Say What?

While reading up on week 21 of pregnancy at my favorite site, "Pregnancy Week by Week", I came across this line:

After about pregnancy week 21 you may start realizing that your baby is hiccupping in utero. This is a very common albeit somewhat unusual occurrence. (Italics mine.)

Come again???

Otters holding hands

I love otters! Keep watching till 1:21 minutes in.

Maple Festival, Sugar Shack

This is inside the sugar shack, where they boil the sap collected from the trees down to syrup.























Daniel loved his little sample cup!

Maple Festival, Horses

This horse was resting his head on the handler's shoulders while they loaded the wagon behind them for rides. He seemed very comfortable!

Maple Festival, Machines

Peanut roasters.

Anyone know what this is?

Marker Fun

Daniel and I had a blast with some washable markers the other night! We both decorated his legs, and then he decorated mine. Do you have any idea how much a marker on the bottom of your foot tickles???

Sunset

This picture was taken from my back deck.

I'm Here!

Sorry, I really slacked this week! I have some pics of Daniel to post later, and a few interesting tidbits for now. Here you go:


No, I didn't take this one! Just found it and was amazed.

Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

I found this at The Manbottle Library. I picked out a few of my favorites, go to the link to see the whole list.

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual similes and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year's winners:

• Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a thigh Master.
• She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
• The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.
• McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
• The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

Tell Me a Tale...

I need to hear stories of sons who have grown up and still stay in close contact with their mothers! I come from a long line of daughters on my mom's side, and my dad's mom passed away when I was young. So I am basing my current fears of the boys growing up, leaving the nest and rarely contacting me again on "typical" stereotypes. I have a great relationship with my mom, and am mourning the loss of that mother/daughter connection a little. I would like to hear that the same type of connection can and does happen with sons!

Be Careful What You Say!

Never mention "I had to bite my tongue" in the presence of a literal-minded toddler. I was talking to my mom on the phone, saying something about trying to keep a straight face, and the next thing I knew, Daniel was on top of me, grinning like a fiend and chomping his teeth near my face! He wasn't really biting, but having a great time making me laugh hysterically! There's something about seeing a grinning maniac an inch away from your nose that makes it very hard to not laugh!

Lost Books

If you're a fan of the show Lost, you know that there are often mulitple layers to seemingly innocent things. In fact, often the books that characters are reading have some kind of commentary on the theme of the episode. Here is a site that exclusively looks at the books that are seen on the show, and how they can be connected. (Check out the comments for each book for more details.)

Pickles

As I work on cleaning out the computer room, I can really empathize with this cartoon! Pickles

Name Suggestions

Anyone have ideas for good names to go with Daniel Morgan? We're really not sure right now...the only thought so far is Justin, but I'd like some more possibilities to narrow it down from. I'll add names suggested here (and the one who suggested it), so I can keep track!

Favorites so far:
Justin (me and Doug)
Timothy (Stidmama)
Christopher (mom)
Jacob/Jakob (me)
Benjamin (me, but it's also the name of our music teacher's son at school...not sure if I would feel right using it)

Others of note:
James (me...hmm, I'm seeing a J trend here)
Kyle (Lori)
Matthew (mom)
Jon/Johnathan/Jonathan (Book Doctor Gwen)
Keith, Frederick, Jason, Nicholas, Kenneth, (lbdawger)
Abraham, Stalin, Clinton (evanonut's idea of a historical name!)
Jeffrey, Brian (Inge)
Nathan (hurshy)
David, Richard (Kazzer)

It's A Boy!

The majority were wrong, it's a boy! The technician zoomed in, and it was very obvious right away! Baby is looking healthy, heart and all organs are right on target. He's measuring just slightly ahead, which has been the trend since the first ultrasound. I've got a bunch of fun pictures, but until I get a scanner, you'll just have to use your imaginations. Sorry!

Boy or Girl?

Ok everyone, get your predictions in! I go on Monday for my 18 week "big" ultrasound, and hopefully will get a peek at the gender. Put your guess as to boy or girl in the comments!

Here are my symptoms:

• I was very queasy from week 4-8, but then after that was fine. This was how it was with Daniel too. I think I was a little more sick than with Daniel, my mom thinks I complained about the same.
• I'm craving sweets, and feel constantly thirsty. OJ always sounds yummy.
• I can't tell if I'm carrying high or low, too early.
• I often feel like I have a mild headache. I remember getting migraines with Daniel, but not the constant headache thing.
• I'm super sensitive, but was with Daniel too.
• Everything else is about the same, hair, nails, face, etc. I think I'm gaining weight at about the same rate as I did with Daniel.
• My personal gut wants to say "girl" but I don't know if that's an official feeling, or just wishful thinking!

If I get enough people guessing, I'll post results.

Results so far:

Girl: 4 (including me and Doug)


Boy: 2 (one is my mom)


Undecided: 2

Las Vegas Churches

I have a dinner to go to tonight, so won't be able to properly catch up on my blog. Therefore, I leave you with this:

Las Vegas Churches

This may come as a surprise to those of you not living in Las Vegas, but there are more churches than casinos. Not surprisingly, some worshippers at Sunday services will give casino chips rather than cash when the basket is passed. Since they get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to collect the offerings. The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan Monastery for sorting and then the chips are taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in. This is done by Chip Monks. (Did you see it coming? Hehe, and now I shall sneak out before I get pelted with something!)

Building Stonehenge

The introduction for the video says:

Wally Wallington has demonstrated that he can lift a Stonehenge-sized pillar weighing 22,000 lbs and moved a barn over 300 ft. What makes this so special is that he does it using only himself, gravity, and his incredible ingenuity.

Belly Pic, 17 weeks

Actually it's about 17 and a half, but who's counting! When I wear my warmer sweaters to work, you can just barely tell that my belly is sticking out, but if I wear anything lighter, it's obvious. Thus, I'm wearing sweaters for the next week, as I don't want to tell my kindergarteners until next Monday, when I'll hopefully know if it's a girl or a boy. The picture is not at all fancy, just the best I could do for a quick pic. If I could ever find my tripod, this would be easier.

Pregnancy Q & A

Pregnancy Q & A (I highlighted my favorites.)

Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: If you're lucky, when the kids are in college.

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Progress!

I finished Quote Puzzler and Babble already. There isn't any good tv on tonight. I've run out of reasons to not work on the computer room/nursery any longer. I did get a bunch done with it that week we were home in February. It's already looking miles better than it was at first, now I need to start moving things out of the room.

Before:As of today:

Bunco

Wish me luck, tonight's Bunco night! Our group gets together once a month to play, and I've been on quite a losing streak lately. Did you know that Bunco dates back to the late 1800s? If you are curious about the history of this game, go here. With our group, it's really more of an excuse to get 12 women together for food, drinks and talk than it is about playing the game! Throwing the dice and winning prizes is an incidental. I'll post in the comments here tomorrow to let you know how I did!

Baked Potato Soup

My mom gave me this recipe from one of her cookbooks. I made it last weekend, and it was fabulous! I added some cut up steamed broccoli, and a little extra cheese. Yummy!

Baked Potato Soup
4 baking potatoes (about 2/1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup all purpose flour
6 cups milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided (I use onion flakes in a pinch)
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (ham is yummy too)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Pierce potatoes with a fork, bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until tender. (Or just microwave them!) Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. Discard skins.

3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven (I just used a pot on the stove); gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil); ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Yield: 8 servings.