To Grandmother's house we go....

Oliver gets to take his first plane ride. We are headed home to WA on Saturday morning. I cannot wait to be home. I haven't been home since April for my baby shower. Way to long. Of course after this trip, I think my next will be in September for my nephew's 5th birthday. I wish I could go home more often. But with the little one, and more to come some day, I just can't travel across the country that easily anymore.

I am hoping for an uneventful flight, but I am just not sure what to expect completely. I hope Oliver does ok. He is normally a pretty content boy, but 10 hours in airports might make a baby a little cranky. I know it makes a mommy cranky. Well, it made me cranky before I was a mommy, so I am sure it will make me more cranky!

On another note. Oliver is already outgrowing his car seat (Max 22 lbs, 29 inches-he is passing the inch mark rapidly), so we had to go searching for a convertible car seat. It holds up to 65lbs and is able to be rear-facing up to 35. But, because the current car seat barely fit in my car without the front passenger kissing the dashboard, we needed to get a new vehicle. So, I have entered the ranks of mini-van mom. We traded in my Mazda3 for a Chrysler Town & Country. It is fully loaded, but used. We just could not afford nor justify spending $30k on a new one. I totally love it. Everyone we talked to who has a van swear by them. Of course I am not 22 anymore (shush, don't tell anyone), I am not so concerned with how it makes me look. I was searching for comfort, room, and ease of use. When we have more kids, we will need it anyway.

It is a burnt orange color, almost red-orange. It has leather seats with seat warmers. DVD system. Navigation system (which isn't really that cool, but it might get me home in a pinch if I am lost), and CD changer. Stow'n'go seats which are really cool if we want to transport large items, we can fold down all the seats-even the third row. Flat. So Nice!!

Oliver is growing lots as I mentioned above. He got a jumperoo for Christmas from his Grandpa, and he loves it. I also love it, because it is making his legs stronger and he is getting used to putting weight on them. That will help with walking and standing soon. He is almost 6 months old at the end of January and he is just such a big boy. His hair is almost all grown in and is just so cute. Still looks a lot like his daddy, but I am shining through a little. At least I like to think so!

I will post a few pics for your viewing pleasure!!

Olivers first cereal. He loved it and has been doing great with it since. We started at 5 months.

Aunt Deanna was able to come visit for Christmas. This is Oliver all dressed up in his church outfit.



I wanna open this one...Oliver's first Christmas was great. He sure made it more fun for us!




Christmas 2009 Family pictures. Santa was great!





Thanksgiving 2009 with Daddy!

Next up....My birthday! Yay!!

2000: A Decade in Review

After reading Brooke's post about a decade in review, I want to review my decade too. So here goes...

2000: I was working at McDonald's during this time. Quit in March. Went to a Certified Nursing Assistant Class and so my nursing career began. My first job as a CNA was in a nursing home, which quickly was replaced by Kennewick General. In Fall, I took a class to become an EMT.

2001: Left KGH, moved to Spokane. This only lasted 3 months and I was back home. I worked for my Dad as an electrician until late June when I got mono. I am still not sure how I got it, but I did. I spent the next 7 weeks in bed, literally. Then in Sept, started back at KGH as a CNA. I had been there for one week and I remember hearing the news of 9/11 on the patients tv's. I was working nights. I called my mom at 7am and told her, she thought I was kidding. I wasn't.

Also finished my AA degree this year.

2002: I was still going to school, taking pre-requisite classes for nursing. I also joined the fire department and became a volunteer fire-fighter. I loved it. This is the year I started running. I ran my first 26.2 mile marathon in October. It was in Victoria Canada. Very pretty.

2003: Accepted into the nursing program and started in the Fall. Still working at KGH as a CNA, but once nursing school started, switched to working as secretary for better hours. Also started picking up hours in the ER.

2004: 2nd 26.2 mile marathon in the spring. Whidbey Island. Very hilly, but beautiful. Nursing school very demanding and time consuming. Not much time for anything else. Still volunteering at the fire dept when I can!
I moved out of my parents house in March and moved in with a friend from work. Also got my doggie Charlie. He was a mini-dachshund. So adorable!

2005: What a great year. Graduated nursing school. Moved to Portland, Oregon. Welcomed my first nephew Grason into this world. What a cutie patootie!! I started work as an RN in a community hospital in Hillsboro, OR in the Critical care unit. Tried to continue on for my Bachelor's, taking online classes, but that proved to be too difficult. Trying to learn an advanced skill in a new field and try taking online classes didn't mix. I figure I will try again later.
Meanwhile, Shaun joins US ARMY after being a high school science teacher for last few years.

2006: I start learning photography. Continued nursing in Portland. Ran my 3rd 26.2 mile marathon, this time in Portland, OR. Best route out of the 3, in my opinion. I guess not a lot happened this year. Welcomed 1st niece, Kaitlyn.
Shaun was in Washington DC at Walter Reed for most of this year, and transferred to Fort Detrick in Frederick, MD in December.

2007: This year my (our) life changed forever. I will have to break this year down by the month.
January: Decide to break my lease, quit my job, and try my hand at travel nursing. I wanted to go so many places I didn't care where I started. My first job ended up being Hagerstown, MD.
February: Arrive 6th. Join match.com 8th. Get first email from husband 14th.
March: Meet in person 3rd. Spend 14 hours together for our first date exploring Baltimore/Hagerstown area and all it has to offer. Fly to NYC for the very first time ever. Explore NYC by myself for 3 days (LOVED IT). Go to NC with Shaun and meet his friends. Shaun moves in by St. Patrick's Day
April: Work, dates with Shaun
May: Fly to WA with Shaun to meet the family. Drive my car back across the country.
June: work, dates with Shaun
July: Engaged to Shaun, 2nd Nephew Beckett joined us.
Aug: Fly home, pick out dress. Move from Hagerstown to Columbia, MD. Take new nursing assignment.
Sept-Nov: work
Dec: Buy a condo. Get a puppy. Get new job in ER at Howard Cty Hosp.

2008: Got married in May, Honeymooned in the Poconos. The puppy we got in December turned out to not be a good fit for our family and she went on to live in a new home. Loving my job in the ER, except working nights at this time. Found out in Nov, we were expecting our first child! Switched from nights to days in December. Shaun turned 30. 3rd Nephew Kyler was born just 6 days after our wedding.

2009: I turned 30 in January. Shaun and my family threw a big surprise party. I loved it. Flew home again in April for Baby Shower. Oliver is born in July after weeks of mall walking trying to get him to come earlier. He is growing so big and learning so much! He loved Christmas and I am sure will love it more next year.

2010: I hope this year brings some great things. We hope to expand our family at some point this year. When we do, that will bring more things to look forward to, including selling the condo and moving to Fort Detrick. Don't wanna buy in MD again, since in 2012, we look forward to moving back the Tri-Cities to be closer to my family.

Hope you all Have a Happy New year. A few resolutions for me: continue on my weight-loss journey. I have lost all baby weight and even down a few more lbs. I hope to be down another 40-50 before Oliver's first birthday. I also want to start exercising more regularly. We have a gym membership, so I really just need to go. Last, I want to try harder keeping up on my blog. I am not sure if I have any readers left, but I will keep writing and maybe someone will peek in and take a look!

Hands

I think Oliver is discovering his hands. At first I noticed him staring at closed fists. Thought it was a fluke, he is only two months old after all. But over the next several days, he has been doing it increasingly more and more and also finds it necessary to try to put them into his mouth. It is so cute. We tried to get it on camera, but of course, the second film starts running, he stops! Classic. We will keep trying and will post it online if we get it.
Other than that, Monday is his two month appt. So excited to see what kind of weight/height gain we will see. He is getting so big. Still very long and skinny, but I can tell he is getting bigger!
He is also "talking" lots. Still very calm and content. Only cries when he is hungry.
I am doing great. Haven't started exercising like I wanted to, but will keep trying. I have to resume working on Monday as well. Not looking forward to it, but it might be nice to get back to some socializing.

On another note. I have been learning lots at my avon business. Trying hard to make it a great opportunity for extra income. Please do not hesitate to check out my website if you would like to order anything. I can also mail you a catalog if you would like. Just send me a comment!

AVON

I have become an Independent AVON sales representative. If you wanna order anything or would like a catalog, let me know. I will be glad to mail you one!

Also you can visit my website and order there. For free shipping use code FIRSTREP.

www.youravon.com/kmierzwa

Thanks!

6 weeks and counting

So Oliver is almost 7 weeks old now. I have to go back to work in a couple weeks. Not sure how I am gonna like being away from my boy for 12 LONG hours, but I guess I have to do it. I wish I could stay home all day everyday. Maybe once we have another child, then I will be able to stay home. Once you have 2 or 3 kids, it is cheaper to not work then it is to put all three in day care.

Luckily, Shaun gets to stay home and do school work this semester, so we don't have to think about day care for a few more months! He has to go back to work full time in December!

We are planning on coming home to the TC in January. So, be on the lookout for us, if you wanna come visit!

We just got a new computer, and haven't transferred all the data yet...I will post a few pics, and will try to get a video up soon. I don't know how to do the video stuff, Shaun does all that!

Wow how time flies. Oliver was born over 5 weeks ago. I cannot believe time has moved so fast. He is doing great. Growing and getting strong. He has been sleeping through the night since week 2. Anywhere from 6-8 hours straight, then another 3-4 hours after a feeding. His neck is getting stronger daily. His last appt he was 10lbs, 10oz, and 22 1/4 inches long- both in the 75th percentile. He is just so long and skinny.
He is very alert during the day and very content. He really only cries to tell us he is hungry! Here are a few of the things we have been up to...


Shaun's Dad came to visit. This pic is great, all three look exactly the same.



This pic is right before my mom left. She came, but had to extend her trip a few days longer because Oliver took his sweet time arriving. It was great to have you here mom, we love and miss you very much! She made yummy home cooked food for us everyday she was here...we really miss her!!



Suzy came to visit for two weeks. It was great to finally spend some quality time together. Living across the country, it is so hard to get good time in during short visits.
We went to DC for the day and also to Inner Harbor. I wish I could have showed her more places, but too difficult with a newborn.
I do try to get out daily though. Even if only to the store or for a short walk. It has been great! Oliver learned to love his car seat from day 2 on.



This is our family pic in DC!

My friend, Ruth, wanted to come over for a photo shoot. We tried to go to Picture People when he was 8 days old, but none of the pictures were worth paying $18/sheet. So, when Ruth came over, I pulled out and dusted off my trusty D70 and had a photo shoot of my own too. It was great to get behind the camera again. I miss it, and need to get back into doing it more.

My brother also came to visit. It was actually a surprise for me. What a surprise it was. I had no clue until he was on the plane and almost here. He was able to stay for a few days and join us on the DC trip and the Inner Harbor trip. We had lots of fun! Thanks for coming Matt!

Shaun's sister Deanna came for 4 days too. She was here middle of August. She got to meet her first nephew and spend some time. She lives down in Alabama, and will be moving to Oklahoma in December, so she won't get to see him much!

I am surprised I had no photos of my brother or Shaun's sister with Oliver, but I think all were taken on their own camera's.

I have to head back to work at the end of September. Not looking forward to it, but I am sure I will survive. We won't have to think about daycare until December, but we are considering a nanny until he is 1 yr old. It just isn't worth it to pay for all week infant care in daycare when we only need 7 hrs a day for 2 days a week. Plus, one-on-one care when he is still an infant I think is best!

Shaun's Dad will be coming back to visit in mid-September for a week or so. Looking forward to having grandpa here again!

I was able to finally use a Christmas 2007 gift card for spa day. I had a great massage, pedicure, and hair cut/style. It was my practice away from Oliver. He had to take a bottle for the first time ever and did great. I think he missed me, but I was only gone for 5 hours, and he loves spending time with his daddy!

He also loves sitting in his bouncy chair and watch us in the kitchen. He is content just sitting there, as long as he is in the same room as we are. So cute!!

Oliver Quinn Mierzwa

Hello All.
Oliver Quinn Mierzwa has arrived. He joined this world at 3:45 am on July 23, 2009. It was quite a long road through that birth canal (I pushed for almost 3 hours), but he made it. Safe and sound. He was 9lbs 3.6oz. 22 inches long. Full head of hair and looks just like daddy. If I didn't carry him for 9 months and push him out, I would swear he wasn't mine. He is a great baby and we are loving every minute of him.
We are still at the hospital until Saturday morning. Jen was not able to stay long enough. She had to leave when I went into the hospital to get induced. I was 41 weeks and so ready for him to be out. He must have had the same idea, beacause I started contractions once I got there. Mom decided to extend her stay. Otherwise she would have had to leave before we left the hospital. She gets to stay until Tuesday. So good for us all. We really need an extra hand, and of course, I need that extra hand to be my mommy! I am sure it will be really hard to say goodbye. She is already planning a trip to come visit with Papa in Sept or October.
Well, here are a few pics...


Daddy's favorite picture. Our precious little boy.

Nana with Oliver

Daddy and Oliver

Mommy and Oliver

Perfect Feet and 10 little toes


Cuddle time after eating

First family photo-"The Mierzwa's"

My friend Marina, "Aunt Rina"

Still Nothing...

Mom arrives Monday night. Hoping to go into labor that night and have him July 14th. That is my ideal situation. I am tired of being pregnant. I was supposed to work through July 11, but Friday night I left early at 7pm instead of 11 and called myself off for Saturday night. It was getting really hard to work. Pelvic pressure everytime I stood and a very slow pace does not equal good ER nurse. I was miserable and I didn't really feel like I was helping being there. Although I didn't make it to my last day, I still feel I did pretty damn good. I worked for the entire 9 months, and only called out 1 time during my pregnancy. Also, did 12 hour shifts until month 8.
Here is our last pic of me being pregnant. I am pretty sure he has dropped and we are just waiting for labor to begin!

Cooked....almost burnt

I am so done! This pregnancy is getting really hard now. I haven't made too many complaints, until today. Can't lay flat anymore...stomach decides it wants to be in my throat. Can't find a comfortable position to sleep in, even if I can lay flat for a few hours without said heartburn. My pelvis hurts. It hurts to sit on my butt in my wonderful new rocker! Grrr.
My feet are all swollen (BP is fine though). Worse on evenings that I work.
I know this is all par for the course and everyone tells me "its almost over" and "we all go through it", but it doesn't help! I want it to be over NOW! He has decided that it is all cozy in there, and I swear he will never come out.
Shaun has to put my socks on because I can't lean over anymore. Before I could do it with lots of shortness of breath, but now, just can't get there.
I am so exhausted but I sleep almost all day most days...it just isn't "good" sleep.
Come out come out wherever you are!!!

No Labor

No Labor yet. We are almost full term (tomorrow), so he can come anyday as far as I am concerned. Of course, being our first, he may just wait until due date or thereafter to come. I am hoping not, so he isnt too big!

Didn't get a 35 or 36 week pic, so I guess I will just have to post a final, right before we leave for the hospital pic. Don't know when that will happen! :)

35 weeks

4 and half weeks and counting. I will get my 35 week pic posted...after I take it. Doing great though. Feel tired, and don't get good sleep anymore, but feeling pretty good. I am still working, plan to up until I go into labor or July 11 (Sat before I am due), whichever comes first.
We have decided on a name, but will wait to announce it here until after the birth. Only our close family and friends have been given the name.
I am having some contractions here and there, but only Braxton Hicks. I know, because they don't hurt, have no regularity and they go away. For the last few weeks I have been having maybe 3-5 a day, now I am having them more often, but still not real contractions.
My next appt is Wed, when they will check to see if I have started dilating. I then go in every week after that. I will try to keep things updated.
We think we are ready. We have prepared and gotten everything ready that we can think of. Car seats in the car and everything. Just need to pack my bags in the next week or two so they are ready to go when baby is!
Birthing classes are going great. Learning some good techniques. My plan is to have a natural (non-medicated) labor as long as I can handle it. I am willing to accept an epidural if it comes down to it.
We took a tour of the birthing suite last Wed. Looks like a nice place. My mother is coming a few days before I am due, so if he comes on time, then she will be here to help me labor along with my loving and amazing husband, Shaun.
T-minus 4 weeks and 3 days and counting!!

Pics of the Nursery, so far!

A little dark, but I had to close the shades to take the picture or it would be too washed out. This is the view from outside the door. The rocking chair will replace the fouton when we get it. In the meantime, at least I have a place to sit when I am in there!

I tried to get the whole room, but the room is too small, and I couldn't back out far enough for the angle on the camera. Oh well. You get the point. Changing table in the corner, only needs to have the door on it, but I gave Shaun a break and said he could finish that when he gets a chance to. At least I have a workable table. Can't wait to put baby on it!

Of course our crib. We know not to have the comforter in there, but I like the decoration for now. We will use the bumper in the crib until baby can pull himself up or move around more freely.

Close-up of the Changing table. He did such a great job. He is so handy.

This is a close-up of the dresser that he made. We had bought some baskets and decided they would be good for a dresser, so he designed a great dresser around that idea. It was either too short or too skinny with just the baskets, so he added a couple drawers. Really makes it complete. We even have little monkey drawer pulls!

Well there you have it. That is our nursery. Ready for baby. Due in 6 weeks now, and counting! Can't wait to have people come see the place in person. Trying to get the rest of the house together too.

Shaun's Dad was here this weekend, and decided to get us the jogging stroller we wanted and the highchair we wanted. Wow, he is so generous. We knew he wanted to get us something, just didn't know it would be both things! The highchair matches our dining room perfectly. Couldn't have asked tried to make it match better. Like it was meant for our place.

Jogging stroller is great too. Can't wait to get out running with him. Of course, he needs to be a bit older (and born first) to be able to hold his head up and maybe sit up. It does lay down for comfort, but don't want a poor newborn bouncing around in a jogger too early. Shaun would take him out on day 2 if it said it was for newborns. Thank goodness it is rated for 6 months+. Hehehe.

Of course, that will be a nice incentive to get me out more and get moving more. I have really been longing to start running and train for another marathon. I probably want to because I can't (we always want things we can't have), but still. Goal post-baby is to get active again, and lose lots of weight.

I haven't gained too much weight with this pregnancy, but I did gain more than the 15-20 I was hoping for. Let's hope I don't end up with a 10lb baby! Ouch!

Long awaited Updates

Hi all. So Sorry for the lack of posting. I guess with baby, work, etc just have been too busy. I think the real excuse is facebook. I update there so frequently, that I forget to update my blog. Evil Facebook!!
So, Baby. I am almost 33 weeks now. I have something like 52 days to go until our little monkey shows his face and greets the world. Look out world, this ones gonna change the world and be amazing!! So far so good, no complaints. I am getting bigger of course, but no complications and growing just as I should. Here is a pic from 30 weeks.

Of course, because I am behind, that was 3 weeks ago now. Oh well. I will try to get another posted, but not sure it will make it up here. I have started to nest now. I am getting things in the baby room as organized as I can. Shaun is making our furniture and getting it done slowly, but it looks amazing. He really is one talented guy (everyday he amazes me, and I am glad I snatched him up), and will be an amazing father. Here is a pic of the dresser that he designed and made from scratch. It is done and in the room now! He is working on a changing table next. He found one he liked in an ad, but it was from Wal-mart and the reviews said it was very cheap and the boards were really thin and not sturdy. He said "I can make that", so he designed one and voila...he is making it. When it is done, I will post a pic of that. It is a corner one, and is bigger than I expected, but will give us lots of extra space for things to go in there. Here is the dresser...

I am able to finally put some stuff away and get them out of bags. Today we are headed to the store to buy dreft (hypoallergenic laundry especially for babies) and get some newborn stuff washed and ready to go. Of course, we know not to take tags off everything in case he can't wear them or grows out of them too fast. We don't have that many clothes, but a few newborn sizes. My worst fear is that I end up with a 10 lb baby, and he doesn't fit into anything that we have. I just hope for a healthy baby, but not one that is 10 lbs. Of course, since I plan on having a natural birth, 10 lbs would totally suck to push out too!! :)

As for my baby shower. Rachel (one of my best friends since the 5th grade-yeah, over 20 years now-crazy) took all the pics. I will post a few here. She is getting really good with that camera of hers! Thanks Rachel, you are the best!!

The three of us have all been friends since middle school and we haven't had a picture together like this is years. It was great to be able to be together in one spot long enough to get a snapshot.

My wonderful cake. My sister and mom threw me a wonderful shower. I was able to see lots of family and friends during this trip home. Wish there were more trips home, but now with baby...I will be lucky to make it home at Christmas next.

Ashley got me this. It is such a cute tank. I got so many great gifts that my baby is already pretty spoiled!!

Cutest little outfits. He will be best dressed on the block everyday starting from day 1.

Blankets, I love blankets! If he is really my child, he will love them too!!

Hmmm, what else. Work is good. I changed to 8 hour shifts in early May. Was gonna go in late May when the new schedule started, but I turned in my doctor note and Cindy (the ER manager) said, lets start this effective immediately. So, I have been working 24-32 hours per week, but only doing 8 hours instead of the 12 hours I usually do. 8 hour shifts are much nicer. I have found I have more energy on my days off and am able to make it through an entire shift without hurting at work. My plan is to work up until baby comes or July 11. Whichever comes first. Being due July 15 and Mom coming on July 13, I didn't want to push it. I am taking the 3 months off after baby though, so that will be nice.

I have great plans to start running again. Of course, I can't start now, but am really motivated (now, lets hope it continues) to loose the weight and then some and get moving. I need to be able to keep up with this little guy when he starts moving on his own! I might start training for another marathon next spring. They have lots of good marathons in the fall, so starting next spring will give me time to get back into the running thing and not put too much pressure on me at first.

At the suggestion of Brandi, I have created a ticker at lilypie. Here it is.



Well, there you have it. I will try to do better. Can't wait to see all who are planning to visit. I will get pictures of the nursery when we are finished with it. It is looking great so far, but we still have a long way to go! We ordered a rocker chair, but it isn't supposed to be ready until early July. It takes 8-12 weeks to make and ship. Grrr, wish I had that, but at least it will be here when baby arrives!!

Stay tuned...

Baby shower pics to come.

30 week pics to come.

Updates on baby room/furniture to come.

Stay tuned, it will all be here soon!

Under Construction!!

25 weeks and growing...

Next up...30 weeks!

Cherry Blossom Festival 2009

It was windy, but a great day. We had sunny, 60 degree weather. It was so nice. Matter of fact, so nice we each got a nice sunburn! Yup! It was super crowded and windy, so we didn't hang around the basin where the blossoms are for too long. There was a point when we were inching by on the trail around the basin and decided this is dumb....we can see the trees, and it would take us hours just to walk around the entire basin at that speed.
Later we met up with some friends of ours and headed to Pennsylvania Avenue and checked out the Festival. We had missed the parade in the morning, because we did not expect the metro station to be so jam packed of people, it took 30 minutes or so to even get the ticket. Crazy!! Of course, that should have been ou first clue...
Here are a few pics...

The crowd at the festival in the streets.

Jefferson Memorial across the basin. Very crowded over there too.

Me.

Us.

Baby Names

So, we have had names picked out since before we got pregnant. Only problem is...this is the name that this little person will have for the rest of his life. It is the biggest decision a parent can make. We want to make sure we are making the right one.
We talked last night, and both agreed the more we said the name we picked out, we weren't sure if we liked saying it over and over again. We still like the name, but don't want to make it our only choice come birth day.
So, we went to the book and looked over all the boy names. We found a couple more. We are considering putting a poll up to get some ideas and feedback, but haven't decided for sure. Alot of times, it is better and easier to just decide and tell people when the baby comes. We want to be able to look into his eyes and know that this little guy, our little guy, will have the most perfect name for him!
We would love to hear some more names, if you have any *good* ideas, please comment. We want as many options as we can. Of course, it has to sound good with Mierzwa. It can't be so complex people won't be able to pronounce it, nor do we want the name to be made fun of (as in kids at school-we know it happens, just don't want to make it easy for them).

Cape Cod

Headed to Cape Cod this year for our first anniversary. We are also making it our "babymoon". Almost all books you read aboiut becoming parents recommend you take one last little get-a-way before baby arrives, just the two of you. We decided Cape Cod would be nice, relaxing, fun and enjoyable. We didn't want to cram in a weekend of sightseeing, considering I will be 7 1/2 months pregnant. So, we decided to do a sight-seeing/relaxing weekend. We will see as much as we can, or rather, as much as I can. Hehe. I have no clue how much I will be able to do. Shaun just really wants to go to Martha's Vineyard. Sounds fun to me! I want to go to Boston. I have never been and neither has he. He also has a friend from high school/college that lives there. He hasn't seen her in years. It will be nice to catch up with her...and for me to meet her! She sounds really nice. She has 3 young children, so she has given me a piece of advice or two.
We are going in the off-season, so I hope most things won't be closed. Season doesn't start until mid-spring, usually around Memorial Day. Good thing is, it won't be busy for the things that are open! Most things are outside stuff to see and do, but I am sure they close things off.
I am hoping spring arrives by then. I am getting really tired of winter weather. We are starting to see things warm up a bit, but very sporadic. I would love to see everyday sunny, cool to warm temps (65-70), birds singing, flowers blooming. I don't mind a day of rain (if it must come) but not everyday. I can only hope we have good weather on our vaca!!

Jury Duty

I was summoned for jury duty this week. I happened to be in group number 26, and groups 1-25 were called for Monday. It was a good thing I wasn't called because I had a much needed class to attend. So, I was called in o n Tuesday. There were 2 big cases that would be needing jurors. It was a lot of watiing but it wasn't bad.
In MD, they have a set of questions they ask everyone. If you have a yes response, then the judge pulls you up to the bench one-at-a-time to ask you further questions. This is good for privcacy and allows the judge a chance to see if you need to be excused from the particular case or not. Well, when you have 100+ people answering questions, this can be a long tedious process. I didn't have any yes answers, so I just had to sit there and be patient. Once we were done with that process, we were excused for lunch and told the jury selection would take plaace after lunch. Only thing is, we were the second round of people. The first round was on Monday, and those who still qualified were told to come back Tuesday after lunch.
I wasn't picked as a juror, my number never got called. It went in order and was #129. Of course, not 128 people were in front of me, several got excused before lunch. But, there were at least 50 or so in fornt of me. So, by the time it even got close to my number, they had picked the 12 and the 4 alts were picked too. Then they just excused the rest of us. It wasn't a full day, but I was there 8:30 am-2pm with a 45 minute lunch. Not too bad, I guess.
Good thing was, it was my only day to work, so I don't have to go back until Saturday now. Woohoo!!
I kind of wanted to be on the jury though. It seems like such a neat process. Something different than my everyday stuff. This would have been a 7 day trial for a murder. I guess I will just have to stick to Court TV and Homicide Files. All very intersting stuff.

Long Overdue Updates

I have been wanting to write for a while now. I had so many good ideas for posts, but then never find myself on the computer long enough to type them out. I will try to remember my ideas and make a comment about them all.
Jury Duty: I have officially been summoned for jury duty. My service starts Monday. I have a very important class on Monday, so was really hoping my group number wouldn't be called. I lucked out. Just got off the call-in line and they called groups 1-25. I am group #26. Yeah. Plus, I work Tuesday, so more than likely will be called for duty on Tuesday and get to skip work. I won't work again until next Saturday. Woohoo, just the way my schedule works out.

Hair: I have noticed that my curls are getting looser and looser. I am hoping this is just a side effect of pregnancy and I don't loose my curls all together. I have grown quite fond of them. I never had curly hair until 2000, it just started getting curlier and curlier. I like it. I don't want to loose it. We will have to see.

Pregnancy: Pregnancy going great so far. I haven't had too many problems. Last few days my sciatic nerve on the right side has been bothering me, but again, hoping it isn't permanent and goes away. Today I had a complete 24 hours without it hurting. Yay!! I am getting bigger and bigger and it is harder to do everyday items like tying my shoes without getting winded from bending over. I get tired easier, but I am still working 12 hour shifts at work. I am not sure if I will be able to continue through the entire 9 months, but I am hoping. We need the income and work is a great social outlet for me.

Baby Shower: I am flying home in April for a Baby shower. We decided we should probably register for it. Last Sunday we spent the day out and about looking at all things baby! It was so much fun. Can't wait for our little man to arrive. We were originally thinking to register at Target and Baby Depot (inside Burlington Coat Factory), but after getting completely overwhelmed at Baby Depot with their lack of customer service and chaotic store, we decided to register at Target only. We had fun registering at Target and found lots of great items.
We weren't done there. We had heard about a store that we thought was just a one store place (vs chain store), but found out it is a chain, just on the East Coast. Well, we wanted to check it out. Heard it was like the Costco of baby items. Big warehouse like. Boy was it. It was so neat. When we got there we decided to register there too, in case anyone over here wanted to get us something (plus they have an online store too). As we were signing up, she pulled one of the sales associates over, and she became our personal shopper. She went around with us (for over 2 hours) and helped us register for what we might need. She answered questions, offered suggestions, and explained items. It was so cool. We were totally impressed. The store is called Buy Buy Baby. I believe it is a subsidiary of Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The store is set up exactly like BBB from the aisles down to the registers. We love BBB, so of course we now love Buy Buy Baby. If you wanna check it out, click here.

Pics: I have a belly pic of 20 weeks. I am not really a fan of it, but it is what I look like. I had just gotten out of the shower, and didn't even comb my hair. I look really tired, but I am well rested. I get plenty of rest on my days off. Too much in fact. I gained 8 lbs since my last appt 5 weeks ago. Boy, did I get a chewing out from my doctor. She didn't seem to care about the fact I have only gained 10lbs total since getting pregnant, she only cared that 8 of those lbs were in the last 5 weeks. Of course she gave me the nutrition and portion size lecture. "stay away from the cakes, and cookies, and sweets. If you want something sweet go for a piece of fruit". Well, made we wanna come home and devour a few cookies...so that is what I did! Hehe. But she is right. I do need to do better, and I do need to start exercising. I know it will make me feel better, but at the time...the couch feels so good!!
Here's the pic...20 weeks. I am now about to enter into 24 weeks, so almost time for a new pic.



Nursery: We have decided to go with Lambs and Ivy: Papagayo nursery theme. Here is a pic


Well, I think that about sums it up. I know I have been slacking a lot lately. I will try to do better. Even if my posts are short, sweet, and to the point. I fear I have been using facebook so much, that my posts here are almost repeats. I know some of you who read this aren't on facebook, so I apologize!