Pet Peeves...

At the risk of sounding negative, I would like to point out a few things that annoy me. :)

-People who don't use homonyms correctly annoy me. I know that's really picky, but it's something you learn in elementary school. Your and you're are NOT the same word. Neither are no and know. Get it right...it takes like an ounce more thought and effort.

-People who don't do what they say they are going to do annoy me. I HATE it when people say, "I'm going to __" and then they don't. Obviously, I feel this way about big things, but I feel it about little ones as well.

-People who try to trump you annoy me. When you vent about something or explain your intense feeling, emotion, etc. about it, instead of empathizing with you, these people have to make their situation worse than yours. Yes, it's helpful to have people in your life who help you keep things in perspective. BUT, it's annoying when someone can't just listen and must instead make their life seem sooooo much worse.

-People who complain about things but do nothing to change them annoy me. For example, don't complain about being overweight unless you plan to alter your diet and exercise. I don't say that to be rude (and realize that there are some people who have extenuating circumstances), but it's annoying to hear. Yes, there is a difference in joking about something like that and true complaining. I do know the difference...

-At work, my pet peeves are laziness, complete disrespect, and acting insanely immature. However, that annoys everyone, so I'm not sure it's a pet peeve as much as something that gets under my skin. What is definitely a pet peeve though is that in MANY situations (church, work, etc.), 20% of the people do 80% of the work. I so resent people who show up to work at 8:30, leave at 4:30 and never take work home. I am jealous of those people and resent doing all the extra work. (Note: Since I'm complaining here, know that I am in the process of cutting my extra work load at work so as not to complain about something without doing anything about it.)

This is all I can think of at the moment, but lots of things annoy me, so I could probably add more later.

31 weeks and counting...

So, I went to the doctor a week ago and the receptionist (who sees a lot of pregnant ladies) goes, "You must be due any day now." Uh, no...I was only 30 weeks!! She then asks if I was carrying twins...am I that big for 31 weeks? I mean, geez! :)

Since my platelet count was so low a few weeks ago, they did more blood tests last week to test for other abnormalities that might be problems. I have the results, but can't interpret them...from what I can tell, I do not have low antibodies or lupus, which is good. I go back next Wednesday to figure out what those results mean. I'm still not feeling stressed about the low count, just sort of curious. It's one of those things that you can't do anything about, which is actually harder for me b/c I'm not the type of person who can sit by and do nothing...I have to here. Go figure. :)

Other than that, I'm still feeling okay. I can definitely tell that my energy level has gone back down in the last few weeks, so I'm having to pace myself again and allow myself to take longer to grade papers, leave the dishes undone for a day, and let Andrew fold the laundry. It's hard... I'm still able to keep teaching at the gym, which is continuing to help me feel good. I'm so glad for that!

What I'm most ready for is the yearbook to be done. I have a lot of work to do on that over the next two weeks, and then it'll be done. At that point, Andrew will be done with finite math, and we will be able to focus our attention on getting our house ready. I desperately need that! :)

We had our first shower last weekend, which was the best birthday present ever! The guest room (future nursery) is now a complete disaster though, which totally stresses me out. I so would prefer to organize and set that room up, but the more immediate fires are grading papers, my endorsement class, and the yearbook. Those things aren't more important to me; they just have deadlines that are sooner. Just do the next thing, right?

Payton Post

In all of our fun baby preparations, I would be remiss if I did not celebrate the first child God brought into my life. So I want to take a few minutes and do that now.

Payton came in to my life when Andrew did. It was not exactly how I expected to become a parent, but it has been nothing short of a blessing, and I thank God every day for the daughter of my husband. She doesn't come without her challenges, but she is my girl. :)

My top 5 favorite things about Payton...

5. I love the way Payton says, "Hi, Daddy!" The girl wasn't always a Daddy's girl, but she is now. :) One of my most proud moments as a wife was when Andrew thanked me for all that I do so that he can be a part of Payton's life. Because of his schedule, I end up doing a lot of the transporting back and forth, and since he doesn't usually have weekends off, my keeping her allows him to see his daughter. I love that. I believe that all wives have slightly different roles in their husband's life, and this is one of my favorite roles. Facilitating a relationship between Andrew and Payton is something I'm proud to be a part of.
4. I never get ready (or do anything) alone when she's there. I always tell Andrew after we've had Payton for a week or so that I go through an adjustment period without her there. If I'm drying my hair, she's sitting on the bathroom floor playing with my brushes; if I'm cooking dinner, she's sitting on the counter administrating; if i'm paying bills, she's folding papers or sorting envelopes... Sometimes, I don't love it at the time, but I always miss that when she leaves.
3. Payton is learning to shop like me. I've really gotten into couponing and shopping sales lately (It started as an effort to save a little money, but has become an obsession.) I love walking through Publix with Payton as she asks if something is "buy one, get one free." She knows if it's not, we walk past it. :) She is also learning to clip coupons...for herself right now. She can recognize a bar code and a product she thinks looks good! She sets that aside for me to cut.
2. Payton thinks that all kids have a stepmom. A couple of weeks ago, I was reminding Payton that her cousin Sydney's mom Stephanie was also having a baby...she asked me who Sydney's stepmom was. The innocence of that comment is wonderful to me because it proves that God has protected her from the pain of a broken relationship between her parents (you can't have a broken relationship if there never was a relationship in the first place). I've known her since she was two. She doesn't remember life before me. I hope that'll work in her favor in the long run.
1. Payton has a loving heart. I took Payton to Borders to pick out a book a while ago, and I talked her into buying one of my favorites: "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." She adores the book (I think both Andrew and I can recite it), and she saw the movie and liked it too. In the wake of the Haitian earthquake, Andrew shared with Payton the devastation going on there. She seemed confused and asked me why God didn't just let meatballs (and other food) fall from the sky so the hungry people could eat. We had to talk about how God was capable of anything, but not willing to do everything...and of course, we had to talk about manna from Heaven, but her sweet heart is endearing and open and I hope she never loses that.

Obviously, these aren't the only things I love about my stepdaughter, but they are my favorite things right now. I know that I'll officially be a parent when Jackson is born, but my role as a stepmom is not something lost on me, and something that has brought me more joy and growth than words can tell.

Once baby Jackson comes, Payton has promised to change all diapers and do all feedings...we'll see if that gets added to the list...or not! :)

The Bellybutton Post

So, my whole life, I've had a very deep bellybutton. My mom used to have to remind me to clean it out as a child because it would catch lint. That's gross, I know...but true. My brother Josh affectionately calls it "the tunnel," which I have always found hilarious.

Please look at my bellybutton now...



Would you call that a tunnel? I don't think so. Instead, it looks like a little mouth or something. It's truly a weird feeling to feel it push out from the inside. I love it though!

Here's a sideview of me, now 28 weeks pregnant!!



I had my glucose test today, which I passed with flying colors. My platelet count is lower again, but there's not much to do, so...I'm also borderline anemic, so I've been instructed to eat more red meat, green leafy veggies, and eggs. Guess that means Andrew has to take me out for steak... Ha!

Other than that, all is well. We have a lot of work to do to get the baby's room (and guest room) set up...but Andrew is busy with math (and needs to be), and our landlords are doing some work on a leaking water heater and stuff like that. We'll get it done...eventually! :)

26 weeks!

Here we are at 26 weeks! Time is definitely flying! I got to see my good friend Erin's 2 week old this past weekend, and his presence reminds me just how close we're getting to seeing Jackson! Exciting!

I'm still feeling good, so I'm ever thankful for that. Andrew had a 12 hour stomach bug that I managed to NOT catch...yay! And, I think I've started waddling a little bit. I asked Andrew about it last night. He gave me that "Oh, crap..." look. You know, the one where you ask someone if you look fat and they aren't sure how to respond. Andrew and I have this honesty policy though. If we ask, we answer honestly...basically, that means you don't ask a question you don't want an honest answer for. I wasn't fishing for a compliment. I really wanted to know, so I asked! :) He laughed and told me that I was shuffling a bit more than usual. Ha!

I am battling plenty of stress this week...so for me, that means I'm battling a little anxiety. I'm a bit over-committed (surprise, surprise!), which is always my problem. I never should have agreed to sponsor the yearbook. Even though I have some help, it's way more work that I expected and want to do. We have a deadline this week that feels impossible to meet. I'm also behind on some grading I need to do and update. On top of that, I'm still teaching at the gym and have stuff to learn before my class tomorrow night, I have a full time job of teaching, I am getting my gifted endorsement (which is very much like being back in graduate school with all the reading, projects, lesson plans, tests, etc.), and I feel a growing desire to prepare my house for Jackson. Andrew says I'm nesting. :) It's not any one thing...it's just the combination of them all and the timing. I'll get through by Grace b/c He always makes it work.

As Andrew always says, "Just do the next thing..."

What's the next thing? Sleep. :)

New Doctor...

Insurance is a bear sometimes...Andrew and I have enjoyed a wonderful insurance package through the state since getting married. The plan was affordable, but allowed us (and Payton) to see whatever doctors we wanted. Unfortunately (though no one will admit that companies are bracing for Obamacare), the state no longer offers the same plan anymore. Our options weren't pretty. We could keep our current doctors and pay double our previous cost, or we could cut our cost by more than 1/2 and switch to Kaiser. With a new baby on the way, state furlough days for teachers, and no more overtime pay for police officers, you can image that we had to choose the latter option...

Because I am not a high risk pregnancy (that's a good thing) and not in my third trimester, we weren't sure that a "transition of care" (which would have allowed me to stay at Maternal Gynerations through delivery) would be approved. Plus, MG got rid of their midwives effective January 2010. Since I would have had to get used to a new doctor anyway, we chose to go ahead and switch care with the new year.

I've been a little anxious about switching care, not so much because I'm afraid that the doctors and midwives aren't competent at Kaiser (I've heard good reports about their midwives especially)...just that the logistics can be overwhelming - and I didn't want anything important to be overlooked or missed.

My first appointment was today, and I'm happy to report that I am relieved!! Andrew and I decided that the facility is pretty dumpy (it's an older building in Duluth and not the luxury I was spoiled with at MG), but that we appreciate their efficiency and felt really at ease with the staff. The midwife I met with today was especially wonderful. She was very conversational, down to earth, and seemed truly interested in our pregnancy. She even asked for Jackson's name! What I liked most about her is that she let me do a lot of the talking about my prenatal care up to this point. I told her what tests had been done, how the ultrasounds were measuring Jackson, etc. She had the reports in front of her, obviously, but she didn't treat me like an idiot, which I appreciated.

My original blood work back in September revealed that I have a low blood platelet count. A normal platelet count is 150 or higher (that's in thousands, by the way). Mine was 108 then and 90 a week later. Basically, no one knows why platelets are low, why they often occur during pregnancy, or how to improve the count (except via blood transfusion if it gets super low). All that to say, there's no known cause or "cure." The good thing is that it only really impacts my ability to have an epidural during labor. While having that option would be nice, it's certainly not a bad complication to have. I just have to deal with the pain...women have been doing it for years without help, right?! MG wanted me to see a hematologist to more closely monitor the situation, but their office made me mad and I never went (long story...also I knew that I would have to redo everything with Kaiser anyways). I spoke with the midwife about it today, and she had more blood work done to see if things had changed since the last test. From there, she said she would speak with a hematologist (or something) to decide if further monitoring was needed.

What's really cool is that I already have my blood work results from Kasier. I can log in to my account and see exactly what tests were run and what the results were. I can't interpret anything but the platelet count (which was 95, btw), but I think that's pretty cool to see so soon. At least it's not any lower than before!

All that to say that my appointment and initial experience with Kaiser was very positive. I go back in three weeks for the glucose test (yay) and will hear from the midwife if my blood work requires anything further. I left there feeling much better than I felt all week about it. Yay!

Now, I need to go to bed...

Baby Prep...

There are a million things you find yourself doing to prepare for a baby. You get rid of (or move) your guest bedroom to accomodate a nursery; you start buying little things here and there that you never saw yourself buying before (diapers, etc.); and you work to prepare your heart, your house, your checkbook, and your life for one more. The weight of that dependent responsibility starts to weigh in. But it's all fun - picking out cribs and bedding, creating a registry (which I've done at Target and BabiesRUs now), etc.

However, perhaps the most important preparation going on has less to do with Jackson and more to do with my fabulous husband. :) Andrew and I often talk about what makes a healthy and happy home for a child. We had to deal with that sooner than we would have otherwise because of Payton, and we see that as a good thing for us. We believe whole-heartedly that the best thing for a happy child is simply a healthy marriage. We have seen firsthand the impact of a stable relationship on a child's psyche. We don't like to say that marriage is hard work becuase that makes it sound like something you have to do...but it does require effort and a willing spirit.

And so, I come to a book...My mother-in-law is an avid reader. She reads books about everything and is probably the most well-read person I know. Her ability to understand and retain the information she reads is amazing. The best part (for me) is that she always has great reading suggestions for anything you can think of, and she is very thoughtful in her gift giving of books. For my birthday last year, she sent me a book called Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. Generally, I hate self-help books that say cheesy things like, "Follow these 10 steps to..." or "The three principles of ___ are..." This book isn't like that. BUT, it challenges me as a wife to be a better marriage partner. I don't believe you have to have marital "problems" to want to improve your role as a wife (and consequently as a mother)...

The premise of a book is rather shocking amidst an overly romanticized culture. But we all know that those "happily ever after" type of things are sweet, but not real (at least in the long run). It's not that romance is bad...just that it's overrated. Instead, this book asks this question: "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?" Read that again...

I don't consider myself a marriage expert by any means, but I can say that I've learned a lot about myself and about a committed relationship in the almost 2 years I've been married. All of the joys of marriage that I expected are there...and still wonderful! However, I have discovered that my sins are more obvious to my husband than I ever thought, I am more selfish than I thought (and feared), and I have become more vulnerable in marriage...to an extent I never thought possible. All of my flaws have been exposed (at least I hope they have all been exposed by now), and I still don't like that. It's not pretty... Marriage has also taught me how to accept the flaws of another person in real (not just figurative) ways.

What's wonderful about moving past the idea that marriage is designed to make us happy is that it means we see marriage as an edurance race, not a sprint. And, more importantly, it opens up opportunities for us to confront our selfish, mean-spirited, and flawed characteristics to draw closer to the One who designed for and can actually fulfill that happiness.

I think it's a simple, but not easy principle. My prayer is that the efforts Andrew and I take to solidify a healthy marriage help prepare for and make a great life for Payton, Jackson, and siblings to follow....