnant, and also think that pickle and cream cheese sandwiches are good. So don't take my word for it. But you should still try and make it. Here's the recipe I used.

Pineapple Pretzel Salad

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 stick of butter, room temperature
• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tub of cool whip
• 1 can crushed pineapple, thoroughly drained
  

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1 stick of butter in your mixer until creamy. Throw in the pretzels and mix until they're all broken. Spread this on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and bake at 400 degrees for around 7 minutes, until caramelized. Set aside to cool.

Clean your mixing bowl. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cream cheese. Add pineapple and mix. Fold in cool whip. Break up your cooled caramelized pretzels and fold these in to the mixture. Store in the fridge until you are going to serve it. Super good!

Honestly, I could probably make this without the pretzels and it would be great. Wouldn't that just be pineapple fluff? Is that how you make pineapple fluff? I've never made pineapple fluff. I've made pumpkin fluff, which is the best thing ever.

I think I've talked about that a couple of times but I don't know if I posted the recipe. There isn't really a recipe. But here it is if you are a fan of pumpkin and things that are fluffy.

Pumpkin Fluff

• 1 can pumpkin puree (I like Libby's)
• 1 box of vanilla jell-o brand pudding powder
• 1 tub cool whip

Mix together the pumpkin and the vanilla pudding powder. Fold in the cool whip. Eat all of it.

I still really want Mexican food. Husband wants baked spaghetti tonight though. That is probably easier. But it doesn't taste like enchiladas.

men are happier people.

From Cricket's blog, which she got from an email.

Men Are Just Happier People

NICKNAMES

• If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.

• If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Dickhead and Shit for Brains.

EATING OUT

• When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it’s only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.

• When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY

• A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.

• A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t need but it’s on sale.

BATHROOMS

• A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel.

• The average number of items in the typical woman’s bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

ARGUMENTS

• A woman has the last word in any argument.

• Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

FUTURE

• A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

• A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS

• A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

• A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE

• A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t.

• A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change, but she does.

DRESSING UP

• A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.

• A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL

• Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.

• Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING

• Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.

• A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A married man should forget his mistakes. There’s no use in two people remembering the same thing!

love

Husband and I have been together for 6 years today. Not married - just "together." I'm a person who remembers dates (mostly) and celebrates anniversaries. Not just wedding ones. We met on 2/13/05. Our first official date was 2/15/05, and on 3/5/05 we pretty much forbid each other from dating anyone else, again, ever. Oh, sentimental!!

I moved to Las Vegas in early 2005. I was a trouble maker and needed a change of scenery because I had worn out my welcome in my home town for a while. Now, before you question why Las Vegas would be a great place for someone who is usually up to no good, keep in mind that people get in trouble when they are around people who help them get into trouble. If you go somewhere and you don't know anyone, you are bound to stay out of trouble provided you don't associate with douche bags. So, I moved to Las Vegas. I had family there. It was a good thing because I could stay with them until I got a place of my own. I already had a job lined up, so I get kudos for that.

So as I'm driving down to Las Vegas, I'm updating my journey on my MySpace blog (when MySpace was cool). Husband, at the time, is stationed at the Air Force base in Las Vegas, and decides to browse MySpace because he wants to look at pretty girls from his home town. Ha! He finds my page and starts looking at things and sees that I am enroute to the dirt hole which is Nevada. He sends me a message: "Why would you want to move here?" I respond, "I do a lot of things that don't make sense. Why are YOU living there?" He responds, "I do things because I am forced to do them." Or something like that. So we chat back and forth and decide it might be a fun idea to get together sometime so he can show me the area. After all, we are both from the same hometown area, and there is nothing worse than living in a strange new place without knowing anyone. It's always good to know someone from back home who you have things in common with, and might even know some of the same people.

Now, before you pick on me for meeting him in the internet, keep in mind that it's quite common these days. I won't judge you for meeting your significant other in a bar, or at the grocery store, or when he rear-ended your car. :)

We became pals and that's all it was going to be. But then he didn't call me back one day and I got upset. Turns out he had left his phone at work - but still - why did I get upset? It's not like he had an obligation to call me. It's not like he was my boyfriend. Oh, wait.....

He also got all butt hurt when he found out I went on a date with some other Air Force dude who I had met in the area. Not sure why, seeing as it wasn't like I was his girlfriend. Oh, wait.....

And there you go.

Hence, March 5th. I believe that was the day we got mad at each other for spending time with other people and not returning phone calls.

You know you have something special with someone when you get mad at each other because you feel like the other person owes you something.

This is our first picture together. That date is wrong. I didn't change my camera settings.


We got married roughly three years later, and now we have a Sophie-baby on the way.



We even went and got the "couple picture" for our church directory.


There were a few things that happened in between - him going to Iraq, me moving back home and finishing school....but it all ended well. We're a good match.

He likes to joke and scare me.


I take embarrassing pictures of him.


We like to volunteer together.


We take our dog to the park.

He likes my family.


We always look nice together.


We go to the state fair together.


I make him cookies.


We go on adventures together.


I love love LOVE you, husband of mine. My life is wonderful - my life is BETTER - all because of you.

sugar & spice..

...and everything nice!

I'm having a little girl!!!


They've got to find a way to make these things a bit more....appropriate. It's like, "Hi mom! Here's my hoohoo!" When I was little, I was told it was called a "Foo-foo." Either way, I wish that the ultrasound would just show the baby with a pink bow on its head instead.



That's better. :)

Sophie is right on track in terms of her development so far. They couldn't get a good look at her heart because of her position, so they will have me come in for another ultrasound in 6 weeks. Fine by me! Any excuse to see my beebee again is great! Also, I have a posterior low-lying placenta. Not a huge deal, but it's pretty close to my cervix. They'll check that again. The doctor says that's pretty normal and typically they will move up further as the pregnancy progresses. They will check it again, but if it's too close to the cervix, might have to schedule a c-section when the time comes rather than opt for a natural birth. That totally bums me out so I hope the placenta moves. I didn't want to have to get a c-section. Oh well. Whatever happens, happens! As long as she is healthy and so am I.

Hooray!! Now I can know what to shop for. This makes it so much more fun and easier. I'm so happy. I would have been just as happy with a boy too. Maybe our next one will be a boy. :)

19 weeks

Courtesy of baby-gaga.com:

Your favorite womb-hijacker is suddenly huge, at 10 inches in length!

Pick your jaw off the floor mama. Yes, your wee baby IS bigger this week, but only because we're now able to measure their little legs which have straightened out enough to be measured accurately.

Just in case the random medical details weren't confusing enough already, it's standard practice to measure fetuses from head to toe in the second half of pregnancy, rather than from crown to rump as we did in the first half.

Week 20 is actually when most people transition the measurement over, but we thought you'd appreciate knowing a week early.

This week your lil' fetus will start digesting the extremely appetizing diet of amniotic fluid and baby wee, as they are now capable of swallowing, digesting, and passing the fluid as far as their tiny "large" intestines.

Fortunately for you, the solid waste by-products will build up slowly into a tarry lump of baby-poop and won't be coming out while they're still in your womb.

Some time shortly after your tiny poop factory is born, this fun lump will become the first in a verrrrry long production line of baby poops.

What finally comes out - commonly known as "meconium" to the science world, will be black and sticky. By the time you're done dealing with their tar poops, you'll be relieved to see that first sweet-smelling-but-runny breastmilk poop.

***

I love this, but sweet smelling poop?? That's not right..

But wait...there's more.

I received a really sweet e-mail today with some updates regarding the State budget issues. Ready?

Might I remind you, that if this passes, it will set the course for the 2011-2013 budget which is scheduled to be released March 1st.

Included as a result of this budget are:

• Loss of State aid to municipalities
• Privatized government services
• $900 million in cuts to public K-12 schools
• Cuts to UW schools, which will result in a 26% tuition increase
• Loss of $46 million in federal funds for public transit services. The Federal government requires public transit workers have collective bargaining rights in order to receive funds.
• The State will raid $28 million from Employee Trust Funds to pay for pension and health insurance until 2013. As of 2013, the State will no longer pay anything for health insurance, saving Wisconsin about $1500 per person per month.

Again....just volunteering some information. I think it's important for people to be educated before they start throwing daggers back and forth. If it turns out this way, people in the private sector will be affected just as much (unless of course, you don't use public services, such as schools/universities, public transit, and other services currently provided by the government).