Hawkeyes need a win in 2009!!

For one of our Christmas presents this year my hubby and I were given Outback Bowl tickets! We are so excited we can hardly stand ourselves!! The Iowa Hawkeyes hope to slaughter the South Carolina Gamecocks at the bowl game. We are hopeful too!! Kyle grew up in Iowa and has been an Iowa Hawkeye fan for most of his life. I lived in Iowa with him for a few months and have been a fan since we met (never had a favorite college football team). So basically, I've now been a fan of the Hawkeyes for almost six years. Wow. Time really does fly.

So, anyway, I've never been to a college football game. I've been to several Tampa Bay Buccaneer games and several pro baseball games. I've been to races and hockey games. I've seen everything. Well, from what I've heard, I haven't seen nothing yet. I haven't been to a college football game.

Well if yesterday was any indication of what I am in for tomorrow for the New Years Day Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida, I am really excited to experience it! There have been several events during the past week to pump the teams and fans for the big event. Yesterday was Beach Day in Clearwater Beach. We live about ten minutes from the beach and found it really easy to navigate the crowds and find spots to park. Poor Iowans and South Carolinans who drove all this way to be here. We never thought we'd see so many Iowa fans!! It was incredible! I now know what it feels like to be apart of something so big. It's a comeraderie you don't really get from every other sporting event. We have Iowa Hawkeye gold and black flags flying off the back windows of our truck. We were waved at and honked at like we were in some sort of parade!! Frankly, I couldn't hold back from grinning and waving like a Miss USA Pageant winner. It was so cool!!

So anyway, we are beyond thrilled to be able to see a bowl game together. We also look at it like this will be Brady's first game! He will have been to a bowl game before any regular season games, but there are many Iowa fans who never get the extraordinary opportunity to see a big game in person. Brady is so blessed! I think he's thrilled too! During the marching band and cheerleading shows he was moving all over the place! I think he liked the crowd noise and drumbeats! We will have our boy ready for loud noise way before he is outside the womb!

The Beach Day was such a great event! We saw skydivers and TONS of fellow Iowa fans!! Felt kinda sorry for the Gamecock fans... they were really skimpy on fans comparatively! Supposedly there are already 55,000 tickets sold for the big event tomorrow! It's not quite sold out yet, but they figure it's a great turn out with our slumping economy!! If it wasn't for a very wonderful friend who gave us tickets to this game, we wouldn't be going either. We'd be sitting at a sports bar watching it on ESPN (down to basic cable now...).

Today is New Year's Eve. It's supposedly time for a Leap second. We will have one extra second at the end of this day to catch up to the Earth's clock. Kinda like Leap Year, only it's just a second. What to do with this extra time? I will take the second to just be thankful. Even for just a second longer.

I am thankful the tickets to the game. I am hopeful for what the future holds for 2009. I would like to think that the Hawkeyes will whoop up on the Gamecocks.. if not for anything else, so I can hold it as indication of a great upcoming new year. We will see tomorrow!!

Twas the night before the Lotto drawing...

It's Christmas Eve again. Seems like this time of year gets here faster and faster. I hear that's a symptom of getting older. Hopefully time will slow down once our little one is here. I can't wait for the magic that we will see on his face when Santa's been to our home! I can't wait to tell him stories of "Twas the night before Christmas" and get him to bed early so Santa can come to our house sooner! A great way to get a kid to bed early... can it be Christmas all year long for that reason?

One reason I hope for Christmas Eve's good night sleep is from a prime example I got last night. Brady (his tentative name this month) was a kicking fool last night! It was incredible!! He was so active from my dentist appointment at noon all through the rest of the night. I don't know what crawled up his butt!

I have a feeling that he was moving around during my dental cleaning because he could feel my nerves. I always tense up when the hygienist gets to scraping my teeth! Yowch!! But, she did say for a pregnant woman, my gums weren't too bad at all. I guess I have to be particularly careful about my teeth while I'm pregnant. Bacteria grows like nuts during pregnancy. Must spawn the rumor that says you lose a tooth with every pregnancy.

So last night, while laying in bed watching TV, Mr. Brady Baby decided to toss and turn. I have no idea what he was doing and can see why Tom Cruise got his wife an ultrasound machine when she was pregnant (as crazy as he is)... I just want to know what he's doing in there! I can't even tell the difference between a kick and a punch yet! He was showing off, though, I swear! He was showing off for Daddy. Kyle had his hand on my belly and could feel the "wormies" and thumps here and there. He lit up with joy! It's so cute to see the sparkle in his eyes when he feels the baby move! It was sweet, too, when he said he was jealous I can feel this all the time. I'm sure he won't feel that way when baby gets bigger and starts getting crammed under ribs!

Oh, so now that I've expressed our latest name choice is Brady, I should probably explain why. We wanted a name that would be boyish and manly at the same time. We are thinking Brady, as in Tom Brady, not Brady Bunch. Was worried that would come up while he is in school, but kids his age shouldn't have any idea what the Brady Bunch is. So I figure we are safe with that. He'll probably get called Braidy, as in hair braids.. But we will get him toughened up on that. Brady is an Irish name that means "spirited" and "broad chested". I figured with Kyle's genes he will have a broad chest. We still don't have a middle name in stone yet, but I think we will honor Brady's father and have that be his middle name.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say yet, but we found out last night that our boy will have twin GIRL cousins! I'm thrilled!! I think it's wonderful because one of my favorite cousins is a boy. It will be good for Brady to have more females in his life. Keep him balanced. Kyle said his favorite cousins were girls, so this is just wonderful!! I can't wait to meet them!! Since twins average about a 36 to 37 week delivery date, Brady should only be here 5 or 6 weeks before them!! I'm so excited!!

On this Christmas Eve, I have decided to be as cheerful and full of the holiday spirit as possible. I have been blessed with more than I could have ever have imagined by way of gifts and warm blessings from the people in my life. I feel I can never repay the generosity that has been bestowed on my mini family. I feel so loved and blessed and grateful. And for that reason I can feel the Christmas spirit again. I know one day the magic will be back and that I will be able to Pay it Forward. So that is why on our way to Cuz's house tonight, Kyle and I are going to get a $1 Lotto ticket. Hey, it never hurts to try!

Sixteen Weeks and Counting

Wow... I can not believe that I'm 24 weeks now. Our baby boy is due in 16 weeks. That's just four measly months! I am not ready for him to come any earlier than that, that is for sure! Everyday I feel him kick more and more. I can feel him doing jumping jacks and splits and whatever acrobatics a 6 month old fetus can think to do. It's really amazing and I'm never tired of waiting to feel his next move. His punches and kicks are stronger. I can feel him swirling when he rolls over. I find my baby very fascinating.. which I'm sure just makes me a regular mom.

I can't believe our boy will be here in four tiny months. I just can't believe it. I feel like I've already been pregnant forEVER, but at the same time, not long enough yet. I can't be more than half way through already??? I was starting to get nervous from tales of early babies lately, so I decided to look at the women in my family to see if I can get some reassurance that he will not be a super-early bird.

First, I thought of my own mom. But then I reminded myself that because I was her first born and was breech, she had to schedule Cesarean Sections for all of her babies. I guess more than twenty years ago, doctors figured it was easier to just repeat C Sections for following children than to risk complications with vaginal birth. Yeah, it's because I wanted to sit on my butt in the womb that I have no birthing reference from my mom.

So then I asked my Cuz (Grams) how her births went. Uncle Mike was two weeks late, my mom was a week early (the last time she will ever be early for something), and Uncles Stan and Dan were just about on time. That is reassuring. I feel that if delivery times can be planned from history, I have a safe shot at seeing our son when he's due. Cuz even made the prediction that he would be late. So we'll see.

I have heard that first babies are sometimes late babies. I'm not going to wish myself extra pain or uncomfort, I just want to know he will wait his full 40 weeks then come on time. I need all the time I can get to get ready for him. Cuz says that when he is born it will feel like he was never not here before. It will be so sweet. I will fall in love with him for sure. Not that I'm not already in love with him.

He's my active bugger and I love my private moments with him. When somene is boring me with some story they think I want to hear, I can just smile and know that my little boy is swirling around. He's having a great time listening to sounds and exploring his surroundings. I can smile knowing I know this inside. It's the magic of pregnancy. I can't believe I only have 16 more weeks left to feel this.

Yeah, at this rate, I can totally understand why there are crazy families out there who can't stop themselves from having more and more babies. Especially if they can afford them. 17 kids and counting. Yeah, I can understand them...

My Baby Likes Britney

My baby likes Britney.

I have heard from many people and have read in books that some of the sounds that baby can hear while in the womb can be used to comfort him when he's in the outside world. This is why they recommend that the father talks to the baby and the mom is told to read to her baby out loud. I've read stories where a woman would watch the same soap opera every afternoon. When her baby was born, she would find that as soon as the theme song came on to her favorite show, the baby was pacified and went to sleep.

All of these studies are well and good and I believe that they do have some weight. I just wonder if I'm doing any damage? I have read it's good to talk to the baby, and to laugh.. But I haven't really read that you should boogey down.

You see, I have a bad habit of having my own mini "concerts" in the car whenever I'm driving. I just got a hold of the new Britney Spears cd called "Circus". This is by no means an intellectual compilation full of thoughts and great ideas. This is a Pop album. It's so pop you could call it Bubblegum. But I can't stop listening to it! I love it! I'm addicted. I listen to it on my way to work and on my way home. I can't seem to find anything on the radio (coincidentally) and end up listening to it again, and again. I need therapy.

There is this one particular song that I really like the beat of. I turn it up pretty loud and put on my concert. Hey, at least when I have a Britney Spears concert I'm really singing. She's famous for lip syncing!! So anyway.. I have discovered that baby loves this particular song that I'm digging. It's called "Phonography". Sounds pretty innocent, right? Wrong.

Here are some of the lyrics:

"Let's talk about biology
Make believe you're next to me
Phonography, phonography
Talk that sexy talk to me
Better make sure that the line is green
Keep it confidential, you and me
Phonography, phonography
Dirty talk and call it phonography (Hey!)"

That sounds pretty raunchy, huh? It's definitely not the worst song I've ever sung to our boy... But it has such a great beat to it, it really seem to get him jamming. Especially first thing in the morning on the way to work!! He really gets into it! I can feel him swimming or punching or kicking, or jumping jacks.. Whatever he's doing in there. Kyle compared feeling him to what he imagines a bag of squirming worms would feel like. Ha!! I find that funnny, cuz it really does kind of feel like a soft bag of squiggly worms!

I know I can change the music I'm exposing my fetus to... But I don't want to. Like I said, I'm addicted to the cd. I wonder if I'll have to play the cd for his lullaby music? That would push it too far, wouldn't it? Time for lamo songs like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" or this little lamb won't be sleeping without pulsating beats of "dirty talking phonography"!!

I'm gonna be an Aunt---not an ANT..that's a bug :)

I've been waiting a while to post this and finally I can!! My sister-in-law, my Gemini Twin, is having twins!! I've been preggers now, for... forever. I am the first in my large family of 7 kids to have a baby. In Hubs' family there aren't any new babies from his brothers or sister (his sister is way too young now anyway). We felt like we really were gonna go through this "alone". Now, we know we are not really alone, even if we do live on opposite ends of the country as our family.. We just thought we were the pioneers of the Kids having Kids generation.

Now we know that MY GEMINI TWIN is having twins!! Her hubby, Adam, is Kyle's oldest brother. He's such a good man. I knew he would be a good father when we went golfing with him one lazy afternoon. I am not a golfer. I can play Tiger Woods on Playstation, but I can not golf. He was so great with me! He used positive reinforcement throughout the whole game. I can not drive to save my life, but I found that I'm pretty good at getting the ball out of the sand in one shot. He was sure to praise me when I did that, many times, and well, I got a big head. He was so wonderful. I knew then and there that he would be a great father. He was so patient and kind.

My Gemini Twin, Lori, is no doubt going to be the best mom. She's sweet, caring, and giving... sometimes to a fault. She's sure to sacrifice all she has for her babies. I just know it. Lori is the kind of woman that loves with all of her being. She will give everything until she has nothing at all, to take care of the people she loves. She has a warm spirit about her that will be a true blessing to her two bundles of joy coming in June (possibly Gemini Twins???).

I am so completely thrilled that they are having babies the same time we are!! I am really amazed at how things never go as planned and that when they don't, they are usually better. Our boy will have cousins!! His age!!

Our son is due in the middle of April. The twins are due in June. I have heard from many people that twins are usually born early. I would be so shocked and amazed if our kids were born right near each other! Lori is only 8 weeks behind me at this point!!

This is a blessing in our lives. Despite the drama of day-to-day life and recessions and economic turbulence, there is a glimmer of hope. A ray of great light. Our generation is forming a new generation!! It's so great and I'm so blessed to be apart of this upcoming family!! I can't wait to see what 2009 will bring!!

Bahumbug 'Til Baby

I'm really, really trying to get into the Christmas spirit. I'm trying really hard. Hubs brought down the fake tree from our attic. I really wanted a real tree this year, but we figured the money wasn't really worth it since there might not be anybody here to enjoy it. So the tree is up, in all its 5 foot glory. Silver and Blue ornaments to make it look like a Dallas Cowboy tree when we are Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans. It's just marvelous.

We were thinking of stringing icicle lights around the outside of our house too. But 2 out of 3 strands were not working. So we had to chuck that idea. Now we just have lame garland around our front porch railing and a wimpy wreath by our front windows. Can you tell I'm just not feeling this?

I've tried so hard to kick the bahumbug attitude. We've gone to the Tampa mall to feel the Christmas spirit. It's so pretty there. Santa looks great. It' s a lot of fun to watch people with their families waiting in line for pictures on the Big Red Man's lap. But that fun was short-lived. We traveled a bit more and went to the new Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel. They are such nice shops. An outdoor mall to die for. Very beautiful and new. They have their very own Dr. Suess type of tree. It's large and glorious. That feeling of Christmas was a short hour feeling.

We've walked around our Botanical Gardens and have seen their pretty lights. They were so pretty and free. That was fun. We even went to our local city park. Their lights were pretty too, and it was sweet to watch the families walk together. We went to the Pinellas Park Christmas parade. Had Five Guys Burgers and Fries for dinner. That was fun. But the spirit of Christmas isn't staying with me. It seems to be fleeting. Really discouraging. I used to love Christmas.

Shucks. Family won't be here for Xmas again this year. Starting to feel really alone. Such a bummer. I know I have Cuz a couple of hours north of where we live and we could go see her. I am just starting to feel that maybe the best thing to do is skip Christmas. Go see the opening of "Marley and Me", a movie about a young couple and their Lab. Should be a cute movie. Maybe the cuteness of the flick will put me in a good mood.

So this year, I think I will skip Christmas. Might head over to Orlando for an afternoon while I am on vacation and just walk around Downtown Disney. I've never done that before. Maybe the novelty of something different to do will take the sting out of such a lackluster holiday season.

Next year will be different. Our son will be here and he will be happy if we just give him wrapping paper and an empty box. The Magic of Christmas will be back. I can't wait for that.

Braxton Hicks and Stretchmarks

This morning I woke up to some very uncomfortable pulling at the top of my uterus. It felt like tightening and clenching. Right now, the top of the uterus is almost 2 inches above my belly button. My last check up on Friday of last week shows that it is measuring at 24 weeks. That is good, cuz our son is supposedly 23 weeks this weekend. I felt very icky with those feelings this morning and considered staying home in bed. But the feeling passed and luckily nothing further followed those feelings. I thought maybe it was "practice contractions" called Braxton Hicks, but maybe I am wrong. According to some sites, I should feel that lower in my abdomen. The feeling I had was a clenching tightness at the top of the uterus. So maybe that was just the baby respositioning itself or my body making more room for this 11 inch one pounder. I have been noticing that my belly has been feeling tight and sometimes painful to the touch above my belly button. Probably more growing pains.

"Braxton Hicks contractions are sporadic uterine contractions that start about 6 weeks into your pregnancy, although you won't be able to feel them that early. You probably won't start to notice them until sometime after mid-pregnancy, if you notice them at all. (Some women don't.) They get their name from John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor who first described them in 1872."--www.babycenter.com

I am pleased to announce I haven't seen a stretch mark yet. I am really hopeful that this stays consistent because I know that I am capable of receiving them. I have them all around the backs of my thighs from a growth spurt at puberty. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can stay at a steady weight gain to prevent the stretchmarks. But, if I do have to have them, it will be worth it. I won't complain.. too much.