Holy Cow!!!

I just figured this out...so if you already knew don't laugh at me (or at least not to my face). But the baby-counter-downer-thingy on the right side of my blog...if you click on the part where it says how many days are left it changes to weeks and days, then to how many day's I've already gone, then to how many weeks and days I've already gone. It's really cool...at least to me. If it's not cool to you then just ignore this post.

Christmas is behind us

Christmas was event-filled this year. It was a full day of nothing to do but set up the new Wii (thanks Mom & Bill) and hang out. We woke up this morning to an inch or more of ice covering every inch of everything outside. It was a great day!

The winters in Chicago!

So I thought growing up in the Hole would have prepared me better for the inclimate weather in Chicago during the winter...but I was sorely mistaken! Sure it gets cold in Jackson...in fact it gets really cold there...but at least there is no wind. And at least they are aware of how to actually remove the snow that they do get. Here in Chi-town it's every man for themselves when it comes to walking on the sidewalks. There is no care taken for pedestirans and mass transit users...which ironically is more than half of the city. There are PILES of muddy frozen icy snow piled all along the streets. When I get off the bus I have to walk up a 3 foot hill and then down the other side all the while trying to keep my balance with the wind doing it's damndest to blow me over. Then to compound the situation there is a line of anxious bus travelers behind me trying to push their way off the bus so they can get to work on time...it's a lethal mix. And as far as the wind is concerned...HOLY CRAP!!! It was 20 degrees outside the other day...which most people (especially anyone who's lived in Jackson) would say is no big deal...but then you throw the wind into the mix and you're facing temperatures of -30 to -45 degrees with the wind chill. There are actually wind weather advisory warnings saying that cover all exposed skin to avoid severe damage! It's quite intense to say the least. And my understanding is that it gradually gets worse and worse each month until February when it peaks at the most horrific...and then all of a sudden one day the weather starts to turn for the better. I can't wait for March! But on the bright side...Mark and I are getting a lot of cuddle-time on the couch together watching movies and drinking hot cocoa (cold beer for my husband). So I won't complain anymore!

Third baby's appointment yesterday!

yesterday was the third docs appointment we had. our little pea's heart was pounding away strongly at 160. we got our next appointment on january 8...that's when we find out what we're having. i'm quite excited about that!!! more great news from the appointment was that the doctor said for me i only need to gain 15-20 pounds for this pregnancy and so far i've only gained 3. she said i'm right on track for my weight goal, so i'm excited about that. but these next few months are supposedly when i will be packing on the majority of my weight, so it's no more trips to mcdonalds for their tasty mcnuggets for this girl. mark and i have decided on a christmas tradition we want to start for our family...it has to do with pictures and decorating the tree...so i'm going to be taking a few pics of my belly and i'll post them as soon as we get the pics taken! i can't believe i'm going to be a mom in less than 6 months! that's about the craziest thing!

The Pea Moves!!!

I felt our Little Pea move! I honestly didn't know if that's what it was so I kept my mouth shut for a day...but I couldn't wait any longer so I called my 2 most reliable resources for everything pregnancy related...Brittney and Lindsea. Everything they said it should feel like it did! So I am 95% confident that what I felt was in fact the Little Pea. But you never know...in 3 weeks there might be a new post saying I was completely off my rocker. For now though...I FELT MY LITTLE PEA MOVE! Just about the most exciting thing to happen so far.

Today's kind of a big deal

So today is the first day of my second tri-mester. I'm pretty excited about it. I was checking out some stuff online and apparently I could start feeling the Little Pea move as early as this week. I can't wait to feel the flutters in my belly. This week we're just shy of 4 inches and about 2.5 oz. Our next appointment is on the 10th and then the next one after that is when we find out what we're having. So exciting!

Thanksgiving vacation

So Mark and I went to Missouri for Thanksgiving weekend. We had a really great time. Every time we visit his family I feel more and more welcome. It's so great to have a brand new family that I like. We had a couple fried turkeys...not my thing...I can honestly say that was the first time I've had fried turkey...and it'll probably be the last. I didn't like it at all. But at least I tried something new. We took family pictures which turned out to be a challenge, but we got it done and it looks alright. All in all it was a really good weekend.

short week!

this week mark and i have thursday and friday off for thanksgiving. that translates to one thing in my mind right now...even though today is technically monday it's really like wednesday! oh i'm excited! and if you count out working and sleeping and traveling and eating i only have like 8 hours until i'm on vacation! 8 HOURS PEOPLE! who's more excited than me?!

I passed!

I passed my insurance exam! I would love to say I passed with flying colors...but the truth is I don't know if I did or not. After you take the test they basically tell you that you passed or you failed. And I never heard the word "fail" so it was nothing but good news for me.

I'm sick of studying...but now I'm starting to study for the Series 66 exam. (It's boring subject matter, you want to hear about it about as much as I want to study it...so I won't subject you to any of it.) I have to pass it by December 31, and then after that I have to complete my continuing education requirement for my Series 63 and Series 6 by February 19. And then I can start studying for the GMAT...so I can get into graduate school...so I can study for the next 3 years straight. Woo hoo! I'll be done with the studying in about 2013...just in time to start helping my kid with their homework. Education...isn't it grand!?

Study time!

So I've been studying pretty hard for the last few days for my Insurance Licensing exam. I take the exam tomorrow and I'm super nervous. I've been done with college for 2 1/2 years and I'm still studying constantly. It never ends. I know I should be hungry for knowledge...but screw that. When you're forced to do something you never want to do it...but when school is your choice you're actually willing to study and learn. But this forced education blows toenails! I'll let you know what the outcome is tomorrow.

One last thought on this...who thinks it's a smart thing to ask a pregnant lady to memorize a lot of BORING facts and then remember the information for a license. Psst...we pregnant ladies tend to be forgetful. Not a good combination! Seriously. Ok, I'm done ranting.

Ultrasound excitement...and guilt!

so yesterday i went in for chromisomal abnormality testing for the little pea. i thought it was just going to be blood work so i didn't ask mark to get off work in time to be there. well, come to find out they do an ultrasound too. i was so excited! but i feel horrible that mark couldn't be there. he said i didn't know so i shouldn't feel bad. but i still do.

they spent a lot of time looking at the neck and head of our little pea and i could have sat there watching him move and suck his thumb for hours. they were trying to get a shot of the little one's nose, but he kept holding his arm up near his face they couldn't get a clear picture. i love my little pea so much! i can't wait to hug and kiss him! (please remember we still don't know if we're having a boy or a girl yet...i just really feel horrible referring to our blessing as "it" so we use "him" a lot instead)

Here are pics of the ultrasound shots we got. sorry if they're hard to see - first given they are ultrasound pics (brittney shouldn't have any problems in this area! she's seen about eleventy billion of these things!) and second because they're a picture of an ultrasound picture on a cell phone camera. this is the only way i can post them though! thanks for understanding!

The 2nd baby's appointment

So I went to the baby's doc yesterday and heard the little pea's heartbeat! The little one had a heartbeat of 170 (110-180 is normal). And apparently there is no truth to the myth that the speed of the heartbeat is a preditctor of the gender...so don't read into it. I was so excited! And one of the things that I was super pumped about is I only gained 1 1/2 pounds in the last 5 weeks! My clothes are fitting so tight and I'm already needing to go get preggo clothes so I can be comfy for once. The doctor that ran the appointment reminded me in a very eerie way of my ex, Matt. Thank goodness he is not my doctor! I couldn't do it if he was our doc. I had blood drawn to test for Cerebral Palsy yesterday and tomorrow I am going in to test for Down Syndrome. So much blood work! I am on cloud 9 today from hearing the little pea's heart pounding away so strong! I love this little guy so much already! I'll keep you up-to-date with all of the preggers stuff!

8 things...

8 TV Shows:
Desperate Housewives, The Office, House, Dancing with the Stars, CSI, Weeds, Ellen DeGeneris, TMZ

8 Restaurants:
Chili's, Applebee's, Olive Garden, New York City Sub, Giordanno's Pizza, Cheesecake Factory, Leona's, Outback Steakhouse

8 Things I did yesterday:
Work, cooked the worst grilled cheese and ham sandwiches ever! (and I've been craving them for a couple weeks now...I was disappointed), celebrated Mark and my 5 monthaversary, talk to Lindsea, study for my insurance exam, went to the store for sandwich stuff, played with Lucy, puked right after I brushed my teeth - I really hate that cuz then you have to brush your teeth again...it just seems like a waste of toothpaste the first go-round

8 things I'm looking forward to:
MY BABY!, getting all of our student loans paid off, Mark starting his new job, seeing my mom when she comes to visit (and hopefully Bill too), the day I can enjoy a nice glass of wine with my dinner again, moving back to Utah again, finally being done with all of my licensing exams, being able to eat anything without feeling like it needs to come back up right afterward

8 thing on your wish list:
Getting out of debt so we can enjoy Chicago while we live here, Kauai, to find a job that makes me happy, weigh 125 pounds, financial independence, live near my family, to be the best parent I can be, to be the best wife I can be

Morning sicknes makes me sick!

so last night i thought i may have puked up all of my internal organs with how hard i was pushing for my stomach contents to escape my belly. and this morning the thought of food makes me feel a repeat viewing. headaches, nausea, cramps, vomitting, dizziness, tired all of the time...all of these things are only a small amount of what i'm feeling and it SUCKS! it'll be worth it! But for now it is no fun. why can't guys go through this stuff too?! only 3 more weeks of this madness until I am officially out of the 1st trimester and moving quickly into the 2nd...i can only hope the second trimester leaves all of this morning sickness stuff behind me with nothing but belly growth in front. i just got a new preggo book from LeeAnne (THANK YOU SWEETIE!) called Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy...and that book just about sums up all of my experiences so far. i feel at ease knowing that i'm not the only one that has ever felt that way! and it's explained with such "detail" you can't help but laugh because you can relate.

the good news is that this week marked a very important milestone for our Little Pea...he is no longer an embryo...we now have a fetus! he's about 1.21 inches and 0.4 oz (according to the trusty internet) and we couldn't be more proud of the little one. (we're saying "he" because it sounds 1000 times better than "it") at the end of this week i'll be 1/4 the way through this crazy journey.

The most boring weekend EVER!

Well...the title pretty much summed up the weekend for me. I have never been so bored that I can remember. I think I may have picked a fight with Mark just to have something happen yesterday. Sorry Bear!!! Ohio State lost (boo), the Utes didn't play (aargh!) and I had to secretly cheer for the NY Giants to win since they were playing Mark's team (Steelers). And other than that I am bummed that it's Monday. But I have my next doctor's appointment in 2 weeks and I can't wait to hear our Little Pea's heartbeat!!!

Pictures of the zoo...WOO HOO!

Here are some pics of our trip to the zoo.

The polar bear thing was by far the coolest part. We were like little kids up against the glass. The bears would keep swimming right up to you. They'd put their paws against the glass and push off of it...um...THEY'RE HUGE!

And the giraffes were...tall...go figure.

The pic of the hippo lying down we took because you can kinda see the cuts on the side of the hippo...apparently they are mating the hippo and that is a natural part of mating. The cuts were so deep and long. Rough sex! Too much for me!!!

The pic of the bird is funny to me cuz we were in the bird area (obviously) and the zookeeper came out and started throwing all of these maggots and crickets all over the place and the birds went crazy! I don't know why, but this really freaked me out. I was like "We have to get out of here right now before they come and start to peck out my eyes!" It really scared me more than the hissing cockroaches. Too much, thank you though.

And that's part of the excitement of the zoo.

Tag...once again I'm the last to respond...except for Mom!

What is in the back seat of the car right now?Geez...I haven't been in my car for a couple months...so I'm guessing that Mark's welding helmet and gloves are there...but I'm just taking a shot in the dark.
Name the first 3 people who you talked to today?Mark, the fetus (aka. My Little Pea), and Christina at work.
What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Calling our maintenance group to see why they haven't done their job in a timely manner...AARG!!!
What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Talking to a client about their accounts...it's exciting I know.
What is your favorite board game? I really like Taboo...but no one else does...shoot.
Have you ever been to a strip club? For sure...and I kept making comments about how the "dance" wasn't seductive at all...the guys we were there with left shortly after that...I think I ruined it for everyone.
What is the last thing you yelled aloud? GOOD JOB LUCY! She learned how to fetch a frisbee and she loved it!!!
What is the best ice cream flavor? Hagendaas Coffee!
What are you wearing right now? Brown dress pants with a Salmon colored button up shirt...I miss my PJ's.
What was the last thing you ate? Mixed berry yogurt.
Have you bought any new clothing items this week? HaHa...I wish I could afford that! Maybe next week?!
What' s the last sporting event you watched? Part of the World Series last night...we literally had it on for 5 minutes before we decided a friendly competition of Dr. Mario on the old school Nintendo was a better waste of time.
What is your mom doing? Well...I'm not entirely sure. It's 8:52 in Jackson, so she may very well be just getting up for the day.
Ever go camping? Oh baby yes! I love it...Brittney is the outcast in this area...camping rocks.
Have you ever lost anything down a toilet? Just an old cell phone...I pulled it out after it fell in (it was flushed first...don't judge) and couldn't suck the water out at that point so the phone was history!
Are you someone's best friend? Mark for sure...but other than that I'm not sure.
Look to your left, what do you see? A list of verifiers I can ask clients when they call in to make sure they are who they say they are.
What color is your watch? Skin and freckles...I don't need a watch to complete me...no matter what my inner-control freak says.
What do you think of when you think of Australia? Maybe the Dingo ate your baby! From Sienfeld
Do you have a dog? Heck yea! Lucy Lou!!! I love that little ball of cuteness!!!
Last person you talked to on the phone? Mr. Manning. You guys don't know him...neither do I.
Have you met anyone famous? I served the rap group Nappy Roots when I was working at Applebee's.
Any plans today? Work, eat, workout, and sleep.
Are you happy? Absolutely.
Where are you right now? At my desk at work.
Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Forced episodes of Sienfeld...I really can't take too much more without spouting off into a hormonal rage about it...it won't be a pretty sight, I guarntee that.
Are you jealous of anyone? Hmm...maybe all of the pregnant ladies that look pregnant and not just fat.
Is anyone jealous of you? Maybe of my devilish charm...but in reality not at all.
What time is it? 10:02 in the morning Chicago time.
Do any of your friends have children? Rydell has one and one cooking in her bellers, and Gary & Jamie have an 11 year old son.
What do you usually do during the day? Work, take phone calls from people who are freaking out because of the market, fax stuff, mail stuff, eat, sleep, laugh, and love. That pretty much sums it up.
Do you hate anyone right now? Nope.
Do you use the word ' hello' daily? Only about eleventy billion times a day.
How many kids do you want to have? 3? We'll see how this pregnancy turns out and how good of a parent I am.
How old will you be turning on your next birth day? 29.

A new post...finally

Hey there all...if you haven't heard yet I'm going to be a mommy in about 7 months. Yesterday officially marked the end of my first fifth of this thing called pregnancy. Last week also ushered in bouts of violent "morning sickness" that left me having lengthy prayers with the porcelin god. I can honestly say that I hate that part.

A couple weekends ago Mark and I went to the Lincoln Park Zoo...mostly because it's free and that's about all we can swing these days. Anyway...while we were there we saw someone I graduated high school with...Patrick Reynolds. You know him...he was friends with that guy...you know, the basketball player. You know, his mom used to make those fun things for all of the parents to wear at all of the football games. No, doesn't ring a bell?! You'd know him if you saw him...(just a fun jab at the old momster!!! Love you Mom!) Anyway...did I go talk to him? HECK NO! He told everyone in the school I was harry my freshman year and have you seen too much hair on my arms and legs since?! Of course not! SCARRED ME FOR LIFE. But the girl he was with looked quite pretty...albeit hair-free :-)

And yesterday we went to Wisconsin to look at all of the leaves changing colors. The time was well spent with good company and many laughs...but at the end of the day I was nauseous and tired and ready to call it a night.

Can't think of too much else to say at this point...but hopefully we get the internet up an running in the next couple weeks (by couple I mean 4) so I can finally post some cool pictures.

Another Tag...

I am: studying for my GMAT so I can get my MBA...blah!
I know: I'm a lover not a fighter!
I want: to own my own house! I'm over renting.
I have: no desire to to watch any more episodes of Sienfeld for the next 2 years!!! Our temporary roommate has every season of the show on dvd and there is almost ALWAYS an episode playing!!! Seriously...almost ALWAYS!
I hate: ignorance
I fear: getting too fat when I get pregnant (not prego yet...this was not a clue)
I feel: bored.
I hear: 97.1 ZHT's Morning Zoo show...I have it on my computer every morning! I love those guys!
I smell: hand sanitizer...just slopped some on!
I crave: key lime pie cheesecake from the cheesecake factory! That stuff is SO tasty!
I search: for free things to do in the city...to no avail!
I wonder: if I'm ever going to have the guts to get knocked up!
I regret: hmm...nothing I can think of...although there are things I wish I didn't remember so vividly!
I care: about my family
I always: read books...it's a new thing for me!
I am not: self-motivated at times which drives my husband CRAZY!
I believe: in not wasting energy on things that are out of your control.
I sing: less than I used to.
I fight: the urge to eat junk food all the time!
I write: things on Mark's to-do list...so I can cross them off of mine! (That's only kind of true)
I can usually be found: At work, in the gym, or cuddling on the couch with my family.
I lose: my favorite filp-flops all of the time! WHY?!
I win: the vote for the sibling that is the most stir crazy...I can't live in one place for too long!
I wish: I hadn't taken out so many student loans!
I never: say never.
I forget: a lot of stuff...all of the time...another point of frustration for the hubby!
I am scared: of getting raped.
I need: to be closer to my sisters and their families!
I am happy about: coming home every day to my husband that loves me and my animals that have been with me through it all!
I tag: You...and you too! Oh, and you. I didn't forget about you!

Sorry for the lack of posts...

We had been using a more "economic" internet connection since relocating to Chi-Town and apparently our "internet provider" has discovered this and has since cut off our internet connection. That being said it should be clear why there have been no new posts.

There isn't a whole lot of new stuff going on here. Mark has an interview with the railroad on Wednesday...which we REALLY want him to get! My job is going well. I was crazy busy for a few weeks but now I spend a lot of time playing games and reading my book between projects. (By-the-way...the book is "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson...it's a true story and it is incredible! Please read it! - ASHELA...YOU'D LOVE IT SO WHEN I'M DONE WITH IT I'M SENDING IT TO YOU!!!)

The weather out here is so great! The summers here are incredible! Just the right temperature at all times! However, the winter is supposedly HORRIBLE! So we'll see if I'm still singing the same tune next year. The city is alive...it sounds silly, but you can really feel it! We went out a couple weeks ago and found this park with really amazing art. We took some pictures of the HUGE metal flowers that look like big Lilys. They are probably about 6-7 feet from one side of the flower to the other and they are on "stems" that are about 15 feet tall! They are so pretty! Anyway...right after I took the pictures Mark pointed out a car door handle on one of the petals. I thought he was pulling my leg...cuz that's what he does. But he wasn't...the whole park was decorated with statues and art made out of recycled car parts! There is a moose statue in front of the Fidelity building made from recycled chrome bumpers!!! I am going to get a pic of the moose and I'll post the pics of this crazy art stuff if I don't forget about it.

Day at Wrigley

So Fidelity rented out Wrigley field for the day and I got to go hang out there. I can't figure out how to post more than 5 pics at a time...which is really irritating when I've got about eleventy billion pics of everything I do out here! But seriously...WRIGLEY FRIGGING FIELD! I was playing catch in the outfield!!! I also got Mark and me autographed baseballs from hall of famer Billy Williams (1987 Hall of Fame & 1961 Rookie of the Year ... which makes me want to say Pitcher's got a big butt! ... if you don't know it's from a movie, keep up with me folks) We went on a tour of the stadium. I got to go into the press box and into the club house (aka the locker room) and into the dougout. And most importantly I got to touch the ivy!!! (I took some home with me! But that's our secret!!!) This was easily one of the coolest things I've done in my life! It's something thousands of people wait their whole life for and I got to do it on my first trip to Wrigley! I was bummed that Mark couldn't be there...but I got him a signed baseball...so I mad up for it.

Wedding pics...finally

So I know I got married at the end of May...but I just got my professional pictures last week. So here are the pictures in all their glory!

My very first blog...ever

Well...I suppose the most appropriate thing to do in my first blog posting is to bring you up to speed on our lives...

We are two of the newest residents to the great Chicago area. It is a crazy city! I thought Salt Lake was big...but I was mistaken! There is so much to do here and it all costs money...so we spend a lot of time cuddling on the couch. Although, we did go out to this bar on Saturday night, The Rockit. It was a really cool place. And Jessica Simpson was there (this is not a lie) but she was there on Wednesday night...but it was like we were there on the same night...mostly because that's probably the closest I will ever get to being in the same restaurant/bar as her so I'll take my victories where I can get them. Incidentally...we left the bar and were home by 11:30. But that was mostly due to the fact that we had 2 margaritas and 3 beers and we dropped $50...and we still had no buzz! I told you it's expensive! Other than the crazy cost of living I like it here...today. Tomorrow may be a whole new story. I take the days as they come to me, some are good and some are not so good. But I have a wonderful husband to come home to so that makes it all worth it.

We just got married in May. We were married in Maui on a beach called the "Wedding Beach"...I still don't quite know what the beach is famous for, but it was the perfect place for a wedding! More people should do it! The only hard part was not being able to share this day with all of our families. I desperately wanted my sisters, nieces, nephews, mom, and bros-in-law to share the day with us...but it wasn't meant to be. My dad was able to be there and I've never seen him look so proud of me! It was a very special moment for the two of us that I want to rememeber forever.

We have a few "kids." Lewey is the 25 pound cat whos only defense is death by suffocation...he is HEAVY! But he's my baby and I love the heck out of him. Then there's JoJo. He's the 2nd cat in our family and he is the best cuddler you'll ever run into. He hardly sheds and he leaves before he's overstayed his welcome. And last, but not least there is our Lucy. She is our cute little Yorkiepoo. She's a handfull, but I wouldn't trade her for anything.

Mark is still working with...I don't know the name of the company he works for...does that make me a horrible wife?! I truly don't know...it's not like it's on the tip of my toung and I can't remember...I just have no clue! I'll find out, tonight...and I'll keep you posted (Not like you'll be waiting on pins and needles waiting to hear the name of a company that will ring no bells once you've heard it...but it will make me feel like a better wife, so go with it!) He works the night shift so we try to make the most of our weekends. I miss him so much at night and I wish I could see him more. But there is no sense in me wasting energy on something that can not be changed in the short run. For now it is what it is!

I would love to post some pictures...but I have no clue how to do that and I will be getting ahold of either Brittney or Lindsea for some blogging techniques! So tomorrow I will have some pictures up.

Well...I have to go to bed...but I hope to hear from everyone soon!