what did you just ask me?!

now that i am 21 weeks, it is evident that there is a growing baby inside and not just pounds of fat from excess eating. i have learned that along with the noticeable baby bump also comes imposing questions and unwelcoming touches.

today before coming to work, i stopped at pier park for my weekly fix of panera and then headed to target to buy a couple of comfortable knit dresses for work. there is no way i am wearing anything else in this muggy, miserable 90+ degree weather! if i have to be on my feet for endless hours in this heat while carrying a little one inside, you better believe that comfort is my number one priority! anyways, after finding 3 cute, comfortable and yet stylish dresses, i made my way to the checkout line. the girl checking me out made a comment that the dresses were very cute and perfect for summer. i responded "and perfect for a pregnant lady!" out of no where this older woman standing behind me in line, who you could tell was a chain smoker by her voice and the stench that surrounded her, says, "do you plan on breastfeeding?"

WHAT??? WHAT DID YOU JUST ASK ME? excuse me ma'am, but last time i checked, that is a personal and private question which quite frankly is none of your business!!! especially coming from someone who for all i know could be some kind of sicko!

being the polite person i am, i turned around and gave her the most possibly awkward face i could muster and kindly responded, "well, i'm not quite sure just yet." WRONG ANSWER! feeling it was her place to tell me the importance and the benefits of breastfeeding, she proceeded. feeling incredibly awkward, i tried to divert the conversation from further interrogation. i'm sorry but i don't care nor do i need to know that your daughter still uses the pump to feed her 1 year old daughter and even has a special room! SICK! didn't your mother ever teach you that there are certain things you keep to yourself....especially when it involves STRANGERS!

speaking of strangers and crossing the line, what is it about people thinking that just because a lady is pregnant they have been given the right to intrude one's personal space and touch the bump??? unless you are invited, do not touch! i didn't like people touching my stomach uninvited pre-pregnancy and the same still stands....unless we are on a very close first name, bff basis! i think my next maternity investment will be this shirt!

blame it on the hormones

we're halfway through june and i have almost survived through it all. there have been numerous moments where i had my doubts! i just keep telling myself..."just make it through june!" i have 2 weddings this weekend and thank goodness it is my last weekend of double weddings. i may be coming out of all this beaten and battered, but atleast i'm coming out alive!

so i think it is official to say that the psycho, crazy inner beast is beginning to creep out. i don't know what my deal is! i'm just very irritable! jared is out right now with his friend seeing the happening and you would have thought by my attitude he was leaving for a long weekend with the boys in vegas! i've always been someone who loves to snuggle and cuddle, but i've never been very "needy!" however lately, it's as if i can't be left alone....i just want jared to be with me 24/7. it's like i'm a five year old who can't leave their parent's side.

i think i'm also starting to feel that "home sick" feeling again. i miss not having my family here. they will be here next weekend, but it still feels like an eternity away! they are never here long enough. i miss my mom....or what i tend to call her, "mama." i'm grown, married and having a baby and i still call my mom at least 3 times a day. thank the lord for verizon and their "in" network!! whenever i'm home, i will still curl up on the couch next to her. i don't think i'll ever grow out of that....even if i do have my own baby to hold. soon, brayden and i will both curl up on the couch with her!

it is officially now time for me to call it a night. baby and mama need rest! oh and someone please assure me that this heartburn thing is only temporary! hopefully it is just the tacos they served at work today!

blue light special

today was the big day. i headed to ft. walton this morning to go see my chiropractor in need of desperate help. after falling onto the dj at the wedding i was doing sunday, i knew that was the final straw...it was time to go see the doctor again. i swear...i looked like an 80 year old woman hobbling around this weekend! after my physical revival, i got in my car to head home. first off let me explain that the drive between destin and panama city is a straight shot with ridiculously fluctuating speed limits! so there i am driving along with my sunroof open and singing my little heart out to songs on the radio. out of no where, came these flashing blue lights flying across the median leaving dirt clouds in his tracks. i knew right then he was coming after me....i didn't realize i was speeding, but since i was the only car in sight, i knew it had to be me and there was no way of escaping this one! so having watched more COP shows than i would like to admit, i kindly pulled over before he even pulled up behind me. being that this was my first time, i always wondered if i would try and come up with some reason as to why i was speeding. nope, there i sat with my license and registration in had waiting. and waiting. you know, i think they make you sit there just to intimidate you! when he got to my window i held out what i knew he was going to need before he even asked. goodness at the way i was just "giving in," it probably looked as though this was a common thing! I looked at him unsure if i gave him the correct registration papers and said, "i think those are the most current, but I'm not sure." "well ma'am, yes these are your most current but your tag expired on your husbands birthday, may 25th." way to go jared!!

so there i sat and waited. and waited. my uncle who is an officer said that usually is they are going to let you go, they make you wait a long time just to suffer. so in my suffering, i was hoping that maybe he was going to let me off the hook. i didn't think i would be able to play the pregnancy card since the dress i had on didn't make my belly noticeable. wondering what i might have in my favor i waited a little longer.

"well ma'am, i'm only going to give you a warning for your tag since it is really your husbands fault." smart man....that's exactly what i was thinking! "and i lowered your speed to the lowest possible speed of only going 9 over." what the heck, how fast was i going? the speed limit was at least 55!? "so you only have to pay $82 and if you take the class online you won't have the points go on your record." "office, being that this is the first time i've ever been pulled over, how to i take care of the fine?" i wanted him to know that usually i am a law abiding citizen! "what exactly was the speed limit, becuase last i knew it was 65?" i asked. "well, yes, it was but then it dropped to 45 and i clocked you going 65."

as i took my punishment and he began walking away he turns around and say, "so, when is your due date?" a bit confused, i responded. "congratulations," he replied. "oh yeah right, thanks a lot!!!" i knew i should have played the pregnancy card!!!

so i pulled back on to 98 and no more than 100 feet ahead read a speed limit sign "SPEED LIMIT 65".

service and servanthood

being that i am working all weekend and all next week, jared demanded i go into work late today....especially since i can barely walk! last night after putting brayden's crib together, i started down the stairs so that jared and i could watch a movie. more than half way down, my hip gave out and before i fell, i was able to catch myself. i've had my fair share of bumps and bruses, especially with being invloved in sports growing up, but i'm not kidding when i say, i have never been in so much pain that i couldn't even function! jared tried to help and carry me, but i was in too much pain nor did i want him even attempting to pick me up....i knew all too well that we would then both be laid out flat on the floor! i made my way to the kitchen very slowly....and burst into tears. looking into jared's face i felt even worse because he knew he couldn't do anything to help the pain and it killed him.

so taking this morning off, off i went to get a massage and pedicure....both which were much needed!

there really is nothing like getting a pedicure! it wasn't until a few years ago that i had one for the first time and became an avid believer! if i could afford them bi-weekly, my happy rear would be plopped in one of those big, comfy massage chairs on a regular basis! and after today, i would make sure boby was the man taking care of me. out of all the jobs out there, i think nail/pedicure techs truly have a heart of gold! i don't think there is enough money in the world that could bring my to my knees daily and scrub nasty feet. sitting there in boby's care, i felt like royalty! i'm always very candid with the ones who have been handed that fatal card of caring for my feet. since i have wear high heels daily and am always on my feet, my feet are nothing short of hideous...and so i always warn them and apologize before hand...and make sure i tip them well! after lots of scrubbing, snipping, shaving, and rubbing, my feet feel amazing. so today i tip my hat to boby for a job well done and making a pregnant lady feel like a million dollars!! he truly had the heart of a servant!

on a side note: the man next to me doing another ladies feet was talking about how he has 2 kids; one boy and one girl. he said his daughter is an angel and his boy is a little terror. he has had to paint his entire house twice in the past 18 months because this son likes to take permanent marker and crayons and make his mark on their walls. no more than 2 minutes later, that comcast commercial where the little boy sticks the vacuum hose in a fish tank and it breaks and causes the curtains to catch on fire came on. i told that man he wasn't helping my situation very much. and then i began to pray really hard for a well behaved and manured son!

halfway mark

i officially have made it to the halfway mark! 20 weeks! the next 20 should be interesting...especially now that we have entered into summer and the heat index is about 100 degrees. people think i'm kidding when i say that flip flops, mumus, and a personal fan will become apart of my daily attire....i may joke around at times but not when it comes to serious matters!

today when i arrived home from work, i had a special package waiting for me on the door step. brayden's bedding finally arrived! after dinner, jared and i ventured upstairs to put everything together, including the crib. correction: jared put together; i instructed. ok, maybe i'm exaggerating a bit. had i instructed and been paying attention, i probably would have noticed that jared put the back part of the crib on backwards. i feel as though i have not a very helpful sidekick to jared lately. luckily we were able to solve the minor detail. after much hard work, the crib was finally completed!

i feel as though i have officially entered into the "nesting" stage. i don't have it too bad just yet, but i'm such it is just around the corner. jared probably wishes it would arrive asap...so that i start keeping the house cleaner! "in due time," i tell him. i have to say, i have a pretty amazing husband! he does everything from having dinner waiting for me when i come home from work, washing the dishes, doing laundry, vacuuming, to even grocery shopping. the past 2 months, i have been having bad back/hip problems so he even called and made an appointment to have a massage and pedicure! sorry ladies...i know you're jealous, but you cannot have him!

so after all jared's hard work, we put on the last finishing touches.