Icing on the cake

In case you thought after I posted one important, political/religious blog post that my blog was going to continue to always be about such things, let me assure you that is not always going to be the case...today it is back to the mundane details of my life :)

Headline for the day: 24 weeks! Baby Sweet T is officially considered "viable", meaning if she were born today, she has a good chance at survival. The fact that she is a she, and that we have a level 4 NICU close by make it an even greater chance, so it's a really exciting place to be for me after having a preemie and knowing that it could happen again...sooner. For now, she does not seem to be trying to make an escape...my uterus is just irritated about her being in there and likes to let me know it. We had our first trip to L&D last weekend due to some REAL contractions, but thankfully they stopped before we even got there and we were sent home pretty quickly. I'm uncomfortable a lot of the time, but as far as we can tell, nothing is happening that is threatening the real deal just yet.

I am still struggling to remind myself that these:

are better than the steroid shots they give you when they think your baby will be born premature any time now, and they want to get their lungs matured quicker. Only 12 more of these lovely things to go...one of which is warming up right now...eek.

How far along?  24 weeks!!!

Total weight gain: 12 lbs as of last week
Maternity clothes? definitely
Stretch marks? not so far
Sleep:  Thank you Ambien...
Best moment this week: Knowing that baby girl is viable now if something happens!
Miss Anything? my old jeans?
Movement: always. I felt my first full-body flip yesterday...what a crazy feeling!
Food cravings: chocolate last night, but I got that one taken care of :)
Anything making you queasy or sick: random times it happens still, but not constant, thank goodness.
Gender: sweet baby girl
Labor Signs: not today!
Symptoms: braxton hicks contractions, back pain...the usual
Belly Button in or out? in, but it's on the move
Wedding rings on or off? on...no swelling anywhere yet
Happy or Moody most of the time: don't ask me...
Looking forward to:  Last time my answer was 24 weeks, and here we are, so now I will say 27 weeks and getting through the day when my water broke with Adelyn without it happening again!

Here are the belly pictures for the week: (can you see how lopsided my belly is in the first one? good grief...)

Chicken and cows and sex, oh my!

So, for the past two weeks or so, you probably haven't gotten on Facebook without seeing something about Chick-fil-a, free speech, gay marriage, boycotts, etc. Coming not long on the heels of the NC marriage amendment vote, this controversy has stirred up some strong feelings and opinions, and Facebook and Twitter have allowed it to become a very public debate that anyone can participate in and share their views. It started when CEO of Chick-fil-a, Dan Cathy, was quoted saying, “we’re inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage. And I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude that thinks we have the audacity to redefine what marriage is all about.” 
He was later asked again to clarify if his views were that gay marriage was wrong, and he said "guilty as charged" and that he supports the biblical definition of the family unit.
This can only come as so much of a surprise, considering that Chick-fil-a is known for being a Christian organization, and has always chosen to be closed on Sundays to allow their employees to have a chance to worship God. However, many supporters of gay marriage have responded with outrage and anger, while those who agree with Cathy have rallied behind the restaurant in support.

On Wednesday of last week, there was a national Chick-fil-a appreciation day, where supporters were called to show up and eat and demonstrate that business would not suffer because of boycotters. Record sales ensued, and a lot of pride was thrown around on social media sites by those who attended. In response, supporters of gay marriage/rights staged a "kiss in" protest a couple of days later, with a few less attendees and a little less media coverage. After all of this, most everyone is tired of hearing about it. People are irritated by each other's opposing views, don't care much about it in the first place, or are disappointed in the manner in which people are stating their beliefs. It's an annoying mess now, really.

So, I thought I'd chime in, one last time, and get off my chest what I've been feeling about it all. Here goes:
I, like Dan Cathy, believe that the Biblical view of homosexuality is correct--it is a sin. I believe marriage was designed to be between ONE man and ONE woman. So, I ate at Chick-fil-a last Wednesday, right? Right. But not because I'm a good Christian and want to be sure gay people don't get their way or "win" this one. I did what some would consider the opposite, and voted "No" on the marriage amendment that made it illegal for gay marriage to occur in NC. I did that because I don't believe it's the government's place to step in and decide that. I believe our churches should counsel their members who are followers of Christ to live according to the Bible, and love everyone regardless of their choice to live differently.

I have family members who are gay. I love them dearly. I love their spouse/partners dearly as well, and see them as family members just the same as any other. I feel that they should have the right to make the choice to stop or continue healthcare for each other, or manage each other's finances, etc. 

I think that by taking away the rights of others, we as Christians fail to show love and kindness, which is the FIRST commandment God has for us. I also think if we aren't careful what we support, we are being hypocrites and calling one sin worse than others. 
When was the last time a bunch of Christians protested people who were having sex outside of marriage with someone of the opposite sex? Pornography? Lust? What about lying, pride, or idolatry? Those sins don't get the same kind of attention, because they don't feel as heavy to us, or maybe not as unnatural for those of us who don't struggle with homosexuality. The Bible puts them together here in 1 Corinthians 6:
⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous^[b] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,^[c] 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sin is sin, and God weighs them all the same. If we spent nearly the amount of time being broken over the sin in our own hearts as we do worrying about the state of the world around us, I think we'd be pretty busy. 

So, will I keep eating Chick-fil-a? Yes. I think free speech is hugely important and it is a right I am thankful to have as an American. As long as Chick-fil-a does not have a record of unfair hiring practices, or unfair treatment of anyone attempting to patronize their restaurants, then I believe Dan Cathy has done nothing wrong by sharing his beliefs. Bigotry requires intolerance, and that has not been the case as far as I have seen so far. 

But, instead of jumping in on more Facebook debates and trying to win everyone over to my side...I think I'm going to try to spend some more time reflecting on my own sin and letting my heart be broken over the ways that I don't love as I have been called to love. I recommend you do the same, and then if you still have time to go save the world from their sin--good luck to you.

The bird and the bump

Well, we made it through another week, and we're growing! Baby sweet T (who has a name now, but I'm not telling!), is now approximately 1lb in weight and maybe close to a full foot long. Those are estimates for 22 weeks, and she's measured small in our past ultrasounds, so maybe a little shy of that right now, but still getting close to those! It sounds tiny, and it is, but having met some micropreemies who are even smaller...it sounds like big progress.
I decided after looking at some pictures, that while I am bigger than I was this time with Adelyn:
It's not as extreme as some are saying, and I am, in fact, not as big as I was right before I had Adelyn...though many have told me this is bigger than I ever was before. Hmph. Someone also told me I am getting thicker. While his hand was resting on my thigh. He meant well...somehow.

Oh well. It's been a long week, and we capped it off with a fun evening with friends. I volunteered to cook if they would be so brave and try out a new recipe with us. It turned out to be a winner, so I'm sharing with you all because it is really good and so easy, and that's really all I ask!


Italian Chicken: (from www.crockadoodledo.blogspot.com)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4-6 potatoes (I only had three, and there were plenty for the four of us)
Half a bag of baby carrots
Shredded Parmesan cheese
One bottle Italian dressing (16oz)
Italian Seasoning

Start by spraying the bottom of your crockpot, or lining it, or whatever you want to do to prevent stickage (I buttered). Pour a small amount of the Italian dressing to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken so that they are not overlapping as well as you can. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and then more Italian dressing over the tops (no real amounts specified...just go with what looks good). Add potatoes that are cut into wedges, sprinkle more cheese, seasoning, dressing. Add carrots, more seasoning, and then finish off whatever is left of your bottle of Italian dressing. I had a lot left at that point, but I decided to follow the directions and just pour it all in.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours (mine cooked for about 8, and I think it would have been good at 6...everything was very soft and falling apart).

I also added some garlic salt because I thought it needed a little more salt, and everything needs garlic...so if you like a little more flavor, sprinkle that among the layers as well.

Delicious. Anything that doesn't involve chopping veggies into small pieces and has less than 10 ingredients is on my list :)

Big girl things

Blogging consistently when you have a toddler is hard...I have been meaning to make a new post for several days now, but it just hasn't worked! But, my sweet friend Steph has a disclaimer on her blog that she blogs without obligation, so I think I like that plan--no promises of consistent or timely posts.

To catch up...I posted last time about  car shopping, and...I did it! I bought a car. It was a complicated process of crunching numbers and researching and practicing our marriage communication skills, but I think in the end we got a really good deal and I'm very pleased with my new car. It is a black Scion XB:
Admittedly, I think it's a pretty goofy-looking car. I always hated these boxy cars, and when it became our best option, I was a little whiny and dumb about it at first. I had my heart set on a Ford Escape, and since this is my first car purchase since I was 16, honestly, looks were kind of a big factor to me. As I test drove it, heard the gas mileage, saw the awesome DVD players on the back of the headrests, etc...the pros stacked up a lot higher than the cons. Con...only one con. So, the fact that it was funny looking was not enough to ruin the deal. It is much newer and lower-mileage than anything else I had found, and after dealing with a pretty slimy, smarmy car salesman when looking at another dealership, I knew we wanted to go this route. We signed a million papers and took the plunge, and I am loving it so far! Now it just has to get me about six years until I am 30 and feel maybe old enough to handle a minivan :)

We celebrated our anniversary on the 26th--four years! I had great plans to write a post about our story...from 10 years ago when we first met and all the rocky drama that led us to here. Nathan wasn't too stoked about it, I think, and I just never had the time. So, I will keep that on my list of posts to come one day. We didn't really do anything big this year...but we're hoping to get a vacation or at least a night away together before the deployment happens.

In the world of Adelyn, not so much is going on I guess...no broken bones this week or last, so that's always a plus. She took her first tumbling class today, and it was so fun! She usually is VERY slow to warm up to new people, but she surprised me and went to the teacher very willingly a few times, and had fun trying out the trampoline, bars, balance beam, and all the fun things to climb on and over. I think it will be nice to get her to socialize and get used to her teacher, and after the new baby comes, to have something that is just about her.
She has learned to say "go go go" and "mooo" and a few other new words lately, and is making me laugh by shaking or nodding her head to answer "yes" and "no" when we ask her things...it seems so grown up! She can also climb onto the couch now (sometimes) and is pretty proud of herself for that accomplishment. It's tough to be a short kid, so being able to get to new heights is a big deal to her!

Pregnancy-wise, things are okay...I got put on "moderate rest" last week. Note that it does not say BED rest, because as my doctor noted, staying in bed 24/7 is not the point. I am, however, supposed to be taking it easy and avoiding lifting, walking, exercising...etc. I'm not doing a great job sticking to it so far, but I'm trying. Because I'm having a lot of cramping and low back pain, the doctor I saw last week wants to keep a closer eye on me, so I have another appointment this week, and as we get to the big milestone of 24 weeks, we'll see about more monitoring or interventions if needed.
Baby girl seems to be doing well--hiccuping a lot and kicking and punching like a ninja. She always responds to Nathan's voice when he lays his head against my belly and talks to her, and I think it's really sweet to see. I currently have him agreeing to the name that I want, but he's being a little squirrelly and I'm still not totally sure he won't change his mind later. I'd like to be able to call her by name soon, so hopefully we'll reach a solid decision in the near future.

On a closing note, I think I have given up on my crunchy living experiment with making my own shampoo. The baking soda thing was working well for a couple of weeks, and then suddenly stopped making my hair feel clean, soft, smooth...etc. I then found a new recipe that used Castille soap and coconut milk, and that was even worse (although it smelled nicer by far), and my hair got super tangly, course, and sticky feeling. So, yesterday I bought a bottle of Herbal Essences newest product. I'm a little disappointed with myself, but it sure did feel nice to have clean, soft hair again today!

Halfway there!

How far along?  20 weeks!!

Total weight gain: 8lbs still
Maternity clothes? definitely
Stretch marks? nope, but my linea negra is getting more prominent
Sleep:  I need some today
Best moment this week: Making it to 20 weeks! Halfway done...shew.
Miss Anything? motivation
Movement: tons...this girl is a ninja.
Food cravings: nothing at the moment...
Anything making you queasy or sick: woke up queasy this morning again, but it's gone now, thankfully.
Gender: girl
Labor Signs: trying not to have those
Symptoms: fatigue, cramps and backache...growing pains.
Belly Button in or out? in, but Nathan said he thinks it's starting to move out...boo!
Wedding rings on or off? on! but I keep forgetting them!
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy
Looking forward to: 24 weeks--it's getting closer!


Currently sitting and warming my 17p shot...this one makes #5 which means 1/4 of the way done. I am dreading it. The burning pain that happens afterwards and lasts all day has been excruciating, and doesn't seem to be the experience of any other women I've asked about these shots, so why it is happening to me...I don't know. It sucks though, and I'm considering going next week to have one of my OB's nurses do it if this one burns too, because I feel like I have to be doing something wrong.


Woke up feeling really crampy and with a backache this morning, so I'm trying to get this shot done and sit back and drink drink drink. Adelyn and I are watching cartoons and counting down the hours until Nathan is home to provide backup and enjoy the weekend with us. No big plans other than celebrating our July birthdays with his family on Sunday...and maybe more car shopping? It's getting less fun now that it's not happening as easily as I thought. Hopefully the right one will come along soon enough.


Phew, okay, shot is in. 5 down, 15 to go!

Curious George

How far along? 19 weeks

Total weight gain: 8lbs! That is crazy to me since I had SUCH a hard time gaining with Adelyn and only made it to 10 total...this time it's happening steadily and right on track, yay!
Maternity clothes? yep, definitely needing those maternity pants/shorts full time now
Stretch marks? nope
Sleep:  so very sleepy--I think that's a side effect of the progesterone
Best moment this week: seeing my new baby girl on the screen and hearing that she looks perfectly healthy so far!
Miss Anything? my energy seems to be missing...
Movement: feeling big rolls now--hopefully that means she doesn't intend to be breech all the time
Food cravings: orzo salad--and my sister is making me some this weekend for my birthday!
Anything making you queasy or sick: not much!
Gender: 100% girl!
Labor Signs: nothing anyone wants to read about...yuck
Symptoms: heartburn! this girl better have some hair...
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on, when I don't forget to put them on because of silly pregnancy brain
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy
Looking forward to: 24 weeks--the first milestone in the life of a preemie mom because it means viability!

I'm in love with this girl already!

Adelyn got her cast off this week, and is happily back in action with both arms to get into everything. She's also driving me crazy and refusing to nap this morning...gRRRRRR. She just threw my favorite chapstick in the trash, while I was telling her "no!" very firmly. Sigh.

I think maybe she's ready to drop the morning nap, but she can't quite make it all the way to the afternoon yet, so late mornings are kind of a mess while we battle over to nap or not to nap. It would be easier if I wasn't tired and wanting MY naptime too.

The good news is, the weekend is here again, and Nathan will be home in about six hours, so I can survive a little more madness knowing that. I'm hoping to spend our weekend car shopping for my new big girl car (did I mention I'm 24 now? So grown up...) and then celebrating both of our birthdays with my family on Sunday. And maybe a nap for me...

TGIF

How far along? 18 Weeks! That sounds exciting to me for some reason.

Total weight gain: 4-5lbs...I'll know Thursday after my OB appointment
Maternity clothes? sometimes!
Stretch marks? nope
Sleep:  I like it.
Best moment this week: Realizing I am having more time not feeling queasy than I am feeling it.
Miss Anything? nah
Movement: yep, she seems like a strong and active little girl
Food cravings: finally got the grilled chicken sandwich I had been wanting...we'll see what's next
Anything making you queasy or sick: still just smells, but less things than before!
Gender: still thinking girl unless we find out otherwise at our next big ultrasound
Labor Signs: a lot of contractions on a couple of days, but they seem to go away as long as I drink and rest
Symptoms: growing pains!
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy?
Looking forward to: the ultrasound on the 11th--so close!


Not much new to report...still in the midst of a crazy heat-wave of 100+ degree days and humidity that makes it hard to breathe. We stay inside a lot...except yesterday when Addy and I got to go to the beach! We rode with my aunt, uncle, and grandma to visit my parents and siblings who have been there all week. Adelyn did fantastic on the drive, loved the beach, and came home and went straight to bed. I got a little too much sun on my back (totally forgot to put sunscreen there?!), but had a great time. 

It's my "birthday week" and I got an iPhone4 as a present from myself/Nathan. I really like it, but am feeling like a grandma trying to figure out all the cool features. Waiting for my Otterbox to get here so that I don't break the thing--it's so fragile! Hoping to keep Adelyn distracted by giving her my old phone for at least a little while, but I think she's already interested. No big plans for my birthday--probably getting together with my family on Sunday like we usually do, and then we'll celebrate mine and Nathan's together with his family in a couple of weekends. July is a busy birthday month in his family, and in our little family, plus we get our anniversary at the end of it!


This weekend we plan to stay home and do nothing. I hope to get some cleaning done, but otherwise we are going to stay cool and relaxed and save our money, and enjoy time together. Next week is another busy one.


Oh, hair. I did run out of both the baking soda mixture and vinegar mixture yesterday, so I used shampoo for the first time in about 10 days...can't say it did anything remarkable that I had missed, other than smell nice. Made more of my mixtures today and am back on the wagon. I think my hair is doing fine...no major improvements or detriments, so I guess I'll keep going and see where it takes me. If nothing else, it's cheaper than buying shampoo...