Sold!

Our house is sold! With "for sale" signs on the house across the street and the two houses behind us, we feel lucky. It's a great relief to not have to worry about a house when we're so far away there's nothing we can do.

We flew into OKC and worked like crazy last week to pack things up to go to NJ and to storage. I arrived a couple of days early to organize. My parents stayed overnight and impressed me with their amazing speed and skill of packing things so quickly. By the time Garrett arrived, much of it was done. He and my dad loaded things up for storage and phase one and two were finished. We saw Garrett's parents almost every day. As the saying goes, "The devil is in the details" and Mary helped us finish up those.

In addition to family, we were able to see a few friends. I'm hoping we can see others on our next visit because we miss you all. It made me sad that we didn't get to see everyone. However, we were so happy to see those of you we did. I was thrilled to visit with my Resolve girls at Abuelo's and learn about their successes, setbacks, and future plans. (Although they read this blog, they often forget to email updates on themselves...hint, hint hint!) Plus, it was wonderful to see my former lunch bunch from school. Thanks to Christy and Carole for arranging those gatherings.

I grew sentimental as the house emptied. Being by myself a couple of days was beneficial because I was able to soak it in and say goodbye. Change is difficult for me but it's good. I stood in the room we'd always planned on being a nursery and talked to Max. As time passed, Garrett helped me remember that we were wanting to move into a new house anyway.

I enjoyed looking at the things we'd done together to improve it. For several years, I'd enlisted my dad and Garrett to plant bushes as my birthday present. Somehow, the photinias had outwitted our clay soil by growing taller than the fence and were a beautiful bright red with little white blooms. Our living room walls are a bright cheery yellow--that probably scared some buyers, but we love it. We'd pulled up the carpet and Garrett had laid down all the wood flooring. We'd replaced almost every light in the place along with the face plates. All of the window treatments were practically new. Then there were the countertops...they were such a pain in the butt that I really didn't get too sentimental about them!

I suppose it was time to say goodbye. Still, it's always difficult for me to close a good book.

Max is on the move!

This kiddo is kicking. I thought I felt him at 14 weeks. When we met with the doctor, I asked him about the little flutters and he teased me that it was simply gas and wishful thinking.

Yeah, I felt cool.

Then, at the ultrasound on the 15th, I watched the screen as he moved his leg and I felt the same bubble-popping sensation. The ultrasound technician exclaimed that he'd given a good kick. I knew then that those increasing movements down there were Max. It was reassuring to know that at least in that respect I'm not crazy.

Last Tuesday, the 22nd, Garrett and I had settled down for the evening and Max began his acrobatics. My hands find their way to my tummy bump increasingly often these days and I thought I could feel the movement on my hands as well as inside. When Max let out a few good kung fu moves, I grabbed Garrett's hand and placed it on my tummy. I knew from the look on his face that he felt it, too. That moment alone made a lot of the difficult stuff worth it.

On Sunday my mom got to feel Max. For a couple of days, he'd be really active, but by the time she got to me Max had settled down. Then he really gave her a good kick. It was one of the strongest yet. Again, I knew she felt it because of the look on her face. Plus, she pulled her hand away so fast it was like she'd been bitten!

We think Max is currently renovating his space. His apartment must be a little small because we suspect he's expanding. I'm feeling sensations further out than I have before. We were at week 19 when we went for the ultrasound and they told us he was 11 ounces and the size of a Ken doll. I think he's getting bigger because some of his movements are stronger. Tomorrow will mark week 21.

It's a baby...

April 15 was Garrett's birthday, so I scheduled the ultrasound for the same day. I thought it would be a nice birthday gift to learn whether he was having a son or daughter. And it would have been.
Except it took almost three hours and a lot of stress. Here I am on the first ultrasound table after Camille, our sonographer, spent an hour and a half measuring different parts of the baby's anatomy. Everything looked good, except she was unable to find a good angle on the heart or the umbilical cord because the baby was curling up. Although he was moving his fists and feet, he refused to uncurl. We thought it simply meant we'd need to return for a better angle. Still, she kept looking.

Dr. Russo was called in to check. She spent at least another half hour searching. The longer she stayed, the more concerned we grew. We've experienced enough to know that the longer a doctor examines you, the worse the inevitable news. Finally, she scheduled an immediate appointment with a pediatric cardioloist because she saw several things that bothered her: excess fluid around the baby's heart, lack of clarity on chambers, and extra thick walls.

After taking a wrong turn and having our tension mount, we finally found the right office. Dr. Rhee, the cardiologist, spent another twenty minutes or so IN SILENCE as she conducted another ultrasound. I lay there thinking all sorts of horrible outcomes and couldn't help think of how I'd ruined Garrett's birthday forever. The lack of information and my overactive imagination prompted me to sob. She then realized how terrified we were and quickly explained that everything was fine with the baby. He'd finally rolled over so that she could see everything clearly and she said it was "beautiful" and "gorgeous."

Whew!

We do need to return in four weeks for her to check up on a little something she saw. She said that the baby has always turned out fine. So, fiddle dee dee, we're not going to worry about that.

Everything turned out well. We have a healthy baby boy on the way--and he's already showing how stubborn and ornery he is!

The name we're calling him is Maximus Luke. (Of course, we reserve the right to change it if we meet him and think it doesn't fit. Max.) Luke is in honor of my grandpa. Garrett will probably be the only person to ever call him Maximus. Probably Maximus Decimus. I love the name Max, though. I'd prefer Maxim or Maximillian, but Garrett's love for The Gladiator is strong. Many years from now, I'm sure they'll watch it together.

Here's a picture of Garrett with his new birthday gift--Guitar Hero. Oh yeah.

GLAMOUR Cover Art

Oh. My. Goodness.

I received an email today from the brilliant lady who is creating the cover art for my book. She sent me four different ones and said that I'd have say on the final. What do I say? They're amazing!

It's like she crawled inside my head and saw my fictional world as I saw it. How did she do that?I've been imagining what this book would look like for several years now. She asked my opinion on a few things earlier and I told her. However, she nailed details I'd dreamed of but never mentioned.

Grinning from ear to ear, I opened the first one and thought, "This is it. This is perfect." Once I reached the last one, I realized she'd done an excellent job on each one.

I have two favorites, but we'll see which one makes the cover. As soon as I get permission, I'll post it for you to see.

Use media? Use your brain.

What is going on with people using technology? I love the ease of access to information, but what is with people's inability to control themselves?

As long as email has been around we've known that lies and vitriol can be sent to as many people as one has in the address book. Now blogs and places like My Space and YouTube allow an even broader forum. And for some reason, many believe the trash with the mentality my grandmother once had about tabloid mags: "They wouldn't print it if it weren't true." Sadly, we've stopped thinking for ourselves and standing up for what is right.

Cowards find it easy to be brave sitting behind a computer screen--Brad Paisley's song "Online" went to #1. Why? We recognize the truth in the lyric, "I'm so much cooler online."

The taping of that girl's beating in Florida is a sad statement about our society. As I watched the interview, Pink's song "Stupid Girls" kept playing through my head. First of all, what possessed them to physically hurt another person? Second of all, what level of brain cells are they lacking that made them think it was a genius idea to tape it (gather evidence for the police) and post it on You Tube?

The girl who got damaged allegedly badmouthed the girls on her My Space page. This was a dumb thing to do. She was only out-dumbed by the girls who beat her up and the stupid boys who stood guard. If the girl had written false things on her site, I think all parties were wrong and should be punished--legally.

Teens and younger have a lot of power in the media and they need to realize it. As Spider-Man knows, "With great power, comes great responsibility." Authorities need to give youth credit for their brainpower and hold them accountable. Laws should be passed and enforced about online abuse. Let's face it. Adults can be as stupid as those girls on the video.

I don't get it.

Still, while those teenagers are sitting in a detention center--and they totally deserve it--American Idol gave back last night. It was really cool to see so many people take their success and show that they still believe it's important to "give back." Last year they raised $76 M. This year is certain to surpass that number.

I was disappointed in one aspect, however, because I totally wanted to see Miley Cyrus interact with David Archuletta. I'm guessing he would blush and grin while she headbanged her long curls. How cute a couple would they be? Wouldn't you love for them to sing a duet?I know for a fact neither one of them would be stupid or mean enough to plaster evil-doings on the internet.

Maternity Shopping

If one more person tells me at a maternity shop that I'm only barely pregnant before they know how far along I am, I may do something violent and hormonal. I mean, c'mon, tell my closet and all of the clothes that I can't wear anymore that I'm barely pregnant. I'm at the heaviest I've ever been in my life. Actually, in the last week, I'm pretty sure I passed that number.

The other day Garrett said every time he sees me, I'm bigger. I believe him.

My mom was such a trouper when it came to shopping. I hope she enjoyed it. She bought me some clothes and patiently helped in dressing rooms as I tried to get accustomed to this strange new body of mine. It's wonderful to wear clothes that actually FIT again! I finally have a pair of jeans that fit over my thighs and don't require one of those belly bands to stay up because the ability to zip and button them is long past.

For women who haven't been pregnant before, be careful in those dressing rooms. They have a pillow that ties around your waist to add 3 months to your pregnant belly. In theory, it's supposed to help you buy clothes that will fit in the future. In reality, it scares the hell out of you and makes the baby's grandmother laugh.

And breasts? Ugh. They're sooo overrated. A total pain. I had to get sized because my mind could not grasp the fact that I needed the size I actually do. At Destination Maternity I got up close and personal with Trudy, who insisted on putting the bras on me herself. She was so sweet and helpful and even got me to buy some belly cream without checking the price until I got home. Cha-ching! However, a comfortable bra has made it to the top of my list of things that have made me happy in my life.

My friend Alison has promised me some of her maternity clothes--as soon as the girl whose baby is due in April returns them. I'm looking forward to it. I'd always heard babies were expensive, but no one mentioned how hard it is to get dressed in the morning!

New York Auto Show March 29, 2008

While my mom visited, we had only one pretty day--and it was frickin' cold. So we went into the city and checked out the New York Auto Show. Garrett claimed it was the biggest in the nation and we'd be impressed. Surprisingly, for a gal who usually can identify a car only by color, I thought it was pretty cool. That's G and my mom in the pic above.
It didn't take long for me to get exhausted--and hungry. So, yeah, I ate the whole pizza by myself. You didn't think my face could get that round just from the baby, did you? And, that pooch around my belly... well, that's not my shirt bunching up--which is what I thought when I saw it.
The most exciting aspect of the show was seeing this car--even though a bunch of guys and little boys made no effort to get out of my way so I could get a better view. Do you recognize him? It's Bumblebee! From Transformers! I just know that if those people would have gotten out of my way, he would have transformed and had a chat with me. I'd like to ask him why the amazing theme song from the cartoon didn't make it to the movie. Seriously, I was so disappointed that I had to sing it to myself. It probably annoyed Garrett.
Isn't she pretty? This is my new car. You can't exactly tell from the picture, but this little Jag looks like a kitty cat in the face. Me-ow.

Boy or Girl?

We're finding out on April 15 (Garrett's birthday). What do you think? Take our poll!

What is Baby B?
	Boy
	Girl
pollcode.com free polls