Play Review: The Book of Mormon

Last night Matt and I moved date night forward to Tuesday instead of Thursday. If I am a smart woman I will for the rest of my life continue to date my husband. I have never regretted a dime we have spent investing in our marriage. Back in November we saw an ad in the paper for the play "The Book of Mormon." Matt's mom and I have been season ticket holders to the Broadway shows that come through town and we have really enjoyed it, but this was a separate show. I had heard great things about the show. I even tried to get tickets when it was showing in Chicago a few years ago and I couldn't even get a single seat.

We went to La Brasa for dinner. I HIGHLY recommend eating there. We have been twice now and ordered completely different things and they were both delicious. It's not cheap, but I wouldn't call it absurdly expensive either. I'd say it's appropriately priced for what you get.

Shanna: I think this might be my favorite restaurant. I love this place.
Matt: More than Giuseppes?
Shanna: Oh no, Giuseppes is definitely my favorite.
Matt: So your favorite Peruvian place?
Shanna: Yes, for sure. My favorite Peruvian place.. by far.

So here we are. Ready to start the show with our pretty good, but not over the top good seats.

Isn't Matt handsome?

 This is going to be great! This has won so many awards! This place is packed! Did you look into what this is about? Me either. But it's supposed to be hilarious.

So... I had a good feeling this was going to poke some fun at Mormonism. I mean, I knew it was produced by the creators of South Park.  I'm not one to really to poke fun at any religion because it's offensive and I know some lovely Mormon people. Do you know any Mormon people? In my experience with Mormons, they are the most genuinely kind people I have ever met. So in my experience I really have nothing bad to say about Mormons. No hostility coming from me*. When Mitt Romney ran for President, it didn't bother me a bit that he was Mormon. I thought some interesting issues might come up during his time in office but I was completely okay with that. If I ever run for political office, I would like to make it clear that I have only positive feelings towards Mormon people even if components of their religion are a little peculiar to me. So I wasn't going into this play hoping for an all out offensive Mormon bash. 

Well.... it turns out that this play made me (and Matt) pretty uncomfortable. As a Christian there were some topics that went waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay past the line for me and if I were a Mormon... whoa I would be ticked. It seems like with with performing arts, and arts in general there really are no rules. Like you're not cultured or something if you disagree with the topic. In all fairness, I should have looked into it more before buying tickets because when it comes to religious issues I don't really see it as "all in good fun." I'm not calling for the cancellation of the play but if you're thinking about buying tickets and you're sensitive to subjects which make a joke of [extreme] blasphemy... this probably isn't the play for you. 

So there's that. You can't win 'em all. There were some funny parts but given the funny vs uncomfortable ratio, I would rather spend my money and time elsewhere. 

* I'm not sure if you're allowed to make generalizations about a group of people even if it's positive so if that is in some way offensive, my apologies. 

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Second Trimester Wrap Up

Can you believe I am now on the third trimester? This is simultaneously going extremely fast and creeping along. I am currently 29 weeks along so I am a little late on this post. The second trimester has been much different than the first.

Thank GOODNESS my energy came back. And by come back I mean I am not sleeping 16 hours a day. I am much more tired than my "normal" self, but I am still calling this a victory. I have gotten so much more done the last 3 months which makes me feel much better.

I am also growing, of course. I have been getting comments from strangers--mostly of the "when are you due?" which I suppose is much better than the super rude stuff I have heard other people go through. I was sort of startled when the check out girl at Sam's Club said "I don't want to be mean.. but are you?" After I realized what on earth she was talking about (I was wearing a coat) I said "Yes, I am pregnant. But if I weren't, you would be in a lot of trouble right now." Why on Earth was it her business? Was her curiosity worth risking her job? But like I said, if that's the worst (so far) I'll take it.

One of my most recent blog posts was Shanna the Grouch and boy was I grouchy for several weeks. But then I snapped out of it and overall I have been really happy. We have had lots of events that have kept us busy and having a good time.

I volunteered to host Thanksgiving this year. It turned out great but I later realized that 6 months pregnant is not really a great time to host Thanksgiving. Or get all Pioneer Woman on the holiday. Simplicity is key. Lesson learned.

 I volunteered to work for the Salvation Army with Matt's grandma (which she is highly involved in) and it was a really rewarding experience--certainly worthy of my time.

Receiving the Gifts Purchased by Donors at the Angel Tree

Helping with Wrapping at the Distribution Center

Friends' Company Christmas Party at the Petroleum Club

 We have gone to a couple of Thunder games. They won both times...so it seems logical that maybe they should just give us tickets for good luck.

 And I hosted Christmas with my family this year. We made a much simpler meal which was still nice and tasty.

Oh- and we also found out the gender.

Yep it's a girl. And let me tell you something. Wives tales are for the birds!! The only one that was true was the Chinese Gender Predictor-- so there's all that I can contribute if you're wanting to know the gender of your baby. Well that, and she has had a higher heart rate. I mentioned that to our (grouchy) sonographer the day we had our ultrasound and she really condescendingly said "The heart rate has nothing to do with it" to which I replied "Well I wouldn't call dangling my wedding ring over my stomach good science but I did it anyway." She made it pretty clear that she did that all day every day and she was over it. 

But overall, finding out the gender of our little baby was a day in our marriage I will never forget. Matt took the afternoon off that day and we had a nice lunch and went shopping. She got her first pair of boots. I am sure her Grandpa McFeeters was very proud. 

A little back ground to the Grandpa McFeeters statement-- my dad is a cowboy. Like a real cowboy. Like wear a cowboy hat and boots every where you go kind of guy. I was riding horses before I was walking. Well, my dad was holding me on a horse before I was walking. And my parents have bought two miniature donkeys already for Cline because they are lower to the ground and she can learn to ride independently earlier. So yeah, there's that. 

Oh and her name. Cline Diane. Named after Patsy Cline and her momma (and Gigi). 

So let's go through the typical things like we did in the First Trimester Wrap Up. 

The Symptoms:

Overall I feel pretty good. If I am especially busy during the weekend (which is nearly always) Pistol and I take Mondays off and relax. He is a big fan of our Monday hangouts. Hormones may be a little wacky, but for the last several weeks I have just been joyful. I think I also talked myself into an attitude adjustment after I realized what a grouch I was being. 

I do have some congestion which I read is common. I have never been an allergy sufferer, but I think that is probably what this feels like. I sneeze all the time. A humidifier at night seems to be helping. 

My pelvis also hurts some times. I think I figured out that the height of our bed is a major contributor. So now I have a little step stool next to my bed. If you walked into my room you would probably be convinced that a 100 year old woman lives there. I have a stack of books on the end table, a bunch of vitamins, and a humidifier. Then my little step stool to help me get into bed. 

I am also  much warmer than I used to be, therefore I maintain the house much cooler than I used to. I think Matt and Pistol are being totally dramatic about these living conditions and I don't care. Get a sweater. And some socks. A hat if you need to. Honey, do you mind opening the patio door? Ignore the snow. 

Cravings:

The only weird craving I have had is rootbeer. I do not like rootbeer. I would choose water over rootbeer any day. I wonder if that means Cline will like rootbeer? 

Products:

Remember when I told you about this humongous pillow and that it was mostly in the way? 

Well shortly after that post this became a staple in my sleeping routine. I take it everywhere with me. Without it I think my back would kill me without proper support. I still hate the thing and can't wait to get rid of it but it actually is a huge sleeping blessing. I am exclusively a side sleeper now when I used to be a stomach sleeper. I am looking forward to that blissful evening when I get to sleep on my stomach again. It's the little things, folks. 

At the top of my Christmas list was "big lady pajamas." I now have several pairs of huge fleece pajamas that I hope to never fit into again mere weeks after she is born (unless we have another baby). Nothing looks more ridiculous than too small for you PJs. 

Birthing Class:

 During this trimester we finished our birthing class. If you're wanting to go down the natural childbirth route, I highly recommend a Bradley Course. It was really informative and I would be really nervous about our ability to stick to the natural childbirth without it. I am not saying you can't do it without it, I am just saying that I know Matt and I well enough that without being equipped with so much information, as soon as things got the least bit questionable we probably would have given in and said "Do what you will!" and then told ourselves that we really should have come into the whole thing more prepared. You can totally gather this information via books and other research (and especially if you hire a doula), you just have to have enough will power to gather that information for yourself. 

The Bump: 

Welp, like I said. I am officially a pregnant-looking person. I did take a picture of myself in the bathroom mirror for my own reference but I just can't bring myself to post it. Bathroom pictures are the worst! It's against my code. We all have our own codes of conduct and that's part of mine. I am in maternity clothes about 75% of the time. I even made a box of clothes to revisit in the summer. They were just taking up space for the time being. Many pairs of pajamas went into that box. 

Being Touched:

I haven't had a stranger touch me so all is good in this category. I can feel her not only on the inside, but also on the outside. I can even see her when I am still. That is pretty cool and very alien-like all at the same time. I love when other people can feel her I guess because it's like physical proof that this magical event is occurring. I don't know. You think weird things when you're pregnant (at least I do). 

Things People Say:

I still can't talk about this category without being passive aggressive. 

In kind of related news, have you ever noticed that when anyone posts something on Facebook about their kids people reply about their own kids? This hasn't really happened to me, this is just an observation about other people. Give 'em the thumbs up and just let the poor person have their moment! 

Here's to the third trimester! Before too long I get to meet my baby girl. I have so many dreams for her that I could tear up thinking about it. I actually did tear up thinking about it this morning. They say the third trimester is pretty horrible... we will see what it brings! 

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Green is a Christmas Color

I LOVE Christmas. I really do. When your love language is gifts, it doesn't get much better than Christmas time. I have felt pretty good lately and since buying gifts is currently the most fun thing I am allowed to do, I have embraced the holiday pretty well. I wouldn't say I have gone overboard, I have just been able to be pretty thoughtful about the whole thing. I really love to buy gifts for Matt. He is easy to shop for. We decided to make "our" Christmas morning this morning because my parents will be here later and then we're headed to see his parents for the rest of the week/weekend so it was our only chance to get in a little alone Christmas celebration time.

I kind of struggle with an ethical dilemma with Christmas though. Of course you know that I am an eco-minded person with less of just an interest and more of a conviction to do what I can to protect the environment. You know those cross-stitch signs that typically older people have in their home that says "As for Me and My House, We Will Serve the Lord"? Well the version in our house should say that, and then below in a much smaller font say "... and Protect the Planet."

But what on Earth does "protect the planet" mean? Well I know I can't single-handedly do anything truly impactful myself... but I can live by a policy which requires that we are conscious of the responsibility of taking care of our consumption. We have to realize and actively pursue and approach to life that says "There is no 'away' in 'throw away'" and treat being stewards of the environment as a pillar of our faith. So how do we solve the ethical dilemma of wanting to embrace this holiday which contributes to so much joy while still being mindful of our consumption?

Well here's the Shanna Approach to Holiday Eco-Mindedness:
First- Chill on the presents. Especially with the kids. Let's create a scale of Childhood Happiness and Excitement. This scale is from 0-10. 0 being "We ain't gettin' nothing' for Christmas" and 10 is "WHAT AN AWESOME CHRISTMAS, I AM SO HAPPY!!". Okay so the majority of us Westerners tend to aim for a 10 with the kids. We can't help it, we want our kids to be happy. We can't carry the guilt of our child feeling like they didn't have the "Best Christmas Ever" year after year. I get this and I don't really have (that many) judgments about it. I haven't even had a child look at me with their sweet little eyes and tell me their greatest Christmas wishes and I already get that the pressure is heavy. But stay with me. Back to our scale. Okay so let's just assume that we're aiming for a 10 every time. Fine. Whatever. This still does not mean that you need a gazillion presents per child.
A child can only express so much happiness over Christmas. You can still be a 10 parent with a few gifts, especially if you listen to your kids about what really has value to them. After you have hit the 10 status then the value of each following gift just diminishes in value and it just more junk in your house. Then what do you do? Throw away the old stuff they are bored with... and the cycle continues. It's okay to choose quality over quantity. Your kids will still love you for it. And if not... well you may have some other parent/child issues you need to address. And yes, next year you can remind me of this. And maybe it's too late this year. I mean, it's Christmas Eve. Hopefully you're done shopping. Another good idea is to take the number of gifts you gave your kids this year and let them pick out that number to donate to a deserving organization. And make them help you clean them up and put them in a condition that someone else would actually want to buy them used. Goodwill is not a substitute trash can.

Second- Packaging matters.
Please become the kind of person that realizes that the VERY LEAST we can do in this consumption-based society (and holiday) is just be responsible about the packaging. YOU HEAR ME?! THE LEAST. If you take nothing else from me and my blog, please realize that when we make a purchase, we are responsible for it. This means properly disposing of the mostly (or entirely) recyclable packaging and taking good care of our items so they can have a new life after we are done with them. Easiest way to tackle this during Christmas? You guessed it... wrapping paper and boxes.
Please recycle your wrapping paper. If you find yourself in a rural area that doesn't have recycling, go ahead and pack that stuff up in your car and take it when you get a chance. It is light, it doesn't have any odor, it will be fine in your car. This can be a great way to teach your kids and others about taking steps to be responsible for your consumption. If someone says something about it, just hand them another glass of eggnog and go about your business. It's not your problem if others choose to be ignorant about the limited resources on this planet.
I personally take the tape off because it's like 6 extra minutes of my time. I have called recycling facilities before and they said you can leave the tape on but I take it off just to be safe. That's your call (but I will be impressed if you take off the tape... just in case your recycling program has different requirements).

Here's the amount we recycled from this year.

Here's the amount that went into the trash.

Here's the amount that's being reused for next year.

Note: if you get a gift bag from me, I can't even tell you which life it is on, but I can guarantee it's not on its first.

I could go on for a long time about eco ideas, but I don't really want to get preachy and I want you to actually apply these things so I'll stop now. I wish you the merriest of Christmases. Go tell someone that you love them. Give extra hugs. Cherish these moments. Recycle your wrapping paper.

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Shanna the Grouch

For about the last month I have been really grouchy. If you know me personally the things I might complain about or comment on are really the extent of my feelings on issues. I don't have stuff all bottled up inside. So all in all, I'm actually a really happy and upbeat person. If I am grouchy for a while I notice and I even pray about it. I realize I am having a bad attitude and I want to be better. This was my Facebook post today:

This is mostly just funny but I totally will defriend people who do these things. A real friendship is not the same thing as a Facebook friendship and I feel that our real friendship will be better off if I don't see you post nonsense that falls into the categories above. But gosh Facebook rants aren't much better. If 15 people would have defriended me today for going on a Facebook rant I totally would have been on their side. Trying to fix the internet is silly, but gosh it made me feel better to get it off my chest.
I really should just not get on Facebook ever because I usually exit the app asking myself, "Why did I do that??" But something tells me that you were led to this post through Facebook.... so there are some upsides.

I am grouchy about a lot of things lately. I want to say it's hormones but it's such a cop-out to blame your actions/feelings on hormones. I want to own my feelings and my feelings are that I am mad at like nearly everyone. There's a situation I am currently dealing with where I just cannot effectively communicate with another person and I just feel like crud about it even though I honestly think it's totally their fault and Matt is on my side about it (or at least he's smart enough to say so).

Stuff with work is frustrating me. Right now I don't fall into the category of "people who think their job is so much more important/difficult than everyone else's" because right now my job is pretty easy and the only problem I have is people making it harder than it needs to be (note: I consider my dissertation to be part of my job because it's a requisite of my employment as a TA).

I am grouchy about my body. Things are changing so much and I am insanely grateful for this opportunity, no honor, to carry a baby. I can't help but be bummed that things are moving and growing out of my control...and those fools that say stuff like I do have control and this is my fault.. they make me grouchy too. And sleeping isn't very comfortable and I am terrified to sleep on my back because my yoga instructor framed it like the baby wouldn't get what she needs if I rest on my back and I forgot to ask my doctor about it. My doctor who has an Ivy-League education and 15 years of experience is the only person I listen to at all when it comes to pregnancy advice. That's my minimum requirement. And my mom because we are genetically connected. Everyone else I just politely listen to and forget about. One grouchy antidote is at the end of the day when I can feel her kicking.

I am getting really tired again and there's so much to do and that makes me grouchy. Hey Shanna why don't you get off the internet if you have so much to do?? I mean, Matt's going to be here in like 20 minutes and we are going to run errands so it's not really practical to do much else right now.

But then again, today I got three pretty cool pieces of information. One friend told me the gender of her baby. Another friend told me that she is going to have a baby. And another friend just a few moments ago had her baby. Prior to getting pregnant this information would have meant about 10% of what it means to me today because I just couldn't relate. Now I am filled with joy with this information and am so excited to get to share this chapter of my life with so many friends. I don't take this experience for granted because I know what a blessing from God this is, and I also know there's a lot of people that I know personally that would trade places with me in a heartbeat and I think about them every day.

I just need to perk up. I think I am going to pour myself into Christmas this year and just maximize all the happiness that I can. So if you're some sort of Grinch you should probably stay away from me and not rob me of my Christmas happiness because I will unapologetically defriend your grouchy butt.

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October Life Update

I have felt so much more energy in the month of October. Had we been good planners Matt and I may have taken a trip out of state during an away game but it's hard to predict when I am going to feel good so it's hard to make big financial commitments to travel. We decided to "get away" the weekend of the TCU game. We went down to Matt's parent's boat down on Lake Texoma and made some stops on the way. 

We had lunch at "2 Frogs" because I had always been curious. I had seen the billboards so many times. It was good but not something I would be overly excited to return to. 

And we drove down to Hillsboro, TX for the "Peanut Festival" which surprisingly had fewer peanuts than you would think. I kept wondering how many Epi pens they had on stock for this festival.  We had a really good time because Matt and I are just into these sorts of things. There was a discussion of flea markets in our marriage vows. I kid you not.

Pistol was good and ready to pick a fight with every big dog that walked by... as long as mom and dad were there to "hold him back." 

 We also went to check out the house that Matt's parents are building on Texoma. It is Pistol approved.

I don't know if you know this about me, but I don't camp. Like, at all. My only experiences have been miserable failures. MISERABLE. The boat has a cabin where the table turns into a bed and there's a little bathroom so most people wouldn't really call it "roughing it". This was my limit. It was actually not bad overall.I liked that the boat rocked and it was nice and cool and we opened the windows so I slept pretty well overall.

 Getting ready in the morning was a little different... close quarters.

 Pistol turned 4! My little baby is getting so grown up. We gave him some wet dog food for his birthday. He was incredibly excited even if he made a mess all over my floor with it.

 We went to Walkarounds for the World's Greatest Homecoming at OSU. It was such a good year for it. Last year was INSANELY cold but it was so nice this year. This is my brother Joe in the dunk tank at the Delt Carnival which raises money for Coaches vs. Cancer. I'd like to say for the record that I hit that target twice and the silly thing just wouldn't dunk the kid!!

And I can't help but be nostalgic during homecoming because Adeepi and Delt being paired for homecoming in 2007 is the reason that Matt and I met. And well, the rest is history.

And shortly after this picture my PEQUENA GOT ENGAGED!!!!! Anna is my little in the sorority, but more importantly she is one of my best friends. She has been dating David for the same amount of time that Matt and I have been together. David and Matt grew up together and have been close friends since before high school. I was telling Matt how great of an engagement story it would be if they got engaged during the homecoming events because that is how they met too. They were both homecoming directors for our respective houses. I am so excited for them I can't even take it. 

Instead of going to the homecoming game this year, the timing for a conference took me to Portland to present some of the material for my dissertation. I have a partnership with Keep America Beautiful where they give me their data and I provide them with some reports they can use to help schools become more efficient in their operations in a competition (RecycleMania).

My dad went with me this year in case anything happened and I would need to get to a hospital (it didn't) and it was also a great opportunity for my dad to finally watch me speak at a professional event. My dad is basically the entire reason I am an environmentalist so it was really cool to have him there. 

My dad and I. Isn't he handsome?

And that night we snuck into the Keystone Speaker's address for the conference. I refused to pay $250/person for the conference and I have been enough times that I thought we had sufficient ninja like skills to make it work. Otherwise I would have totally pulled the pregnancy card and rubbed my stomach telling security I left our badges at the hotel and couldn't walk back that far. No shame.

The reason I wanted to watch the speaker was because a woman, Annie Leonard was speaking. I had already read her book (see former blog post) "The Story of Stuff" and I show her YouTube videos (The Story of Stuff )when I guest lecture on environmental issues. She is just great. I really admire her so this was an awesome experience for the environmental nerd in me.

AND I MET HER!

And she signed my book which I was super proud that it was a used copy and I had brought my own to the conference. I bet she is sipping her coffee right now thinking about how impressed she was with that girl from Oklahoma at the conference.

On Monday my dad and I rented a car and drove out to the Pacific Coast. We saw all kinds of beautiful landscapes and stopped at this lookout. This was supposed to be my first official "bump" photo which is why I was getting my arm out of the way. It doesn't look like  I have a bump at all but I didn't think my dad would have the patience to take the picture over and over.

And on the way we went to the Tilamook Cheese Factory. When you can't stop at the wineries, this is what you do as an alternative. It was like a real life "How It's Made." It was actually pretty cool.

Now I am home safe and sound. I am taking a couple days off to get organized with the rest of my life. Matt and I had date night last night. We had a nice dinner at home and then we saw Fury. It was a good movie and I recommend going to see it. We have decided we are going to see as many movies as we can before March. Many reviews to come!

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First Trimester Wrap-Up

First, I have to say that I realize that the blog is getting a little "baby heavy." I feel like I need to state that this is not going to turn into a baby/parenting/mom blog. While some topics get a little weighted from time to time, this is still the Seinfeld of blogs and it is my intention to keep it that way. I have some eco topics I want to address soon, so hopefully that will mix it up.
But for now, in consideration of time I wanted to talk about my first trimester.

The Symptoms:
So when you first start telling people that you're pregnant they very often ask you about morning sickness. To me, this is kind of funny and even startling even though I am sure I have done this myself to every pregnant friend I have ever had. It's really a way of saying "How are you feeling?" which in reality is a caring question. But for me, I hear it as, "So, are you barfing?" Then I get kind of bashful and say no. I do not have a relationship with that sort of sickness for the most part in general. I am like Ted from How I Met Your Mother, "Vomit Free Since '93" although for me it's more like 2003 (obviously there's the rare exception for the result of poor behavior if you know what I mean).

The reality is that if I did not know that I was pregnant as the result of 32 pregnancy tests (more on that later) and three blood tests, I would probably be seeing the doctor for what would be a self-diagnosed Vitamin B deficiency. This means that my only real symptom has been extreme fatigue. I mentioned this in my first baby blog post. I have never in my life experienced this type of exhaustion. The idea of sleeping all the time sounds kind of appealing and if you work from home like I do, that can be arranged. The problem is that you don't have the energy to do the things you love, or GET WORK DONE. I still have a dissertation to write, folks. That has made me feel like crud but fortunately I have been meeting my deadlines and I can answer student emails from my phone from the couch. Thank you,  Mr. Jobs.

Pregnancy Tests Can Be Too Inexpensive: 

The pregnancy tests you get at the pharmacy like Clear Blue or Error Proof Test and such are actually quite expensive, to me anyway. They are something like $10 a pop. However, I read on a friend's blog that you could buy these pregnancy test strips on Amazon where you can get 50 tests for something like $15. That comes out to $0.30 a piece. I can't think of any purchase I wanted to make that thirty cents would prohibit me from taking the plunge. So when we're talking about life changing information, I might go ahead and cure my curiosity a few times a day. It's not really fair for me to only tell you when I have good outcomes in life without being at least a little honest about when I am completely ridiculous. So I may have been a little anxious to find out if we were going to have a baby. And at the first sign of the faintest of lines I made a bee-line for my doctor's office to get a blood test. The conversation we had when she called to tell me the results was sort of hilarious. Now to be fair, I went in that moment because we were coming up on the Fourth of July weekend and there was no way I could wait 5 days to get confirmation and even though I had taken tons of tests, 500 tests wouldn't be enough to convince me until I got a doctor to confirm. I am an information intensive person (obviously) and I don't like to put myself through situations that I can't take. So she calls me and her tone is ... apprehensive. "Hi Shanna, we got your blood tests back. And well... well you're confirmed to be pregnant but I have to tell you.. I...  I just have never actually seen numbers this low (If you're in the know about this sort of thing, my HCG was 15.6). So... yeah we close early tomorrow but I want you to come in first thing in the morning so we can test you again because... yeah wow these are low so lets see what your numbers do overnight." Shanna: "OKAY!!" So we went the next day and my numbers doubled and all felt right in the world.

The evidence of how absurd I am

Would I recommend that you buy these super cheap pregnancy tests? Probably not. First, I didn't really get stressed about if the lines changed or not because I knew I was testing early. But Google told me that something like 0.6% of people find out as early as I was testing and I have always considered myself sort of lucky so maybe I was in that group! (I wasn't... obviously). Testing all the time will likely cause you to want more and more information which will cause you to Google. DON'T GOOGLE. FOR THE LOVE OF PISTOL PETE DO NOT GOOGLE. I am trying to keep advice to a minimum because it turns out advice is most circumstances is just annoying but listen to my words. Stay the heck away from Google.
I also think this is a tricky approach if you've been trying a long time. Like I said, I was testing but really just shrugged my shoulders at a negative and thought, well I can always test again tomorrow. However, if you've been trying a long time that could lead to daily disappointment when in reality you're probably just testing too early. Let your body start telling you if you're pregnant before testing. But that sounds like advice and I'm not giving advice so do what you want. Just some food for thought.

Cravings:

I had some strong cravings to macaroni and cheese (which I could eat every day anyway) and protein. One day I had a burger for lunch and a steak for dinner. I felt great about it.

Products:

Two products I have found especially helpful in the first trimester:

The Belly Band:

HAHA No this is not a picture of me

You can get these at Target for something like $16. These things are nice for when your pants are getting tight so you can unbutton them and they still stay on, but you're still too small for maternity pants. Probably about 6-7 weeks in I was wearing the belly band for some pants/shorts. I obviously wasn't showing but any pressure on my abdomen since that early has been really uncomfortable. So for me, these were a yes.

The Snoogle Pillow:

I bought mine on Amazon, it was about $50. This early into the pregnancy I have mixed feelings. It's great for the couch and taking naps. In our bed it's a lot less comfortable because I turn a lot in my sleep so I have to move this whole thing and I am under the covers and it becomes heavy and right now it's more trouble than help. However, as I grow I think this will be extremely helpful for extra support so I am good with the purchase. I'll try to address this at the 3rd trimester wrap up. 

Birthing Class: 

We are going the natural birth route. I think as women our bodies were made for this experience and if billions of other women can have a baby naturally, then I can too (I hope!). I don't have judgments about the choices of others, how you birth your baby is between you, your partner, and your doctor (or midwife). So we signed up for a 12 week birthing class. Matt and I go together and it's about an hour and a half. It's pretty interesting. The method we are following is called The Bradley Method. I am glad we are taking the class. There's so much to learn and I like to feel in control of situations so this is a much better approach for me (remember, information intensive).

The Bump:

So... a picture!! Well I meant to have Matt take a picture but I forgot. I refuse to take a picture of myself in the bathroom mirror. It goes against my code. Plus there is a big difference between morning and night time in "the bump." Or at least I think so. Now I am just about 17 weeks so the bump is there for sure. I am not convinced that I look pregnant to others, but rather a strangely proportioned chunky person. That's not like self hate or anything, I just think I look kind of funny right now. I have an app that tells you how big the baby is based on fruit and vegetables but they must have a strange produce section because it seems like over time the vegetables will be smaller than the last. So I looked up the specs on an iPhone 5 and that's about the length and weight of our baby right now (again, thank you, Mr. Jobs). 

Matt's mom bought me a tshirt that says something about the bump being a football fan. I think I am going to wear it tomorrow so if you follow me on Instragram I'll try to post a pic. 

Being Touched:

I think I am a pretty loving person, especially verbally or in actions (like gifts or random acts of kindness) but being touched is probably last on my list of Love Languages. I don't necessarily dislike being touched but I typically only initiate touching (like hugging) someone else if we are pretty close or the situation calls for it (like happy or sad news) but I am happy to return a hug. But be warned if you hug me, I am going to hug you back like I mean it because life is too short for insincere hugs. Like when people pat you on the back during a hug. Get out of here with that. So, if you would have asked me pre-pregnancy or even early pregnancy if it would bother me if people touched my bump I would have said yes. Keep yo hands to yo self. Well a few brave souls have taken the plunge and reached out. It turns out it doesn't bother me at all. There's nothing to feel right now but I think it's like their little way of hugging the baby. I don't know. So if we are friends, it's okay. But strangers beware. I have really fast reflexes and I will not be held responsible for perhaps slapping you away a little too hard for putting your hands me. That's just a survival instinct, right?

The Things People Say:

I actually deleted this whole section. Just tread lightly when talking to pregnant people. Try to lean towards supportive and away from authoritative. 

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The Baby Bucket List

I have mentioned our Baby Bucket List in previous blog posts but I haven't really been specific about what it entailed. If you have asked yourself whether or not this pregnancy was planned... well that's silly. Of course it was. I'm not saying that my planning can go beyond the Almighty's plan for my life but given what I can control, yes this was planned. Not many people have asked me that question but I have other married friends  that are pregnant who say they get asked all the time. Don't do that. What if the answer is no? Are you prepared to deal the the awkward silence spawned from asking inappropriate questions?
Speaking of inappropriate questions/comments it is my goal to write a non passive aggressive blog post about all the silly silly, uncalled for, and even irritating things that people have already said to me. I haven't figured that out yet so it may be a while. Or maybe I'll just have to tell you in person. That seems less tacky.

Anyway,
Matt could have been happy having a baby earlier in our marriage. If you know Matt personally, doesn't he have "Good Dad" just written all over him? But since the first few months of our marriage I had been commuting from Midland to Lubbock and then OKC to Lubbock so all that travel wouldn't have been safe with me pregnant. Plus I would have lost my mind with how tired I have been if I would have been trying to take classes and TA and travel and all the other odds and ends of life. No way. People also tell you all the time "You have no idea how much a child will change your life." Well, I have a pretty good idea. It seems pretty common sense that things are going to be different if another human being entirely depends on you for their survival, plus development and day to day functions. That seems like a rather large task. My imagination is powerful enough to suppose that it's going to be a stressful, expensive, time-consuming endeavor. Given that knowledge, early in our marriage I made a list of things I wanted to do before having a baby so I didn't have feelings of resentment that I had "missed out" on anything.

Here's the list:
1) Go to Disney World as an adult without children.
2) Go to Napa
3) Go ice skiing one more time
4) Surf one more time
5) See Venice


And here's how we did it.

1) Go to Disney World as an adult without children.

I had a conference in L.A. where my classmate Wes and I were presenting a paper on drought conditions impacting water usage at colleges and universities. Well, you know what's close by? Disney Land. It's not Disney World and in my creating of this list I had imagined going with Matt, but he said it would count as long as we could strike it off the list. Wes is largely a kid a heart so we had a good time, even if we had to watch the Star Wars demonstration for too long. I also got to ride the tea cups which my mom wouldn't let me do when I was 7 because she got sick when we she was little and she was afraid it would do the same to me.

2) Go to Napa

I actually didn't accomplish this one and it's high on the priority list post-baby. Maybe next fall when they do the grape harvest. But, I did get a wine country experience when Matt and I did a weekend trip to Fredericksburg, TX.

We rented a cute cabin and toured several wineries. We had such a good time together and came back with enough wine that it felt like a successful wine trip. This trip is one of my favorite married memories.

3) Go Ice Skiing Once Last Time

When I was in high school I went skiing every year. I also went one time in college. I loved it. I don't do things that are too life threatening but on the stuff I do go on, I have to say I am pretty good. Especially for someone who goes once every several years. Well for Christmas last year I opened up a box and there was a nice warm coat. And under the coat was the itinerary for the ski trip we were going to go on Valentine's day weekend. I was STOKED. It had been something like 7 years since I had been skiing.

Matt had never been. It turned out that it wasn't for him. Poor guy. 

Right Before Matt Took Out Some Kids

Lonely Skier

But he was a good sport and was just fine drinking beer while I went down runs by myself. It's just not fair to torture someone into hurling themselves down a snow and ice covered mountain if they don't want to. Hopefully this little one will take to skiing well and we can go frequently. It's actually kind of irritating how good kids are at skiing.

















4) Surf One More Time

When I did Study Abroad in Costa Rica in 2007 I fell in love with surfing. It's really hard but man when you get up on the board there's nothing like it. I wanted to experience that at least one more time before we had kids.

In 2012 we decided to go to Costa Rica for our anniversary trip which was actually my birthday weekend. We tried to make Italy work but the flights were outrageous. I figured I could take Matt around to check things out (I had already been twice) and he could have his own little tour guide. We had an awesome trip and he loved the country. It wont take much convincing to get him to go back.

 I didn't get a surfing picture from that trip but this was the beach the day before in Tamarindo. Matt did a really good job for a first time surfer. I would say he was better than I was my first time. I loved that he was willing to try it with me knowing how much I loved it. 

And then I got lucky this past year and got to go again when we went to the Dominican Republic. Matt didn't go but my friend Nicole did. She was a natural! I did get up on my first try which may have set the bar a little too high for the rest of the day... There are lots of wipe out pictures from where this one comes from...

5) And Finally, see Venice. 

I have wanted to go to Venice since forever. I thought this was going to take YEARS to accomplish. However, we put our mind to it, made a call to the travel agent, and made it happen. We actually went on a cruise and saw several countries but got to spend a day in Venice. It was a wonderful day with Matt. Of course we had the Gondola ride. We drank wine and ate Pizza and had dinner on the canal. We walked all over the place and took in all the beauty. I would go back in a heartbeat. 

As far as I am concerned, we met the criteria of our Baby Bucket List. You might be wondering how we did it or if we have some huge amount of cash at our disposal. In reality, it's all been a matter of a large amount of planning. We include a trip in our annual budget planning because we want to make it a priority to make time for each other--even post baby. What better thing can you invest in than your marriage? 

We also do things like throw money in a jar throughout the year and periodically put it in the bank. The year's trip to the Dominican was largely paid for by money we had been putting away at will. Birthday money, random reimbursements, a few extra bucks here and there. It really adds up. 

When you make a list of accomplishments, make them a priority, and pursue your goals, there's really not much that you can't do. Except the miracle of having a baby itself. I give that all to God and take only about 1% of credit for the planning part.

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