New obsession

Several weeks ago during an American Idol elimination show they had a performer by the name of Lana Del Rey perform her "hit" song Video Games.  I had never heard of her and thought she was quite awkward, but the song she sang was beautiful (in my opinion).  I kept pulling up YouTube so I could listen to it over and over until I eventually broke down and downloaded it off Amazon.  Her voice is so unique...sometimes reminding me of Fiona Apple and Cyndi Lauper.

 

If you like "different", certainly give it a listen!  I can't stop listening to it.

 

 

I love the entire CD, but my favorites:

 

Born to Die

Blue Jeans

Video Games

National Anthem

Radio

Million Dollar Man

Summertime Sadness

 

Score!

My brother and sister in law were sweet enough to pick up a few books this morning at a yard sale!

Remembering

A year ago today, the southeast was ravaged with an astronomical strand of strong thunderstorms and some of the most horrible tornados recorded.  One of the worst states hit was Alabama.  Last year for Memorial Day we vacationed at Dismals Canyon in NW Alabama and drove through two cities that were hit especially hard during those storms (Phil Campbell and Hackleburg). 

 

Here are photo's from that post as a reminder of how quickly your life can change...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17 weeks!

 

 

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 17 weeks, ok now time is really flying....

 
Size of baby:  5 inches long, about the size of a turnip (gross)! 

Gender/Name: We will officially know on May 17th!  I'm so excited :)

Maternity Clothes: My friend, Tabitha and I hit up Old Navy and Kohl's last Sunday and I got some new pants and a couple maternity tops and they're sooooo comfortable!

 

Movement: Occasional flutters, usually after I get home from work

 

Sleep: I started putting a pillow between my knees and it's helped.

 

Symptoms:

 

What I miss: Nothing.

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out PJ's sex and in 1 week we'll be at Disney World !

 

Questions/Concerns: Hope the blood test came back normal, I let them draw blood last week to test for chromosomal abnormalities and other deficiencies.

 

Cravings: Water

 

Best moment this week: I'm still high off that little heart beat, I have it saved on my phone so I can listen to it whenever I want :)   I attached a sound clip to my 16 Weeks! post (http://ahjones2010.blogspot.com/2012/04/16-weeks.html).  It won't show up on the mobile version so if you haven't listened to it - look it up on your computer, it's so sweet!!!

And then there was a bump

I picked up some maternity capri's on Sunday from Kohl's and holy mackerel are they comfy. I might just pretend I'm pregnant after PJ so I can keep wearing them.

They really do help "shape" it all and I appear pregnant instead of chubby stuffing myself into regular pants. So a big thank you to Tabitha for helping me shop ;)

Thought I had seen it all...

Over the weekend Hardy's sister sent us a photo of one of her cats playing on her daughters iPad. I laughed at first thinking "Wow...what have we come to", then I leaped and downloaded two apps by Friskies to try on my cats :). Tinker Bell could care less, but Flower actually does pay attention and he tries to bite and paw at the screen. Currently he can either go fishing or chase bugs!

Your baby can hear now

Every time I get one of the "Your baby met another milestone" alerts on my phone it kind of refreshes the idea that there's something in there.  Of course I've heard the heart beat so I KNOW there is a little mini-me or mini-Hardy growing, but still...without having that baby belly or feeling the full on soccer practice, it's still hard to imagine. 

 

This weeks notification was that now that the ears are in their final position on the sides of the head, your baby should be able to hear you.  At first I didn't think much of it, but the last couple of days I have been getting onto Tinker Bell a lot for trying to break into their food bowl and it dawned on me ::I bet that's loud to the baby::.  I have been apprehensive "talking" to my belly because to me it's just an inner tube fat roll and not a cute baby pooch, so what exactly would I be talking to?  I realize the baby can hear my voice whether or not I'm directing my speech towards my belly - but still...I feel I would have to address PJ, at the very least so I would have an excuse if someone caught me talking to myself.

 

 

 

I read a magazine article that said you can put earphones on your belly and play some classical music for the baby.  What if Hardy wanted to teach PJ Music 101, with a little Mötley Crüe, KISS, Poison, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden..the list goes on. 

 

 

He's already said whether PJ is a girl or boy, he'll have him/her watching Rambo, Smokey & The Bandit, Resident Evil, Harry Potter and Underworld instead of Barney, Sesame Street or the other silly shows they've come out with over the last 15yrs.  I can see us getting called by the school now "Mr & Mrs Jones, today was What's Your Favorite Movie Day, and PJ described in full detail a scene from some zombie movie where someone blows up a group of zombies chasing after them.  This scared every other child in the classroom and we're going to recommend you go to counseling as a family."

 

Actually PJ can like whatever he/she wants...even if it is Barney, although I would prefer Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - we can totally tolerate The Disney Channel.   

 

 

 

 

 

Did you ever speak/hum/sing to your baby/babies while they were cooking?

What a day...

Hardy came home Thursday evening complaining of an ear ache...we just chalked it up to allergies.  Friday it was the same and even worse as the day went on.  By Saturday the lymph node behind his left ear was swollen and he was rating his pain an 8.  We bought some OTC ear drops that were supposed to help numb pain and itching.  It worked for a little while but quickly wore off and eventually the drops were offering no comfort.  He was also taking ibuprofen to help with the pain/swelling and a heat pillow every now and then.  I felt bad for him, I knew at this point it was an ear infection and obviously a pretty nasty one since his lymph node was in overdrive. 

 

Sunday morning I pushed and pushed for him to stop by an Urgent Care place to get this taken care of since it's obviously not going away on its own.  We stopped at one in Oakwood and they didn't accept his insurance ( go figure ) so we just decided to go into Gainesville and visit the Take Care Clinic inside Walgreens.  He was seen right away and the NP confirmed exactly what we suspected, only he actually had a double ear infection and polyps in his nose?!?  Hardy rarely ever gets sick, but I guess when he does...it all hits the fan at once. 

 

She chalked the nasal polyps up to sinuses, and apparently even though his left ear was more painful, his right ear was more irritated and his ear drum is almost perforated!!!  So she wrote him two prescriptions and said we could fill them there at Walgreens.  We waited and waited, then they asked for his insurance card and informed us BCBS dropped Walgreens as a provider for prescriptions?!?  So I called the Rite Aid I use in Flowery Branch, they said they would get it transferred over and to allow about 1hr.  We headed back home and decided to get groceries to buy some time....an hour later I called Rite Aid to see if they've filled it (as they instructed) and they said they JUST NOW got the fax (now I'm getting irritated and Hardy's of course suffering).  They ask for 45mins-1hr to fill it and claim they'll text us when it's ready.  Almost 2hrs pass, still no text, so I call and they say "Oh yea, it's ready".  Hardy goes by to pick it up - - the ear drops he was prescribed has no generic and because he never goes to the doctor, he's nowhere near meeting his deductible and they wanted $141 for the ear drops alone!!  To top that off the oral antibiotic he was prescribed is only filled in 3 pill increments and it's $20 for 3 pills!!  I was so livid...not at Walgreens, not at Rite Aid, but clearly at BCBS and their lack of coverage.  I've never had those kind of issues!! 

 

I then had to call the Take Care Clinic, speak to the NP and ask her to switch the ear drops to something cheaper.  She said no problem and did it right away, however, if his ear drum does perforate he can't use the ear drops any more (with the original expensive drops he could have). 

 

He opted to use a sick day today and stay home, his ears hurt so bad he can barely do normal daily activities.  I just hope these meds kick in soon and give him some relief! 

 

 

****QUESTION - Do any of you have individual insurance plans (meaning not through your place of work) that you would recommend to others?  I've been looking online, and find great prices, but high deductibles.  We can't switch until PJ gets here, but we may have to.

16 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 16 weeks.

Size of baby:  5 inches long, weighing 3 1/2 oz, one of my iPhone apps says the length of a tube of mascara

Gender/Name: We will officially know on May 17th!

Maternity Clothes: I would love to get some pants before Disney so I'm not stuck wearing the same capris every day!

Movement: Still small flutters, but again...who knows

Sleep: I started putting a pillow between my knees and it's helped.

Symptoms: Don't think this is a "symptom", but I totally have some silver hairs and I'm freaking out...

What I miss: Nothing.

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out PJ's sex and last but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST - Disney World :)

Questions/Concerns: I lost another pound since last month, doctor didn't seem concerned (probably because I'm already overweight), but was confident they pounds would come on in no time...ha ha ha

Cravings: Water

Best moment this week: Hearing that sweet little heart beat, it was 155-160 range yesterday and I recorded it with my iPhone :)

Amazon Prime

4 Reasons Why I Love::

4. It's only $79/yr to hold your membership, but they allow a 30day free trial.

 

3. If you own a KINDLE, you have free access to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, which allows users to borrow certain popular titles for free, up to one book a month with no due date.

 

2. Free 2 day shipping on all eligible purchases and discounted one-day shipping rates.

 

1. Instant streaming of movies and tv shows from your laptop, TV or Playstation3 for no additional cost.  You can rent movies/tv shows from Amazon, but thousands of titles are free via Amazon Prime. 

 

 

***Being movie-lovers, Hardy and I watch at least one movie a night...mainly from our own collection, but since having Prime, we watch a lot of titles through that as well.  Last night I discovered they have a ton of seasons of kids TV programs ;)     (Even Hey Dude and Ren & Stimpy from my era!) Spongebob Squarepants, Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, iCarly, Blues Clues and several others.  Now if they would just add Disney Channel shows.

 

So if you're already a lover of Amazon, but aren't a member of Prime - I suggest you give it a shot!

 

Recap

What I've been up to...

 

The owner of where I work has season tickets to the Gwinnett Braves and when he's not able to attend any of the games, he'll pass the tickets out to us minions.  We got tickets for Friday nights game (I think it was only the second of the season) and we had a blast!  Hardy was worn out from work, so I took my sister in law and her two kids.  If you have not attended a G-Braves game - you're totally missing out.  I'm not even a HUGE baseball fan...as in I don't know the players by name unless they flash them on the screen, but these games are so much fun.  The stadium is so clean and intimate and of course the seats we were lucky enough to have were in the "home plate club" which is right behind....duh home plate. 

 

 

Throughout the game, they'll stop and let kids participate in little races or contests to keep the crowd entertained.  The Braves won, which made the game even more exciting and afterwards they had fireworks - which were fantastic (although the music selection could have been better).  So if you're looking for something to do this spring/summer - definitely give the Gwinnett Braves a try.  Not only is it more affordable than an Atlanta Braves game, but it's sooooo close to home you don't have to experience Atlanta traffic before or after.  They also have a grassy hill on the outfield (I want to say $3-$5 a ticket) where you can bring a blanket or chairs and just watch the game in your own space.  They also have bounce houses for the kids - for an extra fee.

 

Saturday we headed to Discover Mills to meet up with my brother and sister in law for The Hunger Games.  While we waited we went into Books A Million (my favorite bookstore other than Amazon) and hit some awesome deals on hardbacks.  Hardy of course bought I Am Ozzy (Ozzy Osborne's autobiography) and a few others.  My one and only purchases was A Lion Called Christian, an adorably sweet true-story of two men from Australia who purchased a lion cub at a department store in London in 1969.  

 

 

 

They raised him until he was almost 1yr and then transferred him to Kora National Reserve in Kenya with help from George Adamson (a well known Kenyan conservationist known for helping domestic lions rehabilitate back into the wild).  A year after Christian's transfer, John & Ace (who originally raised him) went back to visit Christian and to there amazement he remembered them. 

 

 

Some of you may have seen the "reunion" video, it went viral a few years ago on YouTube and was sent out via email.  I remember seeing it and of course crying because I thought it was so sweet ((In fact I showed Hardy a documentary on it Sunday morning and started crying again...)).  How a wild animal could remember two humans as if they were part of his pride is/was amazing.  The first reunion took place in 1971 and at the time, Christian had two lionesses with him who greeted John & Ace the same way he did.  You don't even have to be a cat person to find the video/story moving.  In 1972 they returned one last time to see him and at that time he was a full grown lion with a beautiful mane and still remembered them the same, but was more mature.  Hell I'm tearing up just typing this info and seeing his pictures. 

 

 

GO GET THE BOOK!  I only paid $3.57 for it :)

 

15 Weeks!

15 WEEKS

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 15 weeks.

Size of baby:  4 1/2 inches long, man you're really growing now! 

Gender/Name: One more month....

Maternity Clothes: As stated in my previous post, I'm thinking about investing in some pants/capris/shorts (at least).

Belly Button:  Innie.

Movement: It's probably all in my head, but I swear I almost felt a flutter of some sort a few times this week. It felt like water rippling.

Sleep:  It's getting better.

Symptoms:  Zero.

What I miss: Nothing as of yet.

What I'm looking forward to:  Hearing PJ's heartbeat again on April 20th, finding out if PJ is a he or she in May and last but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST - Disney World :)

Questions/Concerns:  N/A 

Cravings: None that I can identify!

Best moment this week:  I guess thinking I might have felt something, but I know it's probably too soon for that.

Hello chub and flub, where is the baby?

I've been reading and reading that first time moms don't "show" until later in pregnancy.  Depending on your body structure every one shows at different times, but generally within the 2nd trimester.  I was no fashion model pre-pregnancy, but I haven't gained any weight since becoming pregnant either.  While my pants are getting snugger and harder to button I'm all belly flab and no baby bump.  It's quite frustrating too.  Sure, I could just button my pants below my flab, but that doesn't even look like a baby belly, it just looks like a giant inner-tube being let free.  Is there a happy medium?  According to BabyCenter at 15 weeks your baby is the length of an avocado from head to rump...umm how could I not know I have an avocado inside me?!? 

 

No wonder people with grapefruit (and larger) sized tumors have no clue they have them!!  WHERE DOES OUR BODY HIDE THESE THINGS???

 

I guess I could invest in one pair of maternity leggings or pants so I don't have to force myself into my jeans and be uncomfortable - aka being cut in half all day.  I just fear that if I do wear maternity pants, I won't suck in like I normally do and I may end up looking 6mos pregnant instead of 4mos.  Oh what the hell...

 

 

I found this cartoon while looking for the one above and thought I'd share it :)

 

 

Disney parks!

A co-worker of mine went to California last week to visit an old friend of hers.  While on vacation she took her daughter to Disneyland (ahhhh so jealous).  If I ever became rich, it would be a personal goal of mine to visit ALL of the Disney locations.  Do you even know how many there are?? 

 

Well I'll tell ya.

 

 

Disneyland

The one and only original - housed on 160 acres located in Anaheim, California.  It opened on July 18, 1955 and is the only park to be designed and built under direct supervision of Walt Disney.  Walt came up with the concept of Disneyland after visiting amusement parks with his daughters in the 30's and 40's.  He bought the 160 acres in 1953 and construction officially began in 1954.  Disneyland has the largest attendance than any other theme park in the world, with close to 600 million guests since opening in 1955.

 

Walt Disney World

30,080 acre theme park which includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels as well as a campground, two spas and physical fitness centers, five golf courses, and other recreational venues and entertainment.  Originally developed by Walt Disney in the 1960's to supplement Disneyland in California.  After lobbying, the Government of Florida created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special government district that essentially gave the Disney Company the standard power and autonomy of an incorporated city.  Walt died in 1966 before his original plans were fully realized.  Walt Disney World opened October 1, 1971 with only the Magic Kingdom theme park and has since added Epcot (October 1, 1982), Disney's Hollywood Studios (May 1, 1989 - formerly known as MGM Studio's) and Disney's Animal Kingdom (April 22, 1998).

 

 

Tokyo Disneyland

A 115 acre theme park located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan.  It was the first Disney park to be built outside the U.S.  It opened on April 15, 1983 and was constructed in the same style as Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida.

 

 

Disneyland Park Paris

A 140 acre theme park.  First opened as Euro Disneyland on April 12, 1992 and was constructed in the same style as Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida.  It is the largest Disney park based off the original in California.  It is the most visited theme park in France and Europe.

 

Hong Kong Disneyland

A 55 acre theme park.  Located in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island.  It opened on September 12, 2005.  To avoid problems Disney incorporated Chinese culture, customs and traditions when designing the resort.  The park consists of five themed areas - Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland and Toy Story Land.  The cast members speak in Cantonese, English and Mandarin.  Since opening it has hosted over 25 million guests.  Hong Kong Disneyland is the 15th most visited theme park in the world.

 

***I'm so happy the Disney Company continued the legend of Walt - bringing his magic and ideas to people around the world.  I kind of get teary eyed thinking about him missing out on Walt Disney World opening.  If he could see it now...wow.  Yes it's expensive and sometimes crowded and hot, but it's AMAZING.  I don't know how anyone can dislike WDW, but they do (sour-pusses).  When I watched Meet the Robinson's I cried....it's about a boy inventor and basically the end of the movie reveals Walt's motto - keep moving forward.  Isn't it weird how things touch our emotions sometimes?  I cried the one and only time in my adult life I was at Magic Kingdom when they opened their gates and performed a little show.  Maybe I'm just a giant baby....

14 Weeks!

 

14 WEEKS

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 14 weeks.

Size of baby:  3 1/2 inches long and 1.5oz - the size of a lemon! 

Gender/Name: Won't find out til May.

Maternity Clothes: Still none...I'm just trying to wear my comfy pants over and over again.  My skinny jeans from Old Navy are nearly out of the question.  Which is soooo weird.  I'm not even showing, yet my pants feel snug.

Belly Button:  Innie.

Movement: Negative.

Sleep:  Still going to sleep fine, just waking up a bunch and it's not to pee.

Symptoms:  Zero.

What I miss: Nothing as of yet.

What I'm looking forward to:  Hearing PJ's heartbeat again on April 20th, finding out if PJ is a he or she in May and last but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST - Disney World :)

Questions/Concerns:  When did YOU feel your first baby move for the first time? 

Cravings: None that I can identify!

Best moment this week:  Talking with a friend in FL who had her baby boy last week.  Just hearing her talk about how sweet he is and how the "mothering" part came natural has me feeling positive.  I guess once you do hold you own child, some of the "worldly worries" disappear.

Missed a good one....

I can't tell you how many times my palm has slapped my head in the last 24hrs.

 

Yesterday a friend of mine had a deal posted on her facebook wall where AMAZON was selling an Angel Care Baby Movement and Sound Monitor for $6.59 + $4.99 shipping via Diapers.com.  This is a monitor set that is regularly priced at $129.99!!!!

 

 

I clicked the link, pulled up the deal, but couldn't get Hardy to commit because his parents already gave us a Summer Infant Video monitor.  About an hour later we're laying in bed and he says "buy it if you really want it".  I kept trying to tell him we will certainly use the monitor his parents got us, but how could having an extra one hurt??  Especially one that does a little more like detect motion and gives you the room temperature!!

 

Well 1hr later was too darn late, because the deal was gone by 9:45 ::sobs hysterically:: 

 

 

The website that listed this great offer (and many more) is http://freebies2deals.com  CHECK EM OUT!!

 

 

"Whats in a name?...

...that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet"


Picking a name for your pet is fun...

Picking a name for a human being can be fun, but it's also serious business. You have to remember your child will have that name forever (or until they're of age to legally change it). We haven't picked up any baby books and I don't plan on spending $10 on one either. What did you do when you chose your children's names?? Did you name them after someone in your family? A famous person? Something you saw in a newspaper/magazine/book?


GIRL:
Some of our friends/family automatically assumed I would use Bella from Twilight and while I do like that name, sooooo many people have used it (especially over the last 5yrs) that for me its burnt out. I thought about combining our maternal grandmothers names, but couldn't come up with a good enough combo in my head.

Hardy actually picked out a girls name a little over a year ago, of course using it in this sentence: "If I ever decide to have kids, I know the girls name I want to use..."

I laughed at him when he said that...obviously if you've thought about naming your offspring, you've thought about having a child!! I won't announce that name yet, not until we know the sex (((YES, we made a decision and WE WANT TO KNOW - go on call me a weakling))). It's a different name and already some people have turned their noses up to it when I've mentioned it, but I don't care. The only dilemma I have for her name would be a nickname. I can rattle off a dozen girl names that I like, but I want Hardy to use his name, because I think it's special that he came up with it on his own. The girl would of course carry my middle name - Layne (as my mother passed it to me) - - so you at least will know the girl would be __________ Layne Jones, lol.

BOY:
For a boy we like the name Lincoln (as a first name). I don't know why, it just came to me one day and it's kind of stuck with me since. For his middle name, we joked about using Sixx (as a tribute to Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe - Hardy's favorite band), but I'm not 100% sold on it yet. I definitely like Lincoln, I'm just missing the middle name. Interestingly enough...if you've ever seen the movie The Island with Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor, Ewan's characters name in the movie is Lincoln Six Echo (because he's a clone).

So there you have it...I don't know if I really got anywhere ha ha ha

This is hard stuff - any tips?