The story continues...

It should be noted that the husband and I aren’t much for talking on the phone in the first place, but it’s even worse when I’m trying not to break the news and keep it secret for another 8 days:


Husband: Hi!

Me: Hi!

H: Have you been crying?

M: *putting on my best I wasn’t crying/sleeping voice* Nope. Just sittin’ here doing nothing.

H: Oh… Ok

M: How was your day? What did you do?

H: Oh, ya know, stuff and things…

M: fun

H: yeah. Sure nothing is wrong?

M: *choking back tears* Yep. Every thing is fine.

And so went the basic conversation over the next week. It was tortuous. Not that I didn’t want to hear from Husband every night, but every time I talked to him, I had to keep my mouth shut.

After the longest 8 days of my life, I went to pick up RG at the airport. I was afraid I was going to let it lose, right there at the baggage claim, but there was enough hustle and bustle to distract RG from noticing I hadn’t said much more than Hi. Thankfully RG gushed about his trip from the terminal, to the parking lot, and the entire way home, so I didn’t have to say anything… yet. I had a plan.

Our 2nd Anniversary passed while RG was on his trip. I’m kooky and follow the “traditional” anniversary gifts. (Hey, I worked at Hallmark in college, give me a break.) Anyway, 2nd Anniversary is cotton: He brought me back a t-shirt and I had bought a Red Sox onesie and wrapped it in a little box:

Husband: *opens box and gets a confused look on his face, like “this is SO not going to fit”*

M: *stares at husband, like… say something*

H: It’s a baby costume…?

M: yeah

H: ….

M: ……

H: Do we NEED a baby costume?

M: yeah… *cue the bawling*


Husband was super excited and came over and gave me the biggest hug ever. I honestly think at that moment, I subconsciously knew everything would work out. He didn’t even notice that he didn’t ACTUALLY get an anniversary present. (I may be calling his attention to that now…Oops!)

The day after I found out I was with child, I had to go back to work. At this time, I worked with two of my best friends, Josh and Danielle. It’s great working with friends, but hard to hide ANYTHING. At this point, morning sickness was pretty much all day sickness. The “something’s wrong with Heather” rumor started pretty quickly… I was constantly running to the bathroom. I didn’t go to lunch with anyone anymore. And I dropped 11 lbs in 6 weeks. I’m pretty sure they all thought I was bulimic.

Sometime before school started in August, I went to Red Robin for lunch with Danielle and Josh. I LOVE the burger with a fried egg on it, so Duh, that’s what I order. I realize as soon as it arrives at the table that this was the wrong decision. There is no way I can eat this without barfing in Danielle’s car on the way back to the office. I resort to cutting the burger into 4ths and end up eating half of a 4th of the burger. (And further adding to the eating disorder rumors.) At this point, Josh, who introduced me to the aforementioned delicious burger, is staring at me in disbelief, and Danielle is also giving me a funny look. I know I have to come clean. I tell them the news, expecting them to ask me what I am thinking because they’re both in school with me. But instead, quite the opposite… there are congrats and hugs all around. Danielle is excited and as a mom of 2 (now 3!) herself, starting discussing all things baby, and Josh was just relieved that he didn’t have to shove the rest of the burger down my throat.

We had already told both sets of parents who we knew would be, and were, OVER THE MOON about the first grandbaby on both sides. The cat was out of the bag… and it was well received… much more so than I had ever imagined…

More to come….

Story Time!

Ever notice that my blog goes from me being 5 months pregnant, to me being a mother of a 2 month old?   That period of time was extremely stressful, yet an incredibly rewarding time of my life. I'm going to write some of it, but in small parts, because, no one likes scrolling to read a blog post!  A recent email from a friend has prompted me to share this with you, and offer some encouragement to her, as she is in a similar situation.   God's timing is perfect.

Although, most of the time... it doesn't feel perfect.

Part 1: The begining...

July 2007. I can't believe the husband is taking a trip and leaving me "on the farm" for 2 weeks by myself. Up until this point the husband and I have spent no more than a night apart, so 2 weeks may as well been years. I had also recently been chased by a vicious pig (another story for another time) and was a little afraid of staying by myself. I dropped him off at the airport on ridiculously early on Saturday and hurried home to take a nap with Chimichanga (our Chihuahua).


Late that night there was an incredible lightening storm that created a strobe-light effect that made our bedroom look more like Studio 54. I was not doing the robot or any other dance, because I spent the night blowing groceries in the bathroom. (Trust me, I considered several different ways to say that, but that one won out.) Geez... I must of eaten something bad. Half a box of pepto and 3 hours later, I'm asleep.

The next afternoon, I go out to give Swashbuckler (buck) our lab some dog food. (yes, we have strange pet names, what of it). Buck is rather... rambunctious.... And just when I grab his collar, I realize it's too lose and he ducks out of the collar and takes off down the street. After chasing him almost a mile in flip flops, I catch him, collar him and drag him home. I get in the house and immediately start bawling. I’m talkin’ full-blown, ugly cry. What?? Why am I crying?, I ask myself. Am I so out of shape that physical exertion breaks me down? Do I miss the husband this bad after only 36 hours? Am I pregnant?

WHAT?? Where did that last question come from? I didn't seriously think that, did I? Before I can even comprehend where that thought would come from, I’m taking a pregnancy test. While “testing” I’m reading the directions… Ok, so I set it down and check it in 5 minutes. I look at the test, and IMMEDIATELY get 2 lines. That must be wrong, I think. I’ll take a shower and come back in 5 minutes like it says. Shower, still 2 lines… Pace the house, yep, still 2 lines.

What am I doing? I mean, I want babies someday, but now? Going into my last year of law school? That's stressful enough  by itself, but childbirth thrown in the mix?? How on earth am I going to do this? Surely this is a mistake… I’m reading this incorrectly. 3 hours, a gallon of water, and 3 “word tests” later… Pregnant, Pregnant, Pregnant.
God will never give you more than you can handle, I chanted over and over to myself while frantically searching Google for “pregnant in law school”. Turns out, this HAD happened before (even though I felt totally alone). There were varied opinions from students between, “this was the best time to have a baby”, to “I dropped out and never went back. My half-empty attitude kicked in, I’ve just wasted 2 years and thousands of dollars. Law school was definitely not a highlight of my life, so I knew that if I dropped out, I would never go back.  Anyone who said this was the best time to have a baby was clearly delusional, or independently wealthy, I reasoned. To make matters worse, to co-producer of the baby now in my belly was 2 time zones away, and this isn’t exactly the kind of news you break over the phone.

To be continued….

Just in case some one reads this besides my mom...

Leave a comment, ask a question, let me know you're out there so I can read your blog too!

P.S. Hi Mom!

Resolutions for Type-A people

I'm a weird complex individual...
If you saw the state of my house right now.. the mounds of laundry... the toys haphazardly tossed about the living room (maybe a few in the toy box), you might call me a slob; or, if you were nicer "extremely laid back".
If you saw my planner, with appointments and tasks scheduled down the half hour, you might call me meticulous; or if you were meaner, anal.
I think it drives the husband crazy that I’m a mixture of the two extremes. I may leave a pair of jeans in the closet floor for a week, but the world might come crashing down if the green beans are in the wrong place in the pantry. (Ok, maybe I’m not THAT complex… but you get the idea.)
I can never stick with New Years resolutions because they’re too ‘abstract’ for me. There are no deadlines, no consequences… they’re just a little too slack for me. So, I was excited when I came across this…
101 Goals in 1001 Days
Goals with deadlines… complete with a brainstorming ideas and print outs… Be still my list-making heart!!

If you’re like me and can’t function without a to-do list, you might want to check it out. You can even make rewards/consequences for meeting/not meeting all your goals.
I’m still in the process of making my list and plan to start my 1001 days later this week. I haven’t decided whether I’ll post my list, I guess it depends on how personal it gets. HA! Maybe I’ll add “ease up about the green beans” to the list… Husband would probably appreciate it.

Living in the boonies has it's drawbacks...

Like, super slow internet connection.  Yes, it's awful.  *throws pity party*

I was doing a year end/Christmas post and I went to upload the first picture...

5 minutes later, still uploading.....

I go get a snack, still uploading...

I eat a snack, still uploading....

I throw a snack at the computer, still uploading...

I go to put a snack away, TIMED OUT! 

How Rude!

So, I'm planning on putting some of the pics on my flash drive and posting them on my lunch break.   

Speaking of snacks... here are some of my favie snacks while you wait for the glorious aforementioned post.

This one is from my momma.  I insist she make this at every family gathering.  Last time she sent some home with us, I ate it before poor RG even got a taste!
Cranberry Jalapeno Dip

1 (12-ounce bag) or 3 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
3 small jalapeno chile peppers, cored, seeded and minced
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese

Rinse, drain, and pick over cranberries, (discarding all that are soft or bruised). Place them in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped but not mushy.
Place crushed cranberries in a bowl; mix together with  jalapeno peppers, sugar, cilantro leaves. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours so flavors develop (This is important... if you try and eat it now... it's supa soua!)
If you're Ryan: On a serving plate, place cream cheese; cover with the dip.  Serve with Wheat Thins.  Act prim and proper.
If you're me:  Place softened cream cheese in a bowl.  Dump that cran-peno goodness on top.  Stir it all together until it looks like pink mush. Eat a ridiculous amount of delicious pink mush on each Wheat thin.  Don't leave any for husbands. 

This next recipe I made for some Christmas goodies.  I made 5 goodies in one night... then, as if on cue, AG woke up and sprayed spaghettio's all around her room. That was a SUPER long night. (Puts a whole new meaning behind the blog name, huh) Ok now, who's hungry?!?!
Spicy Pretzels

15 oz Bag of Small Pretzels
3/4 c. Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper*
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1.5 tsp Lemon Pepper

*You can add another teaspoon of cayenne pepper if you'd like your pretzels REALLY hot. Or, you can scale it back.  I have to admit, I made these with 2tsp, and it melted my face off, but they were still really good.  I'll do 1.5tsp next time.  You could also omit it all together and I think they'd still be delicious. 
Mix together seasoning and oil. Place pretzels in large ziploc bag (the gallon size works for one batch), add seasoning mix, and toss periodically for 12-24 hours before serving.

Happy Snackin'!