Friday, June 11, 2010

22.5 Weeks

Here are some pictures of my belly and one of Jack thrown in for good measure...




Well...my belly has finally started looking pregnant. Unfortunately, my hips and everything else are starting to look pregnant too! Ha. This week is my 22nd week and all is going well. I have no real complaints. I read somewhere that the baby is starting to be able to sense bright lights. They suggested putting a flashlight up to your belly and seeing if the baby will kick. We he didn't at first. About five minutes after our experiment we had turned off the lights to go to bed. And then I felt him kick me super hard. So, I woke Andy back up and had him put his hand on my belly. We got three really good, hard kicks. That was really cool since I've never felt him kick that hard and Andy got to experience it.

Another really exciting bit of news that I keep forgetting to blog about is that Andy has been offered a training job a the Maryland Farms YMCA. Possibly the busiest and absolute best location for training in Middle Tennessee. He starts a week from Monday and we are THRILLED for this new development. Though he is sad to leave all of his clients in Lebanon, he is entering into a whole new realm of possibilities and we're feeling pretty blessed right now.

My friend Gretchen gave us EIGHT BINS of clothing for boys from newborn until age 5. And I'm not talking just shirts and pants; I'm talking jackets, hats, shoes, socks, swimsuits, you name it. Full on wardrobes for the boy until his is at least five years old. She is an unbelievable blessing. They also gave us gates, a highchair, a swing, a crib mattress, and countless other things I can't think of on the top of my head.

After a year of definitely having some struggles and trials, we feel things are looking bright for us and can't wait to see what the rest of this year holds.

El bebe this week:

Guess what? At 22 weeks pregnant, your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. How heavy is that? Hold a one-pound box of sugar in your hand the next time you're in the grocery story (and expect people to ask you why you're grinning from ear to ear). Is the box eight inches long? That's about the length your baby is too!

This week, your sweetie is making more sense of the world as he or she develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he or she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids). But remember — unless you're shining a flashlight over your belly (which you can do, by the way), it'll be mostly dark for your baby inside that cozy womb of yours.

Moving up from the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage of fetal development has no pigment, so it's bright white.

Friday, June 4, 2010

A blog to make the married folk laugh

So, many of you know I listen to Dennis Prager (www.dennisprager.com) on a regular basis. He is a talk-show host that broadcasts about politics, issues in life, happiness, marriage, you name it. Well, he frequently has a guest on named Alison Armstrong. Alison Armstrong is an advocate for understanding men and women and their differences and what impact it has on your marriage.

So, the other day she was on his show and they were talking about something and I had this AH-HA moment. Before I go any further, can I just say this is GENERALLY true about men, just in case it doesn't apply. Sooo...for the rest of us. Alison was talking about a book she is writing and a dialogue that she was creating between a husband and a wife about taking out the trash. The wife is irritated because he doesn't take out the trash when it needs it. She asks him if he could take it out. The husband asks: When do you want me to take it out? The wife is dumbfounded. Well obviously when it is full. So, Allison stops writing at this point and tries to figure out why the husband would ask this question. And then it hits her.

When men are busy with a task, they are so focused on the task at hand that it would NEVER occur to them to take out the trash. Mainly because they are in the middle of something else. It wouldn't make sense for them to stop in the middle of what they were doing and start on something else.

Women on the other hand, can't function until the trash is taken out. Our environment is speaking to us. We don't have to straighten the pillow, the PILLOW is demanding to be straightened. Or we can't cook until the dishes have been done and we have a clean slate to work with.

This was so funny to me because Andy and I had had countless "arguments" over the exact same thing. He wants to know why I can't just sit down and watch the movie in our dirty living room. I had tried to explain that I couldn't enjoy myself because I saw all the dust on the tables. His response: What dust?!

I've heard countless topics on men and women from Dennis Prager and Alison Armstrong, but for some reason, this one really got to me. Understanding our differences makes it humorous instead of infuriating. Instead of it annoying me, it endears me to men. I love our differences. Thank God they aren't like us women. That would be one crazy, emotional world!

SO.....without further ado. My boss has his own bathroom that no one else uses. Check out his trash spilling out the top and all over the floor. Before learning this, a woman could think: What a slob? Doesn't he notice. The answer: Actually no, he doesn't. In fact, half the time he is walking to the bathroom, he is getting off the phone with some business person. Trash is the last thing on his mind. Ha. Had to share. I love learning about life and human nature.