Guess how lucky you are?  You get 3 posts in 1 today!  No need to thank me, but gifts are appreciated.  Really, I just want to wrap up vacation and Jon’s birthday, as I was delayed in my posting, and it makes me kind of twitchy posting way after something happens.  I can’t take 3 days of twitching in a row, so a big all-in-one post it is. 

Cheesy Family Picture Day

You know the drill.  Khaki pants, white shirts, barefoot on the beach.  Now smile and pretend like you’re not a dysfunctional family…..

Honestly, though, I think they turned out pretty good.  Besides the fact that Jon’s hat cast a shadow over half my face in all of the group shots.  Thanks, hon, I see how it is.

I call this one “Organized Chaos.”

The obligatory hand on belly shot.  Now that’s one for the baby book…..(mental note: buy baby book)

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While the Cat’s Away the Mouse Will Play

Looky here, people….another post!  This one’s dedicated to Jon’s fishing trip with the guys (6 hours of fishing…who does that?) and a late night out at Bud & Ali’s beachside bar, where I apparently missed my husband start up dance party USA.  Eh, whatever….seen it a hundred times before.

A bunch of ships…going out to catch some fish.  I assume.  Not really sure, wasn’t there.

I have no explanation for my brother-in-law’s hat.

I’m going to blame the extreme close proximity of the brothers on the extreme flowing-ness of the beer…..

I do not, however, have any justification for my brother-in-law’s dance move in the background.

Apparently my mother-in-law found the dancing very entertaining.  The next day she kept saying, “I had no idea Jon had moves like that!”  Lady, when the boy was 9 years-old he slept with one glove on and insisted his name was Michael Jackson.  (mental note: dig out photo, scan, post for readers to point and laugh)

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Poor B-Day Boy

Yep, another post!  Try to contain your excitement!  As you may or may not know, Jon’s birthday is on the Fourth of July.  I, personally, think it’s an awesome day for a birthday, but Jon doesn’t feel the same way.  Apparently he feels that his birthday gets lost in the shuffle of other things going on.  Usually I think that’s a bunch of crap, but this year, I will have to agree with him.  Between vacation and parades and a million other things, he kind of got the shaft.  People were too busy to go out and buy presents, so he pretty much just got a few gift cards.  And his lovely wife?  Well, she didn’t even have time to get him anything!  (Shame on me!)  He did get a little celebration while in Florida, along with our brother-in-law who’s birthday is also in July and another celebration at my parents’ house after we returned.

The birthday boys in all their glory (whatever that means…)

Is there really much left to wish for when you’re on vacation in Florida?

Annnd another wish back in Kentucky at my parents’ house…

As everyone anxiously awaited the cheesecake and key lime pie.  Mmmmm.

My cousins (posing with my grandma) were even in town all the way from Florida for the celebration!  (Ok, that’s not really why they came to visit, but we’ll let Jon think that anyways…)

But my sister’s family did come just for the birthday celebration from Louisville.

Me and the birthday boy posing in the backyard.  Lovely, eh?

And that’s it!  The posting-palooza is over!  Shew, that was tough…..spacing issues are about to make my head explode.  Must step away from computer now. 

Sick of me talking about vacation yet?  Yea, me too, but sorry, I want to be able to look back at all the glorious times later!  So, just suck it up….I’m almost through my pictures.  Today’s topic?  Well, if you didn’t figure it out by the title, I am worried about you. 

This is the house we shared for the week.  When we pulled up and I saw that it was purple, I knew it was going to be a good week.  The beach was just a little past the yellow house you see behind ours.  But I don’t care about that….the pool (also known as my little piece of fresh, clean heaven) was a mere stone’s throw away.  When we were worn out from the sun or in some people’s cases…from the beer, we’d all retreat inside and enjoy our little beach house.

Sometimes we would relax on the couch……..

Or play a very serious game of poker, as demonstrated here by the look of pure concentration on Jon’s face.

Sometimes we’d even play the guitar and stare lovingly at our husbands.  Well, some people.  Not so much me…..

Then we would watch the children hurl themselves around on the ground for a while….

or practice becoming a parent by entertaining the baby…..

…..which comes very naturally to some people.  (This is where you all say “awwwwwwwwww”)

Annnnnd…..again with the “awwwwwwwwwwww.”

And on that sweet note, I’ll wrap this up.  Mainly cause I’m out of pictures around the house.  Hmmm, thought I had more than that.  Anyways, stay tuned tomorrow for Cheesy Family Picture Day.  I know you can’t wait….

While relaxing by the pool and being just plain lazy consumed most of my time while on vacation, I did venture out a couple times to explore the area.  Come, take a little tour with me….

The fam went out to dinner at a tasty little restaurant called “The Fish House” one night.  Well, tasty if you are a fan of the seafood.  If you’re not such a fan, like myself for instance, it’s not so tasty.  It’s kid’s chicken fingers and fries.  So, ya know, it’s more like going to McDonald’s, but whatever….I’m a good sport.  Oh yea….the guy with his arm up like he’s on Spring Break 2008 who may have had a few too many beverages at the beach….that’s the obligatory crazy uncle.  Gotta love him. 

Just trying to take a nice little photo at the restaurant.  Why does he torture me so?

I guess he gets it from his dad, who no doubt just said something inappropriate to embarrass my mother-in-law.

That’s better, dear.  Thankyouverymuch.

The kids, on the other hand, are totally allowed to act like fools in public. 

Meanwhile, my sister-in-law has no idea her picture is being taken.  She’s too consumed by the Sush Menu! that everybody thought was so exciting.  No idea why anyone would get excited over raw fish, but whatever.

My sister-in-laws and their kids outside the restaurant.  I can be included in this picture next year……holy crap.

After dinner….glad you guys enjoyed your fancy seafood.  My chicken fingers were just amazing.  Sigh.

A few days later, after feeling a bit secluded in our little beach community, I decided we should hit up Panama City, which is only about 25 minutes away.  Typically I think of Panama City as the land of airbrushed t-shirts and lifelong regrets, but I heard they had a nice new shopping district complete with a Margaritaville.  Forget the fact I couldn’t actually drink a margarita at Margaritaville. 

But, despite no drinking of the sacred Margaritas, it was awesome.

The best part?  When the disco ball dropped out of the airplane hanging above our heads and shot confetti out everywhere.

Next we hit up a few shops.  Well, the few that hadn’t already closed for the night.

Jon seemed to enjoy himself.  (I’m not gonna lie, I don’t really understand that sign.)

After our shopping adventure, which sadly only included 3 shops, we headed to Tootsie’s Country Bar for a little while.  Yes, I was the pregnant girl at the bar.  Yes, I hid outside behind the table.  Good times.

I have sadly returned from our marvelous family beach vacation.  We went to Seagrove Beach in the Florida panhandle with Jon’s dad, stepmom, stepbrother, his ex-wife (strange, I know), their daughter, stepsister, her husband and 2 kids, their babysitter, and the obligatory crazy uncle.  Not that I’m not happy to be back at the blogging world, but who am I fooling….if I had to choose to give up the ol’ blog or live in a beach house year round, well I’m sorry, it would be sayonara suckers.  This being my first completely sober vacation in ohhh, 10 years or so, I was weary.  (Spring Break, you will live in my heart forever.  I cherish those moments of dancing on tables and kegs on the beach, but we all gotta grow up sometime….*tear*)  I was especially weary being surrounded by the family that is my husband’s.  They like the drinky drink, and well, it sucks not being able to enjoy a beachy drinky drink when everyone around you is.  But!  I’m happy to say that I ended up having one of the best vacations ever.  Seriously.  I lounged on the beach in the mornings, swam in the pool in the afternoons, read a book, played with the chidlins, ate a bunch of crap, did a little shopping, and hung out with the babysitter on the evenings when the crew headed out for a little beach bar action.  Note:  My husband will be highly disappointed in me if I don’t point out the fact that he spent lots of quality time with his dear pregnant wife and only went out 2 nights when I insisted he go.  (You’re welcome, hon.)

So I was just looking through all the vacation pics, and decided I had better split the vacation wrap-up post into several mini-posts due to the volume of pictures I feel deserve some publicity.  Heaven forbid I leave out the picture of the crab! or the palm tree!  Today you get beach and pool pictures, you lucky fools, you.  Posts to come the rest of the week…..Cheesy Family Picture Day, Da Beach House, When the Cat’s Away the Mouse Will Play, Out and About, Poor B-Day Boy, and Mah 22 week Belly (which actually has nothing to do with vacation and can’t actually be posted until after Saturday when I will, indeed, be 22 weeks.)  Ok, enough rambling.

Sunset in Seagrove….slightly different than sunset in Kentucky.

The beach awaits us…..

Jon and his uncle kayaking…..didn’t look so much like fun as it did work to me, so I just watched.

My brother-in-law trying to teach my neice how to surf or boogie board or something of that nature.

Mr. Crab.  He’s awesome.

Annnnd, that’s about as far as I go in the ocean.  Especially when the seaweed’s all crazy-like.  Ew.

At least the seaweed wasn’t that bad the whole time….

Yep, my husband’s got class…..

If only every day could be a flip-flop day.

Now this is more my style.  Clean, fresh chlorine-filled water.  Ahhhhhhh.

My chubby wubby nephew and step mother-in-law love the pool too.

So does my little scuba nephew.

Annnnd…..just cause it’s a cool picture.  Think I could be a photographer for Corona?

My ultrasound appointment on Tuesday was at 1:00.  I went to work that morning, as per usual, and had the concentration level of an ADD 5 year-old after devouring a carton of rocky road.  I suddenly just knew it was a girl.  I was picking out room colors in my head.  I was wondering if she would be as enthralled with Barbie as I was.  Yep, I just knew it was a girl, no doubt about it.

The waiting room was overflowing with women ready to pop and several sleeping husbands.  (I’ve never understood how people can just fall asleep in public like that.)  We waited a good 45 minutes until we were called back, which gave my mind plenty of time to almost hit full panic attack mode.  I had kept my worries at bay about cysts and missing heart chambers and abnormal head size.  Until then.  Just as I was about to lose it, they called my name and we were escorted directly to the ultrasound room.  We even got my favorite ultrasound tech.   

Approximately 1.5 seconds after turning on the machine and moving the rolly thing over my stomach, she said, “So you do want to know what it is, right?”  We almost jumped out of our chairs to answer, “YES!” and she immediately said, “You’ve got yourselves a baby boy and he’s bragging about it!”  That’s when Jon made a squeal sound that should never come out of a male’s body.  Well, unless he just found out he’s having a son, I suppose.  He gets a free pass, but just this once.  Oh yea….and then he stood up and danced.  No, I’m not kidding or even exaggerating.  Oh, how he drives me crazy at times, but it’s entertainment like this that makes me keep him around. 

My reaction was one of shock and disbelief.  “Whaaaaaaat?!”  My first shot to prove my motherly instinct and I was wrong.  Like, way wrong.  Damn, not off to a good start.  But once the shock wore off (after repeating, “I can’t believe it’s a boy!” about 15 times) I was really excited.  I was especially excited for Jon because I knew how much he’d been daydreaming of coaching baseball and taking his son camping.  Also excited because our little boy will have so many little playmates to grow up with, since my sister is having her second boy in October and my sister-in-law has a 3 year-old and a 7 month-old boy.  Oh, and cause wittle bitty baby boys are just so freakin’ sweet. 

Thank God everything looked just perfect with the baby (who maybe possibly got a name last night, as we finally agreed on something…will tell you when we’re sure, I promise.)  The only little problem, which very well could not be a problem, that she saw was that my placenta was lying low and close to the cervix.  She assured me that it almost always rises up and out of the way as the uterus grows, but just to be sure, I will have another ultrasound at 32 weeks.  If it doesn’t move up and out of the way, I would have to have a c-section, but it’s pretty unlikely. 

So all is good in baby world, and I wanted to say thanks to everyone who has left comments and is happy for us too.  It’s all greatly appreciated!  Jon’s birthday is tomorrow (Happy Birthday, Baby Daddy!) so we’ll be busy with that and 4th of July hoopla, and Saturday we are off to the beach near Destin, Florida.  There are not words to describe how ready I am to get outta here for a glorious sun-filled week.  So till then….sayanora, hasta luega, I’m out!

Let me introduce you to our perfectly healthy, beautiful little baby!  You can tell if it’s a boy or girl, right?

No, you can’t?  Well, how about from this candid photo where the baby is waving at us?

Still couldn’t tell?  Sheesh!  Well, fine.  How ’bout this one?  Oh yes, that is what you think it is.  That, my friends, is a sure bet we’re having ourselves a little boy!  Eeeek!

So tomorrow’s the big day.  Boy or girl day!  Jon is bursting at the seams to know simply because he’s that kind of person.  The kind that insists on exchanging Christmas presents the day they are purchased.  I’m dying to know so I can finally have a sense of how to relate to this baby.  Do I start daydreaming of baseball games and Thomas the train or little hairbows and princesses?  I just feel like once I know I’ll have a better sense of who this little person is we’re anxiously awaiting.  I can honestly say that I don’t prefer one over the other.  I love that boys are more laid back and are happy running around outside for hours and I love that girls like to have their nails painted and are better at chatting.  Either way, I’m just ready to know! 

So, what do you think?  Let’s take a little survey….boy or girl?

The ol’ reading bug has bitten me lately, which I suspect has a direct correlation to the lack of usual summertime activities I partake in (aka sitting on patios and drinking beer and tequila filled frozen beverages.)  I just read The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeannette Walls, which I finished in 3 days and think everyone should read, not only because it will instantly become a healthy addiction (I mastered the art of reading and watching my husband’s softball game simultaneously thanks to this book,) but also because it will set you in your place by making you feel like a jackass for complaining about your meal at a restaurant taking too long or having “nothing to eat” in your house, when actually there is a pantry-full of stuff you’re just too lazy to put together.  Seriously, go buy it.  Or….I have an idea!  Go check it out at your local library, which brings me to the point of this post…..how convenient.

The point being that the library is actually very cool.  (This is the part where I start rapping about reading being awesome and making you smart while wearing hot pink pants and wacky suspenders.  Sorry, middle school video flashback.)  Anyways, we had lasagna brought into work today and since I have very little self control if there is food sitting a few feet away from me, I ate at my desk around 11:45.  Was delicious, by the way.  This posed a quandary for me when 12:30 rolled around and I was ready to clock out and get out of the office for a while.  What to do, where to go?  I recalled that there’s a library directly across the street and I need some new books to read before vacation (I taste you now, sweet saltwater, Florida air…I am coming soon, my love.)  Only one problem.  I believe I have a few library books from, ohhhh, about 3 years ago, somewhere in my house.  Possibly under the bed?  In the garage?  No idea.  Surely they won’t let me check out any new books when I have unreturned ones, just like all those workers at the video rental places who have “banned” me for irresponsible renting habits.  Bastards.  But, being the clever gal that I am, it occured to me that I have a new last name since the last time I went to the library.  New last name equals new identity in my book (no pun intended.)  And guess what?  It worked.  Got me a shiny new library card with no old fees to pay off.  The library is an awesome place to spend your lunch break by the way.  They have new release dvd’s you can rent, a plethora of amazing books (crazy, I know), and even a little cafe inside!  Not gonna lie, kind of excited about this little treasure I came across.  What’s that?  The library is not a NEW thing?  Been around for years?  Well, whatever, it’s still awesome.  So, anyways, allow me to share my check-out selections with you (you’re only allowed to check out 5 items your “first” time….haha, little do they know.)

• I Heart Bloomberg by Melody Carlson - Sounds like a nice little girly read for the beach.
• When Zeffie Got a Clue by Peggy Darty - Described as a “cozy mystery” on the front cover (yes, I do judge a book by its’ cover.)
• Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella - Another highly intellectual read by the author of the Shopoholic series.

Have you read any of these?  Yay or nay?  Get to reading or run them back to the library ASAP (figuratively speaking, of course…I’m not doing too much running these days.  Ok, well I have never done too much running, but that’s beside the point.)  I also rented 2 DVD’s, which I’m a little embarrassed to tell you about, but I just don’t feel right pulling the wool over your eyes, so here ya go.

• Infant and Toddler Emergency First Aid, Volume I - So this baby isn’t even the size of a grapefruit yet, and I’m already THAT mother.  You know….the paranoid one.  But according to the video, I really need to know how to deal with Stings! Sun Exposure! Eye Injuries! Nose Problems!  Those who know me personally know I don’t do well with medical emergencies, and neither does Jon.  I figure if anybody can use a little training, it’s us.  Otherwise our kid will come running in the house with a scraped knee crying for help and will have to deal with “Your father will help you!”  “No, your mother will help you!”  “Oh dear Lord, that is disgusting!”  “What do we do, for the love of all things holy?!”  And then we’ll both pass out.
• Total Yoga, Earth Series - Oh, this one even makes me laugh.  I am so not the Yoga type.  Or the exercise type, for that matter.  But I keep reading how labor is often easier for women who are in better shape and I figure I shouldn’t do anything with too much bouncing around, so Yoga it is.  This should be interesting, I’ll keep you posted.

Oh!  One more thing before ending this, the longest post ever.  I felt the popping bubbles, that I can only assume is my unborn child, last night!  Three or four times in just a couple of minutes actually.  Holy crap, this is really gonna happen, isn’t it?

I know, I know!  I’m annoyed with myself so you don’t have to be.  I go and announce I’m knocked up, write a couple measly little posts, and then disappear for two weeks.  I’m tellin’ ya, sometimes I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  Well, I do know….my ongoing computer issues and we’ve been really busy with holidays and birthdays and whatnot.  Well, and a bunch of other things like my love for crappy television (yes, I like the Tori and Dean show, I am ashamed) and my disdain for all things Winnie the Pooh (but really, come on,) but that’s beside the point.  Today is a very special day, however, because it’s the day the tech guy at work granted me access to upload my pictures on my work computer.  I love you, tech guy.  What’s new, in bullets:

• Guess what?  My sister is pregnant too…..only 3 weeks ahead of me, in fact!  They already know they’ll be having their second boy.
• We find out in 8 days what we’re having.  We are beyond ready to not have an “It” baby anymore! 
• We have a girl’s name picked out, but have not completely agreed on the boy’s name…..although I did receive a sign at work today to go with Jon’s favorite name choice.  I seriously thought I was being punked.
• My eyesight seems to have gotten much worse in the last couple of months.  It didn’t occur to me that it might be pregnancy related, but I just happened to read that it is common in pregnant women.  Weird, huh?
• I haven’t bought a single thing for this baby yet.  Nothing, nada, zilch.  We’re waiting to find out the sex, but I’m feeling a little more anxious and unprepared every day.  (Note to my husband…I am only going to get crazier about things needing to get down NOW! before this baby arrives, so you may as well hop on that little honey do list I got going.  Thankyouverymuch.)
• Reading the baby registry checklist from Babie R Us may or may not have set me into a mild panic attack.
• Most maternity pants are still big on me, seeing as though the makers of said pants expect my ass to grow to the size of Montana, so I’m still squeezing into some of my regular pants.  (And by “squeezing in,” I mean sitting here at my desk currently with my button undone.)
• I finally got some belly pics uploaded!

Eighteen weeks.  That is almost 20 weeks, which is almost halfway there, which is making my head spin just a little bit. 

You see my dilemma?  Not quite big enough for maternity pants, yet busting out of regular pants.  Then again, you can never please a pregnant woman.  Just ask my husband….

I had my third pre-natal appointment yesterday, and am happy to say everything went very well.  I actually spent more time in the waiting room than I did in the back, which wouldn’t be so bad if I had remembered to bring my book.  Instead, I was stuck with a selection of magazines including Woman’s Day, Parent’s, and Seventeen.  I went with Seventeen, even though the title makes it clear I am 11 years too old to be reading it.  I was thrilled to learn “How to leave a flirty message in your crush’s yearbook without being too obvious!”  What a coincidence, I’ve always wanted to know that!  Seriously though, I know I’m about to be a parent, but I’m sorry, I find the motherly magazines incredibly boring.  How to get your kid to eat vegetables, how to get your husband to do the dishes, what I should pack for a family outing to the pool, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. 

After almost an hour of sifting through the pages of Seventeen and doing a little people watching, I was finally called back.  It was a quick weigh-in, pee in a cup, take blood pressure, listen to heartbeat sort of appointment.  I’ve only gained a pound so far (which she said was just fine), pee looked good (because I’m sure you were dying to know), blood pressure good, heartbeat strong, right at 15 weeks, 4 days.  The doctor did say the heartbeat sounded “boyish” because it was on the slower (yet still healthy) side.  Any readers out there have their doctor predict the sex according to the heartbeat before?  Was he/she correct?  I don’t really think there’s any merit in the ol’ heartbeat wives’ tale, but hearing it from your doctor makes you think twice. 

I did ask her about the one pregnancy related problem I’m having at this point.  I’ve been having a shooting pain down my left outer thigh almost daily.  She confirmed what I suspected, which is that the baby is sitting on my sciatic nerve.  The solution?  Leg stretches, heating pad, warm bath.  Grrrreat.  Even better, she predicted it will only get worse.  Anyone else have this problem?  Did it remain for your entire pregnancy?  Please say noooo.  But honestly, I have been so lucky with an easy pregnancy so far, I’m going to shut my mouth and stop complaining now. 

So, yep.  That’s the report.  Hopefully the baby cooperates for the ultrasound at my next appointment and I’ll have exciting boy or girl news!  The suspense, it is a KILLIN’ ME.