save steve's place

The Steve Irwin Wildlife Preserve is being threatened by strip mining. I encourage you all to get online and sign the petition to help save this lasting tribute to one of the most influential and wonderful men we have been fortunate enough to experience in our lifetime. 

you're never too old

... to play with Barbies. 

Now, I wouldn't be interested in the #1 Ponytail version, or the Foxy Barbie version, but the others are so pretty... do I want to be Malibu Barbie or Jewel Barbie?

2-5

So I got this thing on Facebook, and since I really don't care to have EVERYONE on Facebook read the answers, I decided this was a better place to post it. 

25 Random Things About Me... 

1. My cat currently likes my husband better than she likes me. She lays with him, she chases him around and sleeps in his lap... 

2. I get scared easily at night when I have to sleep alone. 

3. I get to pick the next dog that my family gets. I was supposed to pick a while ago but Zach got Shiner instead. 

4. I named my car Marilyn after Marilyn Monroe. 

5. The girl name we have picked for the baby comes from one movie: the first name of a character and the first name of the actress who plays that character. 

6. I don't have a family name. My husband and brother both have family middle names.

7. My first and middle names together mean "holy virgin" 

8. I refuse to wear red or purple. 

9. I bought my diaper bag way in advance and I really like it. 

10. I adore Mike Rowe. He's why I watch Discovery Channel. 

11. I have met both Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeannie) and Levar Burton. After getting his autograph and leaving the table, he called my name and said "I'll see ya next time." It was the coolest thing ever, and I will never forget it. 

12. In relation to #11-- my favorite TV show growing up was Reading Rainbow and I still will watch it if I find it on TV. 

13. I know more about Mixed Martial Arts than any girl I know- Zach will even admit I know more than a lot of guys do. 

14. I like watching old movies better than new ones- new ones have too much sex, foul language and graphic violence. Classics are hardly ever offensive, even when dealing with controversial subjects. Both my favorite movies were made pre 1975. 

15. My favorite actor is Cary Grant. Men today can't touch him for class, culture, being suave, sexy or sophisticated. 

16. I prefer Tim Burton's Batman to either Batman Begins or The Dark Knight. I think Batman is pure Batman perfection-- I did NOT think The Dark Knight was God's gift to cinema. Batman Begins has too many boring flashbacks and The Dark Knight doesn't have a moment of levity. Batman comics have those moments of cheek, they're needed to counterbalance the dark subject matter. I also hated the way Two-Face was done in The Dark Knight- way to RUIN my favorite villain. 

17. I used to play with Star Wars and Batman action figures as a kid-my brother had rockin' playsets and we would spend hours playing with them. 

18. I moved to Norway when I was 4 and I can still remember the temporary house we moved into in May of 1990. 

19. I am more apt to handle The Cuteness, our fully grown tarantula with 3/4 inch fangs than Snowball, our adolescent corn snake. 

20. I love Beetlejuice. I had a Beetlejuice action figure (from the film) and Beetlejuice's gravesite playset when I was younger. 

21.  My favorite character in the Star Wars movies is Lando Calrissian.

22. I am missing 2 weddings this summer because I won't be able to travel to Abilene or Vegas.

23. Sometimes I think my husband looks like Michael Keaton-- when he gets his naughty grin on his face.

24. I kick butt at Mario Kart 64. Zach can't even beat me. The only other game I can play is Kingdom Hearts, which I have never finished because I watched Zach play it the whole way through and I thought the final bosses were lame, and so I have gone as far as I can go without being forced to finish and just continue making my character stronger. 

25. I am very outspoken about how proud I am that we're one of the only couples I know who went the "old fashioned" route of 1) dating 2) getting engaged 3) getting married 4) having kids (as opposed to dating, pregnancy, engagement, marriage). It made me feel good because when I was in at my OB's office one time before they called Zach into the room, they asked if he was "the father" or "the husband & father," and when I answered the latter, they remarked on how nice it was to see that in a young couple these days and how they don't get as many couples like us as they would like to. 

On a completely different note: Zach was online one day farting around through some pages he frequents and he found a picture somebody had photoshopped of the last scene Beetlejuice is in in the film, where he's in the waiting room of the Case Worker's office and had replaced the shrunken headed hunter with the Joker from The Dark Knight. The picture was meant to be funny because of the positioning of the characters, but instead, we were struck by something else...

So, remember all those people who gushed and gushed about how original the look for the Joker was? How nothing like that had ever been done before? Maybe not so much. I wish you could see the picture Zach found, but I can't find it to save my life. It's really striking in that one because Beetlejuice's eyeblack is smeared and faded looking. 

But that's all from me for now because all this talk of my favorite Tim Burton film has influenced me to pop it in and enjoy it.

navle

... That stands for "North American Veterinary Licensing Examination."

Or what we've been calling his boards/board exam. This exam, which Zach took on 12.12.08, is the single most important exam he will ever take. It's the exam that determines whether or not he gets his license to practice Veterinary medicine.

The results were dispersed from the National testers to the State licensing offices on Monday. They told the students, and of course, they were available online from the NAVLE site for most states except Texas. The poor Texas students had to keep checking the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners website. The website yesterday was literally crashing every time you tried to refresh it because of all the students trying to find out whether or not they'd passed.

They finally, finally, FINALLY released the exam results this morning at 7 am. We couldn't sleep all night, I curled up in the blue chair and Zach was on the couch...

Sweet hubby passed!!

I knew he would, there wasn't a doubt in my mind, I'm so glad that he's got this weight off his mind and he gets to just relax and not worry about anything until graduation. He's got to, obviously, pass the rotations and an exam from the Texas Board- but that's all about policy and what would be done in situations... and Zach knows that stuff, they aren't worried even a little. Zach will take that in April I think.

He was so happy this morning, after seeing the results, and I was happy because I could finally sleep with that weight off my mind! One step closer...

so great it's a cake

If you're from Texas, you understand. 

fish tales

This past weekend, Zach and I went back to Sugar Land to spend time with our family. We got in pretty late on Friday night, ate Mexican-- because we can't find anyplace in College Station that we like well enough to frequent-- and then retired pretty early because both Roger and Zach got upset stomachs. 

Saturday was a very enjoyable day. We decided to run to Home Depot so that Roger and I could go over the colors for the nursery that he has planned. Since we haven't actually gone and done any shopping or looking for baby, we figured after lunch we'd call my mom and have her meet us at some of the various baby stores in the First Colony area. At Babies R Us we picked up one thing I knew I wanted... 

Then we ran over to Baby's 1st Furniture so that we could have a look at the furniture they have available. We're not getting new furniture right off the bat-- Zach's cousins Tricia and Todd have just converted their nursery into a "big boy room" for their son Caden and offered us their used furniture. They have a crib and a dresser with a changing table topper-- they're in a honey color, but Roger and I agreed that going over it with a pretty chocolate stain would be much better in the room we're planning. Then, if Zach and I decide we want something else, we'll get new furniture when we move into our own place. We're in no hurry, there's no point in buying new furniture when you can get used furniture that's nicer than what you can afford! 

Steph, mom and I did go looking around just at the little things they had available at Baby's 1st and found this turtle. It's so, so cute, and it will project stars and the constellations onto the ceiling to amuse baby when you put them down. Steph grabbed it and since it reminded me so much of the sea turtles from Finding Nemo we decided it would fit right into the baby's room. Then when Zach and Roger were checking out, they found a CD of Metallica's music that had been converted into lullabies. It's really cute and surprisingly soothing-- we know because we listened to it on the way home! 

We're really excited about the nursery now. Roger had a whole plan in his mind, and we jumped right on board because he is a very talented artist and we think it'd be wonderful to have something so customized for Baby C. Roger's going to install a chair rail and we've picked a pretty shade of green to go beneath that's... well, not quite seafoam, but getting there. Above the chair rail we've picked a beautiful shade of tealish blue-- we also picked up 3 other quarts with other shades of blues and greens for Roger to use as highlights and shadows, so it will look like the nursery is underwater. Then we picked out the prettiest shade for the trim in the room- it's called Neverland. All the paint we picked out is from Behr's Disney collection. Some are from their "Winnie-the-Pooh" set and some are from their "Tinker Bell" set. They're all so pretty. Then Roger and Steph found a toddler's book with all the Pixar characters and the page for Finding Nemo is drawn in a cartoonish style so it's very in fitting with a nursery. Roger plans on painting characters above the chair rail and below, where the furniture is not in the way, he plans on painting corals. We even found a Finding Nemo lamp at Home Depot with a night light built into the base, and a comforter set that matches the blue of the upper wall perfectly at Target. I'm excited to see the progress the next time we're home... 

from the other side

Well we had a rather... interesting day yesterday.

When I woke up yesterday (late, thankfully since Chem Lab doesn't meet in the 1st week) my Jethro was not himself. He woke up and walked into the hall and started crying, the crying he does when he is in pain, and I tried to sit him down and make him feel better, no change. I couldn't get him to calm down for some time. He was slinking around, he was arching his back, holding it up to cradle his belly. He couldn't lay down in a comfortable fashion, as he could never lay down where his belly wasn't having pressure put on it. He had trouble sitting down. He wouldn't go to the bathroom. He wasn't interested in getting water, he didn't want a bit of food-- and if you know my baby, that's about as abnormal as can be.

When Zach got home, I explained my baby's strange behaviour, and Zach palpated his tummy and legs and we noticed how much his belly was hurting him. Nervous it was a foreign body (you know, something solid that is not meant to be passed through any intestine), we called Zach's parents and talked it over with them, and decided we didn't want Jethro to be in that kind of pain for long. So at about 6:30 we headed up to the clinic. Zach's friend Amy was on, and since she's crazy in love with hounds, she was just about the best person to look after him.

We didn't get home until after 11 pm. Jethro was furious that I wouldn't give him any dinner, but the doctor said not to. He got fluids at the clinic, and he went to the bathroom when we got home, thank goodness. He'll get a specialty diet for lunch and I'm supposed to go and make sure he does his business like normal. Whew. Poor Zach was quite nervous over the whole thing, he was so scared that Jethro had eaten something that was making him sick and that it would require surgery. He got something at the clinic, some drugs that have seemed to have a great impact on the boy!  

It was surreal, though, for Zach to be the patient. He's used to being the one doing the treatment. It was more strange for me, however, to be sitting there, thinking of my husband going through the actions that Amy and the other 4VM on duty were. I don't know how to see him that way. I've known him since he was 17! I sat there, in the lobby, doing my cross stitch (feeling like a grandmother because of it, too) and trying to imagine my husband walking around like the girls were, going through the motions, sitting with a client and explaining a patient's treatments and problems. I know that the first few times I encounter him at the clinic being Dr. Clark, it's going to be really weird for me (because I plan on picking him up for lunch with the baby some days). To me he's the man who lays on the couch with me and giggles like a fool until I realize he's passed gas under the blanket, or the man who dances around acting like a goofball, or the man who gets in the kitchen with me and bumps me with his rear to prevent me from getting into the fridge.

My husband, the chameleon.

counted cross

I don't know how to do counted cross stitch at all. I do know I've wanted to learn, and swore that I'd make my Mom teach me, so that I could spend my pregnancy making myself, my husband and my baby Christmas stockings. However, for a beginner, that's an ambitious project and one I'd never get finished in time.

I did find something to do that will be wonderful for the nursery! They are both kits, with the pattern coming pre-printed on the fabric, so that I can start out easily. They're going to be so fun, and so cute! My Mom will still have to teach me some of the techniques, but at least I'll have something that is at my level.

Can you guess the theme for the nursery?



(Also, I realize that the baby won't have a full size pillow in its crib, however, we'll have a twin bed in the nursery for those nights when it's just not worth it to go back in the other room, and I think this adorable pillowcase will do nicely there!)

getting ahead of myself?

I was kind of joking earlier this evening when I told my husband that I want to give Baby C (thanks, Ashley love!) a puppy for its second Christmas. Then the more I talked about it, the more I've become convinced it would be too much fun and such a great time to make another addition to our family.

By baby's second Christmas, it will be 18 months old. Baby C will be walking and talking, as much as possible... and if Baby C takes after mama, it'll be doing both of those things by the time its 12 months old. Also, by that time we'll be in our own home, we'll be used to the routine with Baby C and we will be capable of a full night's sleep. Yes, I'm thinking it'd be perfect.

And what puppy do I think would be perfect to add to our perfect family during the most perfect time of the year?

Say hello to the Newfoundland. This is, in fact, (according to my husband and to "Dogs 101" on Animal Planet) the best dog to have with small children. They are the nursemaid of the dog world, and *Nana* from "Peter Pan" is a Newfoundland. Mr. Barrie knew his dog breeds, apparently. I am also anxious to add another 4-legged member to our family, and to be perfectly honest, would have been doing it much sooner than 2 Christmases from now, had we not gotten pregnant. This way, Baby C and Baby Newfie can grow up together and the child will have its dog to be young and spry with. By the time our child is 2, Shiner will be (*gasp!!*) 10 years old and Jethro will be 6, which is getting up there for a large breed dog. Therefore, we will have two old dogs and a 2 year old would do much better with something young.

At least, that is how I am trying to justify it to myself at this point. And yes, I have already asked Zach if I get a boy if I can name it Mr. Smee. I haven't really thought about a girl. Maybe Moira, since that's Wendy's middle name, and Wendy is just horrible and Nana is going to be too generic and Zach's not gonna go for that, because the other day he was talking about the next dog we get and he plans on doing puppy classes (WHICH YOU SHOULD ALL DO!!) at the clinic with it, and he plans on taking it up to the clinic with him during the day so that we have a dog that is well socialized with both people and other animals (WHICH YOU SHOULD ALL DO! SOCIALIZE!!).

I learn so much from "Dogs 101" and I'm totally sold on the Newfoundland as being the next great pet for our family. It's going to be much bigger than Jethro, and as Zach says, for 99% of people, it's just too much dog (he said today that a Newfie male at 6 months he would expect to weigh around 100 lbs). For our family, though, we're not interested in small dogs. They have their place, and their owners, but we just are not small dog people. And by small dog, we're talking under 50 lbs. I understand that's not small, but we're really drawn to the giant breeds. You don't get the 15 year old dogs, like you do with the small breeds, but Zach and I agree that what you lose in years, you gain in so many other areas. There's nothing in the world like laying on the floor with your dog and having him stretch out as long as you, or get excited and jump up and put his paws on your shoulders, or sit on the couch with you and serve as a pillow that you don't have to worry about crushing. We're big dog people, through and through.

Also, my sweetheart of a husband is very particular about breeds. There's no way we will ever have a Boxer or a Golden because of their being so disposed to cancer. We'll never have a Neapolitan Mastiff (*sob*) until they fix the breed and their hips are stronger. You get what I'm driving at. My husband knows each breeds strengths and weaknesses, and luckily, I listen to him. Most people don't. He's had so many people describe the kind of dog they want, the kinds they're looking at, and he'll steer them towards the healthiest dog with the best temper and they'll ignore him and get whatever they want, which is usually a disaster. He seems, though, to like the Newfoundland well enough.

Now my only issue will be talking him into either buying a house with a pool for Baby C and Baby Newfie, or putting one in. I'm thinking the former is more likely than the latter. And can you imagine the ADORABLE pictures that I would be able to get out of the two babies?




By the way, I'm at 16 weeks. That's 4 weeks away from being 1/2 through and 4 weeks away from finding out the GENDER. I can't wait. It's so weird to talk about the baby as "it," I'd much prefer "she/he."

bitty baby

Right now, my baby weighs about 2 1/2 oz. 

The next time I go for an ultrasound, in 5 weeks, my baby will weigh about 10 1/2 oz.

Wow. 

Also, at that point, I will be halfway through my pregnancy. 

Wow. 

So basically, I'm thinking the next month is going to bring a lot of changes, physically. Awesome.

bear country

While I never expected that having a baby would turn me into a power-poster on blogger, I found something I have to share. 

Isn't this the cutest little snow suit you've ever seen? I'm in love. It's Hatley's Bear Country snow coveralls for toddlers, and I'm trying to think when we'll be taking baby into the snow... And I so will make this work for both genders- if it's a boy, then we're golden with anything. If it's a girl, I'll outfit her with a cute pair of pink snow boots, a pink hat and pink mittens. Nuff said.

Actually, a lot of their stuff is really cute. The rain coats are to die for-- and that is at least something that will be practical in Houston, TX! 

ten things

ONE-

I have been forced to succumb to Palmer's Cocoa Butter. 

My husband has requested that I not be a "walking stretch mark" at the end of my pregnancy.

TWO-
My biggest pregnancy craving is corn, off the cob, with lots of butter.
I also crave ice cream (what pregnant woman doesn't), barbeque kettle potato chips, apples, carrots, peanut butter & potato chip sandwiches and cupcakes.

THREE-
My baby will be less than a year younger than my favorite athlete's first child.
But he's going to be 38 this March.

But maybe one day if we go to Monaco our child can meet his..?

FOUR-
While most people we've talked to are excited for their first Christmas with their first child, Zach and I are most excited about our first trip to Walt Disney World with baby.
We had decided not to go until we didn't have to take a stroller, but in reality, there's no way we can wait that long.
My sweet husband has even agreed to a family set of embroidered Mickey Mouse ears.

FIVE-
Remaining faithful to a former classmate and fellow Ag, I have decided that the only way I will watch American Idol beyond the auditions will be if Michael Castro makes the top 10.
He's no Jason, but it's somebody to root for.
As long as he does away with the pink hair... and he called Jason girly. Sheesh.

SIX-
I found a diaper bag I love, and it doesn't look like a diaper bag. However, if it actually is trimmed in authentic snakeskin, I will be completely put off.
I would just feel like I was throwing my dead pet over my shoulder every day. The thought of touching snakeskin (that is not still attached to a living, breathing animal) is somewhat horrifying to me.

SEVEN-
My in-laws, husband and I enjoy watching Dancing with the Stars together. If we can't watch together, my mother-in-law usually calls my husband after the show to talk about our favorites.
The next season's cast hasn't been announced but the "rumors" are dangerous.

I'd much rather see Johnny Knoxville than Steve-O. At least Johnny has a brain in his head.

EIGHT-
I really want to put my puppies in the truck, pack a picinic lunch, and take them and Zach to the beach.
I think it would be interesting to see how they react, we think Shiner would enjoy it more, but that Jethro would really like all the new smells. He's a bloodhound- it's what he does.

NINE-
My husband is not a romantic. He doesn't open car doors for me, he doesn't bring me flowers for no reason and he doesn't send me silly sentimental messages. And I don't care. Why?
2 reasons: that's not the person I love & married and because he gives me the BEST jewelry.
Like, he does such a good job, every piece of jewelry I wore to my last OB appointment, my doctor commented on. He's very, very good.

TEN-
I used to joke about getting a boob job. And I say JOKE because I don't like pain and so why would I do that to myself?
However, after having the "pregnant boobs" start, I have decided that I want my old body back, and fast.
Also, I don't want people to talk about me as "that woman who got a boob job" because that's synonymous with "that woman who has no self esteem and needed bigger boobs to make her feel better about herself."
And that's not me. 

k-ray

I have one request for you, blog readers.

When we finally do reveal the name of our baby, will you please keep in mind that it will not be the strangest name to come out of my family in 2009? My cousin gave birth today and named her second son Keldon Ray.

Check babynames.com -- it's not on there. At least the names we have picked are on there. Narrows it down, hm?

trend spotter

Recently, I discovered the Celebrity Baby Blog.

I don't read most of the entries, but I like the pictures. Since my stroller research, I'm starting to notice the stroller brands of the stars and I'm starting to think my choice of Maclaren is terribly trendy.


Not only is the insanely beautiful Salma Hayek using one, but Rebecca Romijn has the Techno Twin for her new girls, and Joey from New Kids On The Block (forgive my ignorance, I wasn't a fan) has one for his tot too!

AND Helena Bonham Carter too? I think THIS is a momma's club I'm ready to sign up for!
... and the Schreiber-Watts family has one...
... and Chris Noth (who the f*** is that!?) has one...
... and Rachel Weisz has one...

Done and Done. Rachel Weisz and Helena Bonham Carter? The only way I could be MORE sold on this brand is if Kate Winslet used them too.

tv time out

How often are you driven out of the room by your Christmas presents?

Zach and I, with our Christmas money, bought ourselves a Sony Bravia HDTV and the Bravia surround sound system. This evening we decided to watch Underworld, and at one point I had to get up and move.

Maybe the reason for this is that I have been watching movies that were made before surround sound was the "thing." Trust me, Clue is not in surround sound. Nor is The Fifth Element, The Mummy or Predator. I was just excited that the people on the screen were more than 3 inches tall. Ah, the perks of a TV larger than a text book!

Currently, our new set up is "our" favorite Christmas present, but *my* favorite thing? The chocolate coins my mom put in our stocking that she got from See's. Zach only thought he'd get to eat his. They're my new pregnancy thing. Along with Juicy Fruit, Big League Chew and barbeque flavored kettle chips. But mainly the chocolate coins.  

take a stroll with me

So I spent a good four to five hours online last night researching strollers. I have had so many recommendations from people, and I decided to get online and read reviews and start trying to figure out what I wanted. I know I don't want the "battering ram." That's what I call the extra large strollers with the huge wheels and the big old tray that the women who have them use to just push their way around the mall/stores/restaurants or whatever. If you don't know what I mean, go to Disney World and have *that* woman hit your heels a couple of times because she can't see the ground in front of her because of her huge damned stroller. NO THANK YOU.

Ideally, my "dream" stroller is the Bugaboo Cameleon. But at $900, Zach and I have agreed that it's much too expensive to seriously consider (the Bugaboo Frog is a little bit more reasonable... a very little bit, and every bit as impressive). The flexibility of this stroller is extraordinarily appealing- you can do just about anything with this thing. But, like I said, DREAM stroller. Especially since we're not planning on another child within a short time after this one comes, it seems really excessive to spend that much. However, it's just divine, you can go from baby facing you, to baby facing away, there's a bassinet that you can use for a newborn, you can go from enclosed with a cover to what you see above. You can switch the handlebar around so that the large "all terrain" wheels are on front or on back... AND you can take it down to a 2-wheel design if you're going hiking or into sand or snow. Oh.my.gosh. It's a dream. And I'l have to keep dreaming!

My *within reach* favorite brand I've found is Maclaren. Yes, I came across it because I was looking up McLaren and the computer asked me if I meant Maclaren. See, being a Formula 1 fan does pay off. It leads you to special little discoveries. I like that these strollers are so simplistic, they're on a metal frame, which I want and they don't have a lot of extra junk. I have said it before, and I'll say it again, I don't like strollers that become everyone's stash-all. I don't want cup holders, I don't want little cubbies for junk to get stashed. I'm used to not having those things, why start now? Anyway, the Maclaren above is a special "designer" one, it's the "Albert Thurston Ryder." The Ryder is one of their 'special' strollers that they give to designer brands to customize themselves. Lacoste has a Ryder, Juicy Couture has a Ryder, Kate Spade has a Ryder, Burberry has a Ryder... and so on and so forth. It's a nice stroller in that you can use it from birth to 55lbs. I just really liked the colors in this particular Ryder, however, Zach and I feel that plastering our poor baby with a name brand is just not something we really want to do, even though the Lacoste one is so cute with its itty bitty alligators- if only it didn't say "Lacoste" on it. If I COULD get a Ryder, I'm not sure I could pass up the Spitfire. That's right, aviation enthusiasts, the Maclaren founder was a member of the Spitfire design team and has produced a stroller to commemorate its 70th anniversary. I'm not so sure Brad wouldn't have been in one of these, either, had my dad spotted it! That gives the whole "airplane noises" with a baby new meaning... 

Here we have a viable option, above is the Maclaren Quest Sport stroller. I love the light weight of the stroller, the durability and the style. One of the complaints I've heard against the Maclaren strollers is the fact that they don't have the front tray for the baby to use. Zach and I actually like this. We were talking last night about how there's nothing nastier than a parent who has one of those trays and gives their kid a bag of goldfish crackers or animal crackers and water and then proceeds to allow said child to mash the two together all over the tray and themselves. Then they play in the mush and get themselves all dirty and gross. Just unappealing to us. Ew. I like the Sport quite a bit because it's so streamlined, but the only problem with it is that it is designed to be used from 3 months. What do I use until then?

Lastly, this is the Maclaren Techno XLR. This is the stroller I really, really want. This stroller will take you from birth to 65 lbs. It's a little heavier than the Quest Sport, and a bit more expensive, but the 4 point reclining seat is great for newborns and the padding inside the stroller is a bit nicer than that of the Quest Sport. There's a number of color options we both really like, the above Black and Champagne not being one of them. This stroller would last as long as the car seat we're coveting, which also goes from birth to 65 lbs. *sigh* I adore it... not quite as much as the Bugaboo, but I'm not unrealistic either.

I looked really heavily into the travel systems which are really popular with Graco and a few of the other companies right now, and was really leaning in that direction, but the complaints I've found are ones that I'm not really sure I want to deal with. I've heard they're great... for a while. But eventually, they needed a car seat and bought a less cumbersome stroller after the baby had outgrown the carrier, thus leaving them with a situation where they've bought a new stroller and a new car seat on top of their travel system. Zach and I don't want to end up with a lot of stuff that the baby has outgrown quickly, and we thought the best solution is finding a car seat to last as long as possible, and a stroller to do the same. 

So, in our quest to find the perfect car seat, we discovered Britax, and have fallen in love with their Convertible line. The above car seat will go, as the stroller we like, from birth to 65 lbs and gets great ratings. We were impressed by the padding, the side impact protection, and the degree to which the car seat gets strapped in. The car seat above is the "Marathon" and while I hate, hate, hate the "cowmooflague" print, there are some exceptionally acceptable options. And since we've decided that the car seat is going in the truck and the truck only, we feel that this really will offer all the protection we're looking for. 

Have you learned more about strollers from my POV than you ever wanted to? I thought so. I'm actually pretty proud of myself though, and I'm taking my pregnancy book's advice and really looking into what I want, as opposed to what everyone wants to buy, because as the book says, "while they pick up the tab, you are the one who has to use it every day." That and I didn't really think I'd have much of an opinion about one or the other until I actually started looking. Which means researching high chairs could be dangerous? No, only kidding. I see the stroller as on par with the flowers from my wedding. I know what I want and I will compromise in other places to make sure I get what I want here...

within reason.

pregnancy post #3

We had our first "official" visit with the OB today. She's great. I'd recommend her to anyone. I would not, however, recommend getting pregnant while you are not covered by insurance. Oh. My. Gosh.

We heard the baby's heartbeat- healthy and normal. My uterus is where it should be- normal. We're happy to have a completely "normal" visit. I had to give blood, though, and that never works well for me or my dad and Zach laughed at me the whole time. We are at week 14 right now. Dr. M said the soonest we'll be able to find out the baby's gender is still a ways away, so there's nothing special to report there. Scoot in, scoot out, get everything done.

Officially, I'm "out" of my first trimester, but that's a generalization, because she said the symptoms of T1 can continue up through week 17. She emphasizes that everyone's an individual and that even though I'm going to hear a thousand different "Well, when I was pregnant... " stories and most of them won't apply to me. Zach and I are so comfortable with her, she sat and talked with us for a while today, gave us a lot of information and really reassured me about everything. Reading material about child birth can really freak you out, trust me, and it's nice to know she's going to be there with me. The more I see of her, the more I like her. She told us today that she's "very protective of [her] girls." I just really pray that when it comes time for delivery, she's on duty. And we've decided to deliver at Sugar Land Methodist, and I'm happy with that. Since my father-in-law was recently in hospital at both Methodist Sugar Land and Memorial @ Greatwood, he was able to recommend one over the over, and my mother-in-law said you could really tell the difference in the level of care. We liked that hospital when we visited Roger there, too, so that's nice. All in all, not much is going to be happening for a while. I'm going to be getting bigger (although, I only gained 2 lbs in my first trimester! And not for a lack of eating!) and my energy will return and all that stuff.

Reminding you again, my blog's going private pretty soon! You'll have to be registered with blogger to be able to read, but registration doesn't mean you have to be an active blogger at all. And that's that, send those email addresses to me!