MOPS!




My devoted blog readers will remember my disastrous MOPS experience last year (where I was literally left standing in the corner with no one talking to me!) Well, I've decided to give another MOPS group a chance after hearing good things about it. I already received a really nice note from the director of tomorrow's group, so hopefully that means this group will be better!! I think Grant will love playing in their childcare program at least! :) I'll let you know how it goes!

Team Pink!




Well, even though we found that the baby is a girl awhile ago, yesterday was my "big" ultrasound at 20 weeks where people *usually* find out the gender. (ya know, non-hyperemesis, non-contracting, non-pulmonary-embolism people ).

So, I thought it'd be fun to track back to the post when we found out Grant was going to be a boy:

http://journey2guat.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html

I was going to have the ultrasound tech take a picture of us yesterday, but I forgot the camera! bummer!

Anyway - it feels so "complete" knowing we'll have one boy and one girl. I cannot explain how much Matt and I are praying for the next 4 months to be so uneventful and smooth and lead to a healthy baby girl in late May!

Making Cookies!




Grant and I made cookies for the first time together yesterday. He LOVED it. After he figured out how to dump stuff into the bowl, he was SO into it! And, he was just mesmerized by the KitchenAid mixer - he kept saying "wow...wow".

And, he also figured out fast what the best part of making cookies is! Look at his little finger:



(the quality's low because it was my phone)

"New Woman"




Yesterday at our appointment the hematologist walked in the room, said hi, and said "wow, you look like a new woman!" I think that was just code for "wow, you looked really BAD last week in the hospital!"

25 Random Things About Me




So, I posted this on Facebook, but for those of you not on there, I thought I'd post it here, too. It's just 25 Random things about me, that you might or might not have wanted to know. ;)


1. I LOVE to be organized. Even though my house doesn't always reflect it, something just seems better in the world when I'm organized. I LOVE the Container Store - I could get so excited about closet systems and pantry dividers!

2. On the same note, I hate clutter. I try to remove it as much as possible, as fast as possible. Whatever the opposite of a pack-rat is, I am.

3. I de-stress by getting out of the house by myself (with or with out Grant), and shopping. I don't have to buy anything - there's just something about walking around the mall and even just browsing that makes me feel calmer, less-stressed, and more at peace. That's got to be weird, I know, but it's true. I feel much more sane after being out of the house for a couple of hours. Grant and I have this whole routine for each mall that we go to - I know what food kiosks to stop at for a snack and Diet Coke - the kiosks are about half-way through the mall so on my return lap I can get a free refill. :D

4. I love Pottery Barn. Love, love, love it. I love to dream through their catalogs. However, I have a Target budget. ;) So, I try to re-create their looks for less - and, Target usually has pretty good Pottery Barn knock-offs!

5. I enjoy trying to decorate my house. My current project is the mantel that Matt just built for me. I love the mantle, but now have to get stuff on it!

6. When I'm not pregnant, I really love Starbucks. When I am pregnant, just the thought of coffee makes my stomach ick.

7. This is the last pregnancy for us. No questions asked.

8. I love to run. I never, ever thought I'd enjoy running, but once I started, I found I really, really like it. And, I love the way it makes my legs look! ;-)

9. I think part of the reason I like to run is I like the cute exercise clothes. :)

10. I love pasta and could eat it almost every day.

11. I think Weight Watchers is the greatest "diet" program ever invented. I lost 88 pounds (shocking, I know!) of pregnancy weight while following WW online after I had Grant. (It was bout 70 pounds of pregnancy weight and 15ish more pounds that I should've lost before him! ;-)) I'm already looking forward to doing WW and running again after I have this baby - being in control of my food and exercise just made me feel so healthy.

12. On that note, the pulmonologist said that being in such great shape before this pregnancy probably really helped my lungs process this clot. So, that I'm thankful for! All the more reason to exercise.

13. I have a special shampoo that I use just after running- almost like my reward for running. It's Aveda's Rosemary Mint Shampoo, and it just smells heavenly. It's way too expensive, though, for daily use, so 3-4x/week after running is my treat. :)

14. I started going seriously gray this past year and had to start coloring my hair regularly.

15. Hair is very important to me. I can't tell you the amount of tears I've cried over my hair! Fortunately I've learned what cuts do and don't work, and that my husband is usually my best hair-cutter!

16. This past year has probably been one of the hardest of my life. Losing baby Josie at 11 weeks last spring, dealing with hyperemesis this past fall and now this lung clot...I'm so, so ready for life and health to be back to "normal", whatever that is!

17. Although I currently love being a stay-at-home-wife-and-mom, I really, really miss teaching. I miss the creativity involved in lesson planning, and I miss just being in front of the classroom, interacting with my students. I definitely hope to go back to part-time teaching when our kids are in school. My heart will miss the classroom until then, I think.

18. I will always have a special place in my heart for the city of Dallas and our time there. Although we had our difficulties, we met some of our best friends in the world and just have such wonderful memories of them and Dallas. I miss Chuy's, the best Mexican restaurant ever! Our "Dallas" friends are now pretty much spread through out the US, and I miss them!

19. I really, really like to paint. I LOVE looking at paint samples!

20. I love fall and winter. Fall is probably my favorite, but I actually enjoy the cold and snow, too! I

21. I love to cook but hate to bake.

22. I love to get my toenails done.

23. It's slightly embarrassing to admit, but I like reality TV. I also like the Unit, 24, Grey's Anatomy, and Lipstick Jungle.

24. I think Bobbi Brown make-up is the best ever!

25. My husband needs a medal of honor, or something even higher, for all he's done for me the past year. For 2 months this past fall I was on the couch either throwing up or feeling like I was going to die, and he selflessly took care of me, Grant, the house and everything else. His commitment through "in sickness and health" has been put to the test way more than a couple married 6 1/2 years should be, and I love him so much.