The Dog Who Wanted to Go to Work

Yes. My story today happened because I was feeling quite faint - a new normal in my pregnant life. Zoë's gift to me right now is low blood pressure. Along with that comes my body adjusting most mornings after having comfortably sleeping lying down the night before. Thank you Zoë for this new found gift (much much better than the alternative I must say)!

Anyway, I was getting ready to put my lunch in my lunch bag when I had to sit down. After waiting a while, I tried to move around to walk out the door and just didn't feel well enough to walk out there by myself. Ben, being the most wonderful husband there is (seriously! I am SO beyond blessed!), graciously obliged to help me to my car just to ensure I didn't pass out on the way. Thus, we walked out the door with Ben closing it behind us.

Just as we made it to my car, one of the residents here exclaims, "OH NO! Uh that's someone's dog!" Ben and I both look over to see the guy jumping away from Louis! Apparently, Ben didn't shut the door well enough to latch so it opened back up. Louis took that as an opportunity to run and find us.

As soon as we realized it was Louis, I called him over. He came with wagging tail and ready for me to pick him up. I immediately put him in my car because it seemed the only logical solution since my other hand was full and Ben had both hands full. As I put all my stuff on the seat, Louis stared out the window grinning like he was ready to come to work with me. Silly dog! He normally freaks when he sees the car (we're pretty sure he has car anxiety - he vomits just about every car ride we take) but showed no inkling of it this morning.

Boy am I going to miss that dog! At least we have good memories while he is here :) [For those who don't know, Ben and I decided it would be best to find a new home for him due to our crazy schedules, lack of time and attention able to give him, and impending baby coming home only to steal more time away from him. Unless something changes, God has provided a home through a great family from our church who will provide exactly what he needs and give him just as much if not more love than we do! He will be going home to them this Christmas.]

It's a GIRL!!

Yes indeed! I'm here to say motherly intuition played in and won out on this one: I would have guessed its a girl. I didn't really say such as I am not God and it was a guessing game for me until the sonogram showed. Zoë Grace is measuring perfectly for her due date of March 17, 2012!

At the very, very beginning of the pregnancy I thought I was carrying a boy, honestly more out of fear of needing to produce a male heir for Ben's family than anything. But I quickly opted to stay neutral for a while when I kept hearing all those "hard facts" busted (and as I realized more why I "thought" it was a boy). Ya know how if you carry low it's a boy, high it's a girl. Or if you're really nauseous it's a girl. Shoot I can't even remember all of them but I know I kept hearing all of the statements said in opposite too: "NO! If you carry low it's a girl and high it's a boy." Well, that about did it for me. I realized the baby is what it is and no matter how you carry or the heart beats or what not it's gender is what God designed for it to be. SO...

I quickly let go of thinking it was a boy and somewhere in there just "knew" it was a girl. I honestly didn't mind either way. I knew I would be happy as long as I heard "seems to be healthy" at my check-ups and when we found out. Today was just that.

Hopefully, the pregnancy will continue to progress as such with absolutely zero complications. I truly am blessed to be able to say that. The few uncomfortable, not-completely-normal aspects I have experienced are very minor in comparison to some and I will gladly live with them for 19 or so more weeks.

I have a feeling my little "Bean" is going to be a cuddle bug. EVERY ultrasound we have a snapshot of her laying on her side with her hand under her head. She at least likes to get comfy for sure!

 Zoë Grace with her hand (very hard to see) snugged up tight under her cheek :) So precious to me!

She also just LOVES to change position and see how flexible she can show herself off to be. There were several times we caught her with her legs pulled completely to her chest. We also caught her like this:

If you notice, that line above her head is her leg stretched completely out above her head! Silly girl!

Oh...and it was soo cute: just before the tech caught the first pic, we got to see her take a HUGE yawn. Then she snuggled up. Ben says she's going to be a little gymnast :)

To my Sweet Little "Bean":

Zoë you are already loved soooo much but no one will ever love you more than your mommy and daddy! Daddy is already talking about his need to purchase a shot gun and bat to ward off the boys :) It is my desire to raise you with a heart for the Lord ready to do just whatever He has designed for you. I hope and pray you continue to grow healthy and strong in your little cocoon. 

To give you an idea of what's going on in your world right now:

• Your heart continues to beat healthy and strong at 144 bpm
• You are extremely flexible, my dear, and LOVE to show it off :)
• You have begun to practice swallowing and definitely like to yawn - we caught you take a big one just before you curled up for some sleep!
• You weigh a whole 14 oz which Doc says is just right.

That's about all I'm able to think of right now as I am very sleepy. BUT - don't you ever forget Mommy loves you VERY VERY MUCH!! Can't wait to meet you sweet girl!

Love, Hugs, and Kisses,
Mommy

P.S. Your cousin Brayden cannot wait to meet you. In fact, when Aunt Lindsey told him we found out you are a girl yesterday, he told her, "She needs to come out now!" :) I hope you guys will be good buddies (and that both B-man and Con-Con will protect you)!

Exhausted just doesn't describe it...

...not to mention fail at the blog prompts :)

Sleeping these days seems to be a thing of the past. I guess it's prepping me for life with "Bean". I get some rest at night. A little here. A little there. Unfortunately though, nature calls many times a night and the wee hours of the morning frequently seem to have a staring contest with me (and shutting my eyes doesn't seem to help me lose :/).

On the positive note, Louis seems to be steadily growing out of his "puppiness" and hanging on the the concepts we're working on with him. We love the little dude and hopefully he will continue to become a well-behaved canine citizen. We unfortunately will look for a new home if he can't (come on Louis! We're rooting for you!). Sometimes I do find myself completely frustrated with him, but for now I'm trying to see that as God using it to mold me. It's very similar to child, in my opinion.

Well I'm gonna jet seeing as I'm nodding off as I type.

Toodles!

My Life's "Top 10"

Todays writing prompt comes from The Imagination Prompt Generator. I may prefer this just because I don't have a time limit on thinking (at least not a really short time of 60 seconds). :)


If I had 15 minutes to evacuate my home before it was to be destroyed by a hurricane, what 10 things would I grab (not including people or pets)


First off, I have to say that my take on them not allowing me to take people and pets is they are already coming with me :) I honestly could not leave without my hubby, my dog, or my to-be-born child so if they weren't coming, I wouldn't be leaving. Anyway, here is my list from least to most important to me (So just to explain why #10 is what it is, I started with one but wanted to save it for last. Thus, you have #10):


10) I honestly have no clue and am sick of thinking at this point


9) My favorite over-sized hoodie. I frequently get cold OR I just decide to cuddle up in something comfortable and that serves both purposes.


8) A few comfy outfits - can't do much or go many places without clothing!


7) My purse. It always holds several daily essentials.


6) My mock "moccasin" type shoes and chacos. My two favorite pair and I could wear one of them!


5) My hygiene products. Although I do occasionally skip a day, I really enjoy being clean both mouth-wise and body-wise.


4) My water bottle. I literally take it everywhere with me and find myself wondering why I left it at home when I forget it. About the only place it doesn't go with me is into a restaurant because I can order water in there :)


3) My photo albums and any pictures I had time to ransom from frames. I really enjoy being able to look at the snapshots of the memories and allow them to take me back.


2) Several books. I would probably just have to grab because since I really enjoy reading, I would have a very difficult time trying to pick specific ones.


1) My Bible. God is the reason I even exist. He is who I strive to live for on a daily basis and am nothing without Him. Not to mention I read it on a consistent basis and look to His word for guidance A LOT!


Well, there ya have it folks. 


This was much harder than I expected and honestly after about #4 I really struggled to think of what I would grab. I do know 100% #1 and #2 would hold true because those are actually items I have grabbed before in an "emergency" situation. I say it this way because some stupid freshman decided it would be funny to pull the fire alarm at 3am in my dorm my first year (it was an all freshman dorm) and when I finally came to, I ran out my room only to run back in for my back pack which held my Bible and the few books I was reading for pleasure at the time because I couldn't imagine what I would do without them if they burned. 


If you want, I would love to see what your "Top 10" are. Post a comment with the link to your blog or other site we can access to read.

So here goes...

I have trouble knowing exactly what to write, especially because of 2 things: 1) my job is highly confidential and I want to protect the privacy of the patients considering if I were them I wouldn't want me news out everywhere and 2) my job is very similar every day with small twists: help those who need help. Simple enough but I find I struggle to really blog on a daily basis and since I don't always find something in my life or from my mind to blog, I don't maintain a regular blog.

So....

I am going to try "The One-Minute Writer" blog prompts (link here). I may find this difficult as it only gives you a single minute to respond. Who knows. This may be the beginning of my "blogging career".

Today's prompt: Draw me a picture. Use words as your media.


She stares out over the meadow. Time has long since bent to her. She slowly rocks: back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. These moments of sweet silence to reckon with herself...

Well...I definitely am quite rusty. That was the beginning of my word picture and the ellipses shows where the timer went off. Better luck next time!