Halloween!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Halloween!!! For the past three years we have thrown a huge Halloween Party will lots of drunken antics; this year we elected to not throw one because I was too tired and I didn't want Travis to have to do the heavy lifting for the event. I mean it when I say heavy lifting because we usually take up all of the rugs in the house, remove the dining room table and replace it with a large table for beerpong and flip-cup, we make tons of jello shots, cook all kinds of finger foods, buy a keg of Guinness, and decorate the house from top to bottom. So this year we took the easy road and went to someone elses house for the party. I have to admit, it was nice waking up this year without having to clean jello shooters off of the floor, and even better I don't have a hangover... Yay CLARK!!!

I'll show you our costumes from the past three years and then this years award winning BEST COSTUME! I can't believe I won!!!

Three years ago, in 2008, Travis and I went as a priest and a nun and Buddy went as the dog from Nightmare before Christmas:

The next year we went as Batman and Robin, Buddy was the Riddler. I can't find a photo of Travis or Buddy, but I'll keep looking and get them on here...:

Last year Travis and I went as Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter, Buddy was the Jabberwockey (I need a better filing system for my photos, I can't find a picture of Buddy):

And this year... We went as Father Time and Mother Earth, Buddy didn't feel like dressing up:

My girlfriend Jamie's Husband Jon is an extremely talented artist and he free handed a picture of the globe onto my belly. The costume was a HUGE hit. I don't think that I will ever be able to top it. Luckily we will have Clark to dress up and he can be the guy with the best costume. So until next Halloween I'll leave you with one last photo of the earth...

1000 Cranes

I finally finished all 1000 cranes. It took me 40 hours to fold all of them. It took an hour for just 25, what a time consuming project... I then strung them up on thread and hung them like a curtain in Clark's room. I think they turned out wonderfully. However, by looking at them it doesn't seem as though there are actually 1000. Trust me there are, I've counted them over and over again to make sure.

As we wait for Clark to make his arrival I find that we are filling our time with movies and laughter. I am torn between wanting this little boy out and in my arms, not only because I can't wait to snuggle him but also because I am tired of contractions that lead to nothing, and wanting to keep him locked away in my belly forever. I absolutely love being pregnant, this little boy has changed my life forever and he isn't even here yet. I have never know such a love, and it is for a person I've never even met yet. Right now he is all mine. I don't have to share him with anyone if I don't want to, his kicks and flips are confined to my belly, like a secret conversation between just the two of us.

Anyway, I hope that you are having a great day!

37.5 week check up

Just got home from our 37.5 week check up, everything is normal, Clark is roughly 6.8lbs, and I have not dialated at all. Booooo. My favorite doctor was on call and I would really like to go into labor with her there so I was hoping that I would be dialated just a smidge. I would be out walking the entire city to get this little guy out today... I guess we are waiting for a few more days.

I don't really have any other updates and am going to go take a nap...

Have a great day!

Taking Buddy to the Vet

Yesterday we took Buddy to the Vet to get checked out because he has a growth in his armpit. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't cancer or anything of that nature. Buddy HATES the Vet!!! He has this sixth sense about the Vets office; he thinks that the Vet has serious sadist issues. He has since he was a little pup...

I think that though vets are extremely knowledgeable about animal medicine, they are mostly stupid when it comes to dogs. My absolute favorite thing that they do is ask, "Is he a biter?" Well, um, No but then again I don't usually go around sticking things up his butt, giving him shots in the hips, taking his blood, or shooting liquids in his nostrils... So, today he might just be...

Turns out we were behind on some of our shots so the poor dog got one in his two hind hips and one of his front shoulders, he had to have some liquid squirted up his nose, a fecal exam, the usual temperature check (twice to the rear, he was not happy), and blood taken. Then they got to the growth; the vet wanted to take three samples from it by inserting a needle and taking out fluid. She took one sample and then decided that she could just remove the growth all together because it isn't very large and isn't attached to muscle or anything. The kicker is that in order to take this very minute growth they will have to put him under general anesthesia instead of just hitting it up with a local anesthetic. WTF??? I asked her why and she said that because it is a military vet they don't remove anything without putting him to sleep... I am peeved! I don't understand why they would take something so simple and turn it into a huge ordeal. Plus the chance of complications greatly increase with general anesthesia compared to just going local and quickly removing the growth... I'm seriously considering taking him to a German Vet to get this taken off.

Labor and Delivery Class

Travis, my girlfriend Jamie (who is going to my delivery with us), and I went to a Labor and Delivery class this past weekend. We learned some really interesting things, like relaxation methods for pain control through contractions and how to care for the umbilical cord until it falls off, etc. But the best part of the class was watching my lovely husband put on the "baby suit", isn't he handsome?!?! Man I love this guy! He even went as far as to hold up his "purse" while rocking the suit.

Yesterday we got 5 boxes in the mail. I LOVE LOVE LOVE opening packages! All five of these packages were for the baby. We got our baby wearing wrap, a baby bath, the changing pad for the changing table, a girdle for me (for after delivery, to help suck back in my organs, I'll keep you updated on how that works), and a wonderful package from my cousin and his wife with all sorts of cute baby stuff. Thank you Jill and Ricky!!!

I hope that all of you are having a wonderful day!

Marathon Poster...

I am so excited that my Mom is going to be running her first Marathon! I am equally saddened that I 1) cannot be there to run it with her 2) cannot be there to support her while she runs it. So, I made a double sided poster for my lovely sister to hold up for her while she Kicks ASPHALT!!!

My Mom truly is an inspiration to me. If it weren't for her I would have never gotten into running, I would have never gotten my group fitness certification, and I certainly would not be so motivated to stay healthy. She has been running as long as I can remember and has run plenty of 5Ks and 10Ks, a few half marathons, but this is her first full Marathon and I am so proud of her!

Freezer Cooking and Cranes

The past week was full of freezer cooking for when baby Clark shows up. I have stocked the freezer with spinach pie, chicken penne, and perogies. On top of that I have finished packing my hospital bag and getting the nursery together.

I have also been spending a lot of time folding cranes for the baby nursery. I have folded roughly 750 cranes so far and still have 250 to go...

Japanese tradition says that gifting a thousand cranes to a baby symbolizes the wish for a long life and good luck. I want to fold 1000 cranes for Clark to hang as a mobile in his room. Since we are probably moving soon I will likely place the cranes on strings and hang them in his window.

So, I'm off to fold more cranes and then I'm going to make a poster for my Mom's upcoming marathon. She is running the Rock-n-roll Marathon in Virginia in a couple of weeks. I wish we could be there to support her. Hopefully next year I can run one with her, if she is up to running a second one. I loved my first one and can't wait to do another.

Baby Shower

So, the baby shower was lovely! I have such a great group of friends and we had a blast. Of course there were presents, for both baby Clark and for myself, food, drinks (with alcohol, though not for me), and games. Oh the games...

We played the usual guess the circumference of the belly and the don't say "cute" clothes pin game.

But then there were the adult games that made the party truly match our hedonistic idea of a good time...

First we played drink beer from a baby bottle...

Next we played the quessing game, "Porn or Labor?" This game required everyone to guess if the women in the photo were giving birth or if they were in a porn flick... Classy, right? Needless to say the ladies had a great time, and we all laughed A LOT!!!

This is Cassie "grading" the guesses.

Next we opened presents and the laughter continues...

As you know, we live in Germany and I have a number of girlfriends that are from here, and I asked one of them to get me the German salve that they use for breast feeding, because I heard that it is really good. Well, she did... So as I go to open the gifts she brought she says out loud, in front of everyone , "I got you that cream for your breast warts." Um... crickets... This is the photo of the aftermath.

I would post the photos of the gifts that I got but that would turn this into the worlds longest post ever. So, I will end with a HUGE THANKS to all of the people that came out to celebrate with us, and to all of those that couldn't make it but were thinking of us on that day. We are truly appreciative.

Still Catching Up

I promise I will post about the baby shower as soon as I get the photos uploaded. I have been a busy bee making freezer meals for when Clark shows up, baking a cheesecake for my husband, cleaning out the cupboards in the kitchen, doing laundry, organizing the babys room, etc...

I did manage to take a photo of the nursery, it isn't quite finished but here are a few shots of the work in progress...

I made the skirt for the crib out of an extra set of pillow cases that match the duvet cover on the twin bed. The windowsill now has photos of our family and Clark's little shoes. Behind the crib is the three panel closet that we had to work around.

I also made the growth chart to hang on the wall. Because we are a military family and my husband's job takes us all over the world, I wanted a growth chart that would be able to move with us so that we can preserve our memories. The top of the growth chart says: "Our Growing Family"

The bucket is now full of childrens books that were given to us at the baby shower.

Today is the baby shower! I cannot believe how fast this
pregnancy has gone by. Yesterday I thought that this little boy was going to make his debut into the world. I spent the day putting away all of his little clothes and cleaning up the house
for the party today, then I went to the arts and craft store to pick up some
fabric paint for onsie decorating. So last night when we went to celebrate my girlfriends birthday I started having contractions every 5 minutes or so, for about three hours. It was insane.

We have started betting on when Clark is going to come into this world. I didn’t think that it was
going to be early but given last night’s contractions and the strange things my body is doing today, I’m just not sure. I would really like to keep him in as long as possible but I figure that it is
GODs will and I’m just the temporary home for this little guy. He’ll be here when determined by the Lord.

I hope that you have a wonderful day!

It has been forever...

It has been five months to the day since my last post. I have a hundred excuses that I could use but
I’ll go with the easiest… I’m pregnant.

A lot has gone on since May.
We’ve found out that we are having a little boy! His name is Clark and
is due on 12 November but we are pretty sure that he is coming early. Who knows…

My Dad has continued to take chemo and is still doing better
than expected. Thank GOD!!!

I’ve quit my job and just finished up the last term of
school that I am going to be taking before the baby comes.

Travis got selected for promotion and will pin his new rank
in April or May. I have to insert here: I am absolutely the luckiest woman on
the face of the earth to have such a wonderful husband. He truly is the best
thing that has ever happened to me. He is strong, smart, caring, and my all… I’m
so proud to say I am his wife.

As far as the pregnancy goes, I have absolutely loved being
pregnant! Little kicks and jabs make up for any discomfort that has come my
way. I can honestly say that the only
bad side effect that I’ve dealt with is HEART BURN!! Yes, it needed to be all
caps… This heart burn stuff is no joke!
I have been on bed rest, off and on, for the past month because of too
many contractions. I have now reached 35
weeks and my OBGYN has given me the okay to get off of bed rest and start
moving to get labor underway. I will be
36 weeks on Saturday and I’m hoping to keep him in for at least one more week
after that. I just finished up my last
term of school for the time being and I just need a few days to take a mental
break before this little boy makes his debut.

Working out and healthy eating have taken a back seat for
the past few months. I could not work out for some time because of swelling in my lower extremities and then with contractions coming and being on bed rest I have really been slacking. I’ve continued to teach yoga for the entire
pregnancy, minus one week that I had to take off because of the bed rest. Through all of this, my weight has ballooned. I will admit that I am getting extremely close to hitting a deuce… I’ve put on 30lbs exactly since getting pregnant and I was a little overweight when that happened because of injuries and bad eating habits. So I am going to post a photo of my pregnant self and then once this little boy comes I am going to track my weight loss on this Blog.

I will take a photo of myself when I come home from the hospital and then once a month for the next year. I am not going to stress myself out by looking at the scale every day so I will have my husband look at the scale and tell me if I’ve gone up or down from the week prior. I will base my progress on how my clothes fit
and how my health and physical abilities are improving. I hope to run at least three to five half marathons next year and at least one full marathon.

I think that is enough of an update for today and I will post more by Monday. The baby shower is tomorrow so there should be lots of fun photos from that.

Have a great weekend!