How Are You Feeling?

This is a common question that I get right now, and I'm always more than happy to answer it.

I'm enjoying all this attention because I know in a few short months all that attention will be focused on someone else (that'll be OK too, I guess).

Right now, I'm feeling really good. No real morning sickness or nausea. My only symptoms are increased appetite, bloating and fatigue (Liz would say this is a permanent state of being for me and not just a symptom of pregnancy).

Actually, I was feeling a little nervous about my lack of symptoms. I visit expectant mother message boards, and this can be a sad place to spend time. I've actually had to stop reading many of the boards because this is typically the time during pregnancy when miscarriages happen. Until I knew there was a heart beat (last week), I was quite nervous that I wasn't throwing up. Well, I've learned that too much information (especially information coming from other naive expectant moms like me) can be dangerous and often wrong.

Buttin and I got to hear the heart beat this morning at our very first doctor's appointment. This was my very first time meeting the doctor (Dr. Barbour - makes me think of Babar the elephant, so that's what I'll call him). I think he (like Buttin) is a strong calm compliment to my often high-strung, control-freak personality. He's very relaxed and gentle (which all women can appreciate).

I already showed my bossy side (which is good that he sees now) when I told him he was wrong about pregnant mothers needing to stay at or below a heart rate of 140 during exercise. I told him to go on the interweb (ACOG) and check it out. Doesn't he know that everything on the internet is true? He was very happy that I was already exercising, so that's a positive. He's also happy that my marathon approach is very relaxed and that if I'm not feeling good - I will not push it.

Aside for hearing Lumpy's heart beat, the visit with Dr. Elephant was relatively uneventful, but then we met with his nurse and that's where things get exciting. We got about a million samples of prenatal vitamins and this packet of information. (Hold on it's getting exciting) On one particular page in this packet, there is a list of dos and don'ts. One of the items on the "don't" list is artificial sweeteners (saccharine), but then right next to it, it says "SPLENDA OK". At that moment, I fell in love with Dr. Elephant.

After we finished up with the nurse, I went and got half of my blood volume drawn for a variety of tests. I should probably get used to all the poking, picking and prodding.

As our reward for an excellent first doctor's appointment, Buttin bought Lumpy & I some fried cheese for breakfast . . .yum.

Our next appointment is September 28th.

Thirty Second Movie Review - The Final Destination 3D

The Final Destination - 3D

It is what it is - that's all I can really say. Horrible acting and laughable dialogue gets you from one semi-clever death sequence to the next.

This One Says Yes Too!

** Originally written on 7/27/09 @ 9:05 AM***

This morning I woke up not feeling lazy and tired. I'm supposed to start my period tomorrow so I made a deal with myself. If I took a preggers test and if it was positive, I could go back to sleep. Seems fair, right? "I can't run, I'm pregnant."

I took the cheapo test that I had under my cabinet and I got two lines (translation: pregnant). One line was very defined and the other was faint, but the directions clearly said that any second line means pregnant.

Well, this got me excited - so I didn't want to go back to sleep. I can't say that I really wanted to run, but poor Buttin was passed out on the bed (it was only 5:15 AM & I didn't want to wake him yet). I went for a 7 mile run the whole time thinking not to get too excited. I've read that half of all first pregnancies end in miscarriage and that a positive result doesn't mean 100% pregnant - it could just be a chemical pregnancy.

When I got home from my sweaty run, I woke Buttin up and asked him to go to Walgreens and get a brand name test (the first one I took was a generic flimsy thing, the equivalent of a q-tip). As I had just spent the last hour and a half sweating out any liquid in my body, I had to wait a while (and drink possibly my last coffee with Splenda for a while) to take the test. This one was cool - it actually says "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant". I figured there be no room for "pale line" interpretation. After about two minutes, I got the "Pregnant". I couldn't stop smiling.

I texted Buttin and told him we coudln't tell anyone until I went to the doctor to confirm it. Tomorrow I'm going to my regular doctor to get a blood test. I have no idea how long the results take; however, if I do or don't get my period tomorrow - I guess that's a sign. If this little Lumpy sticks - I'm around 3 weeks pregnant and according to Baby Center the due date is April 6, 2010.

Marathon Training - Weekly Update

I still plan on running the marathon with Lumpy. I should be around 20 weeks by November 15th.

I probably will not be very fast (but that wasn't going to be an issue even without Lumpy), but I'm still really looking forward to it. The training isn't always fun, especially in August - but here's what I did this week:

This Week: 8/24 - 8/30

Total Miles Completed: 32.53

Average Pace : I got a little faster (around 12:33 min/mile)

112 Random Things About Me

This is post number 112 . . . In honor of this number, I now present: 112 random things about me:

1. I was born in Elgin, Illinois - but if people ask, I just say Chicago.
   
2. I grew up in Tomball, Texas - but if people ask, I just say Houston.
   
3. I went to all girls private Catholic high school and, to this day, it was the most challenging academic experience of my life.
4. The award I got my senior year from my fellow classmates, was "Best Dieter" - pretty lame. I can't believe that's the impression I gave. I also got "Best Hugger", which I think is much better.
   
5. I majored in journalism in college (at UT), but never really did anything with that degree.
6. I didn't really want to go to UT (I wanted to go to FSU when I was 17), but I'm so happy that I went to UT.
   
7. I'm very bossy - but if you ask my dear sweet husband he'll say I'm not.
8. I need to work on being more patient, but (I believe) I am kind, generous and thoughtful to most.
9. I'm most impatient with myself.
10. My husband's name is Matt, but I call him Buttin.
    
11. I pretty much have a nickname for everyone. After I give a nickname, I very rarely use their real name. Even our dogs and cats have nicknames.
12. Some of the nicknames that people have for me are BG, Joe, Fifi and Belle.
    
13. No one makes me laugh like Buttin - I love to laugh.
    
14. Buttin and I own a small business in Austin, Texas - Carpet Warehouse/Flooring Warehouse.
15. We bought the business from my aunt and uncle.
16. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I'd be doing what I do now for a living - but I honestly never had a strong feeling about any one career. There was a time when I was going to be the next Katie Couric (The Today Show version, not the CBS Evening News version)
    
17. We have four animals - two dogs (Molly and Cartman) and two cats (Mouser and Scratch).
18. I know I shouldn't have favorite pets, but I do.
    
19. We're expecting our first child in the spring, we call him/her Lumpy.
20. My wedding ring is a sapphire, that's my favorite precious stone. (Although, I'm really hoping that Lumpy is born in April, so that I can have a diamond push present . . not so subtle hint to Buttin)
    
21. We met while working at New Horizons - the worst job I've ever had (and that includes Taco Bell).
    
22. The best job I've ever had is what I'm doing currently, although some days it's also the worst.
23. My dream job is to write children's books. I've started a few and maybe I'll post them on the blog someday.
    
24. I started running about a year ago as something to do with my mother - even though we only really run together in races.
    
25. My mother is one of my best friends - my others are Shannon, Liz & Jen.
26. I have many acquaintances, but I'm close to very few people.
27. The people I'm close to all have an excellent sense of humor - this along with empathy and intelligence, are must haves in a friend of mine.
    
28. I'm a very slow runner, but I look forward to it and like the peace it gives me.
    
29. Running has really cut into my nap time - I really enjoy taking naps.
30. For most of my life, I was a swimmer. Now swimming is very frustrating because I remember what I used to be able to do - at least with running, I'm still in the improving phase.
    
31. Socially - I'm liberal.
32. Fiscally - I'm a little confused - I'm torn between wanting everyone to have everything they need and wanting to motivate and reward people who work hard. I don't think it's too much to ask that people's basic needs (including health care) are at least met by our government, if they are unable to provide it for themselves. I'm a Social Capitalist.
    
33. I happily voted for Barack Obama.
34. I'm not too involved in politics, but there are a few issues that really press my buttons.
35. Two of the issues are education & health care.
    
36. I am spiritual, but I do not support any organized religion.
    
37. In fact, I have very strong beliefs that the man-made nature of organized religion makes people less accepting and loving of others.
38. I hate hypocrites, although I know I can be hypocritical. I know I shouldn't enjoy it when people get their comeuppance, but I do.
    
39. I also strongly dislike fakers and people who take themselves too seriously.
40. My favorite type of humor is the self-deprecating kind.
    
41. I love Christmas, but like I said before I'm bossy - so Buttin calls me Christmas Hitler.
42. Even though I love Christmas, when the days get shorter I get a little SAD.
43. My next favorite holiday after Christmas, is Halloween.
    
44. One of my favorite things to do at Christmas time is to make cookies with my grandma (Bubie).
45. I love cookie dough.
46. Sometimes I eat more cookie dough than actually bake cookies. I like pretty much all dessert items raw - brownie mix, cake batter, crumble topping . . .
    
47. I actually still have some Christmas decorations around my house (it's August, almost September).
    
48. I love movies - some of my favorites of last year (2008) include - "Happy Go Lucky", "Dear Zachary", "Rachel Getting Married", "Wall-E" and "The Dark Knight".
49. Some of my favorites from this year include "District 9", "Up", "Hurt Locker" and "Inglorious Bastards".
    
50. I love television - some of my favorites include - "The Wire", "Pushing Daisies", "Lost", "Law & Order: SVU", "30 Rock" and "How I Met Your Mother". Although, my DVR records a TON more.
51. I don't watch a bunch of reality TV, but I do enjoy "So You Think You Can Dance", "American Idol" and some of the Real Housewives shows.
52. I also love watching true crime shows & movies. Some of my favorites are about people who are wrongly accused & imprisoned. One of the best movies on this subject is "Murder on a Sunday Morning".
    
53. I love to play video games, but I love to watch them more.
54. I love first person shooter games, which kind of conflicts with my feelings on gun control.
    
55. I am addicted to Bejeweled Twist and I used to play all the time at work, now I write new blog posts with my free time.
    
56. I wish I had more time to read (I would if I didn't fall asleep half way into the first page), but I do listen to a lot of books on tape while I run. Currently I'm listening to "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle".
    
57. I also listen to pod casts while I run - some of my favorites are "This American Life", "Fresh Air" and "Common Sense".
58. I also read a bunch of junky celebrity websites - like Tyler Durden and The Superficial.
59. I've never really been that in to music, but Buttin is, and he introduces me to lots of good stuff.
60. I'm an only child, but I have a bunch of half and step brothers and sisters.
61. I wish I was closer to my half sisters - Emily and Becky.
62. I really want daughters.
63. I do not keep a very clean house, but I at least make sure any poop is picked up.
64. I love college football, but don't really care about the NFL.
65. I used to have some body image issues (don't most college girls?), but I enjoy food and have learned just not to care so much about gaining or loosing a couple pounds.
66. I live by the rule of everything in moderation, this applies to food and most everything else in my life.
    
67. I get stressed pretty easily (I wish I could try to apply #65 to stress).
    
68. I am a control freak, but I'm working on it.
69. I'm a dork and I do lots of stupid, silly things out in public.
    
70. I enjoy cooking, but love baking. When doing both, I often don't follow a recipe so the results are sometimes inconsistent.
    
71. I love roller coasters and scary movies, but close my eyes most of the time during both.
72. I love to dance around my house, at work and in the car - it's shocking to most people, but I've never taken lessons.
73. My favorite music to dance to is Britney Spears (this is not an example of the music from #59.)
    
74. I love taking pictures - sometimes to the annoyance of friends. I love pictures of people when they're not looking and I'm sure one day I'll embarrass the crap out of our children.
75. I'm conflict averse, but once dumped a neighbor's trash into their front yard after they put all their trash into our trash can. This neighbor admitted to us that he had shot his best friend for sleeping with his wife.
    
76. I wish I wasn't so defensive.
77. I cry when I get angry.
    
78. Most of my adult life I've lived in Austin, Texas (although I did live in Dallas for 3 years).
79. I love Austin and couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
    
80. I also lived for a short time in Ithaca, New York - when I was 22. If anyone thinks Austin is liberal, they should try Ithaca. I liked it!
    
81. I got Molly from Canada when I lived there.
82. Also while I was in New York, I tumbled 100 feet down a 300 foot hill/cliff and spent 10 days in the hospital with a punctured lung, broken ribs and compression fracture in my back.
83. What I remember most about the experience are the funny things that happened while in the hospital. As an example, one of the nurses' aides spilled a gigantic container of my #1 & #2 all over the wall in my room.
84. As juvenile as it it, I love bathroom humor.
85. I'm a homebody - travel is fun, but nothing beats staying at home with Buttin and a good movie (or even a bad movie).
86. I used to think I was an extrovert, but think I'm actually an introvert. I re-energize by myself, which is usually while running or watching TV.
87. In high school my Myers-Briggs type indicator was ENFP, but I have no idea what I am now.
    
88. I'm kind of an amateur continuity expert when it comes to movies and TV. I love finding things that are different from scene to scene.
    
89. I've never been to Europe (or South America or Africa or Asia), but would like to go one day.
90. I've also never been on a cruise, but would also like to do that someday.
    
91. I love Walt Disney World. The last time I was there was in September 08 for a week with my mom, grandma and aunt.
92. My mom and I are going to try to do the Disney Marathon one day, but we might just play music from the movie "Enchanted" and run around the neighborhood.
    
93. I love skin care products & used to be a make up artist.
94. I love candles.
95. I love Harry Potter & wish I could go to Hogwarts.
    
96. My favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. If they ever try to remake the film - I will spit nickles - Gregory Peck is and always will be Atticus Finch.
    
97. My favorite summer drink is a mojito and my favorite winter drink is red wine.
98. I'm a Gemini and pretty much true to the description, but I've never had my fortune read.
99. I have more than a slight addiction to Splenda.
100. I drink a gallon of iced tea a day and use way too many Splendas to admit.
     
101. I don't really use bad words - but I do say - crap, ass and poop a lot (goes back to # 79). For example, I hate pseudo intellectual ass crap.
     
102. I make up words and combine words in a weird way. For example, a pufatufnik is a crack whore (this definition was actually co-created by my friend, Liz).
     
103. I'm a horrible speller. I'm sure there are plenty of examples in this post.
     
104. My favorite board games are Balderdash and Scategories. I think that my skill in word making-uping helps.
     
105. Frequently, I eat cereal for dinner.
106. I hate beans, peas or any kind of legume. Actually, anything with a squishy inside. Buttin has actually chased me around the house with a bean. I ran away from it like it was a cockroach. Cockroaches are about the only thing I hate more than beans.
     
107. When I'm feeling the need to make something - I paint. I'm not very good at it, but it makes me feel productive.
108. I'm frugal, but I have a few splurges like nice meals (sushi) and skin care products.
109. I crack my knuckles constantly. I crack Buttin's knuckles too.
110. I don't have a particular style - unless t-shirts and flip-flops count.
111. I don't remember what my real hair color looks like, but sometimes it's blonde and sometimes it's red and it's also everywhere in between.
112. The first 80 or so things on this list came to me pretty quickly, but I've actually been working on this list since June (just as an example, #19 used to read "We call our yet to be conceived child, Lumpy)

I'll be very surprised if anyone (besides my mother) finishes this list :)

Lumpy Is Coming!

Well, now I really am Running With Lumpy!

We've been trying to keep quite about it since we first found out (around 7/27). It's been a somewhat successful secret (except we've told our families and close friends) I've actually written quite a few blog posts during the last month about all the little early pregnancy adventures. I'll slowly start to post them next week and mix them in with some new stuff too!

Food Porn

One of my favorite TV channels to watch is the Food Network.

It all started many years ago when I had a hiking accident and would get nightmares. I would sleep with the television on so that I wasn't in the dark with my thoughts. I found that the Food Network was one of the only channels I could constantly have on where I wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night to something disturbing (unless you think Rachel Ray is disturbing).

Buttin didn't love the Food Network at first, but like any good husband, he would turn the Food Network on when I came into the living room. Slowly, the Food Network began to grow on him, but only certain shows.

Buttin and I try to be good about what we eat, but we have two different philosophies. Mine is "everything in moderation", so I will eat one or two cookies (mostly in dough form) with my half a sandwich. On the other hand, Buttin has two philosophies; "quantity, not quality" and "all the sugar, none of the fat". So, he can eat a pound (I'm not kidding) of plain white rice with grilled white meat chicken followed by a 32 oz Dr. Pepper and a loaf of bread.

Since we have somewhat different eating philosophies, it stands to reason that we would like different Food Network shows. The shows I tend to enjoy are cooking shows with regular portions and the shows Buttin enjoys are what I like to call "Food Porn".

One of his favorites (and I enjoy it too) is called "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives". In this show the host travels around the country in search of the best (as the title implies) diners, drive-ins and dives. Buttin loves this show - this is the only Food Network show he will record. He then sits and ogles at the screen (as though a teenager watching porn) and makes little cooing noises. Buttin rarely enjoys any kind of real food (at least nothing I would eat), so I think he lives his food fantacies thru this show.

Buttin also indulges in other types of food porn. One of his favorite new websites (that I always catch him on) is called "This is why you're fat." I think he secretly dreams about this food. I guess some husbands dream about Megan Fox, mine dreams about oreo lasagna. Let's face it - Megan Fox, I could compete with (chuckle, chuckle) - I have no chance against oreo lasagna.