Time is going by way too fast.

68 days to go.

Gestational diabetes test passed. Surprisingly.

New insurance paperwork still has not arrived. The Flex Account came, but no insurance cards, plan numbers, anything. Lovely. Yea Kaiser.

We still haven't decided on a carseat or travel system. But I've made the executive decision that I'll be getting it at the beginning of February. And installing the carseat shortly after. (Or at least the base.)

We still haven't officially decided on a middle name as far as I'm concerned.

We still haven't done much of anything as far as planning for the baby actually coming as far as classes or much of anything.

I haven't even thought about packing a bag. Audrey was born at 36 weeks. That's not that far away from now.

And I am totally freaking out about this whole process. I was induced with Audrey. So if everything happens on it's own, I'm lost. I may as well be a first-timer. Crap.

BUT...

We've at least started working on the girl's room. Audrey gets half and Amelia gets half. Audrey's half is almost finished.

Audrey is enrolled in the Big Kids and Babies class at the hospital for a few weeks from now.

I've sorted out everything of Audrey's worth keeping. It's all washed, folded, hung up, or whatever needs to be done.

The baby bed is put together and has sheets on it. I'm still just not sure where the bed skirt is.

My iPod is reloaded and we have a nifty speaker system to go with it that can travel.

Christmas pictures

So we waited until last night to go try to have Christmas pictures taken. Not really a big deal. They'll be back tomorrow. Bad thing is, the only places up here are Wal Mart and Sears. So we went to Wal Mart.

I think that expedition falls under and almost epic fail.

We had a 4:30 appointment. It was almost 6 when we got out of there.

Everyone was coming to pick up pictures, the phone rang non-stop, people were having issues with their orders, the woman kept trying to get us to order $300 worth of pictures. Sorry woman. If I'm going to spend THAT much on pictures, I'm going to go have pictures done by my friend who is a photographer.

And we had a 3 year old with us. An hour and a half of trying to get pictures taken?

I'm not OVERLY impressed with the pose she had Jason and I in. It could have been so cute. And why do you wait to take the pictures of the 3 year old last? NO! You get those out of the way before she gets bored. But what do I know?

I ended up having to take Audrey to the bathroom to attempt to get her to settle down. Jason ends up having to be the one to order the pictures.

Fortunately, he must have somewhat read my mind because he ordered pretty much what I would have.

Naming issues...

So by a vote of 4 to 1, it's looking like the new Little Miss Thing will be named... Amelia Rose.

Yes, I like Amelia. I think that was even my choice.

I'm just still not sure about Rose. It's a pretty name. I'm just not sure how well I personally like it. Jason said you have to see how it yells. "Amelia Rose, stop that!"

My votes:
Amelia Reid (after Nannie)
Amelia Isabelle
Amelia Kate

So...

As of right now, at about 29 weeks, we will be adding an Amelia Rose Shelton to our family!

What I have learned in the past 28-ish weeks

*Zofran is a wonder drug. The nausea I've had this time is definitely one for the books. Morning, noon, and night. Even waking up in the middle of the night. But never really throwing up--maybe 3 times total from nausea?

*Maternity clothes have come a long way in even just 3 1/2 years. Jeans that are more fitted in the butt and thighs like regular jeans, side-ruched shirts, and fitted sweaters. And fortunately I still don't even have to wear too many maternity tops just yet. Again. It's always a good day when I can grab a regular long sleeve fitted t out of the closet and go.

*Kidney issues still suck. I was hoping to get away with no ER visits for kidney infections. But we've done good so far. Only 1 as of about 3 weeks ago. Already done much better on that than with Audrey. At least this time they know to watch me for that.

*My doctor is no Dr. Boyd (LA with Audrey). But I still like this new practice. I had to change this month due to insurance changing next month. At least with my old practice I had seen the doctors only once each so I wasn't too attached. And between Athens OB/GYN and Women's Healthcare they each have their definite pros. At least they both seem pretty highly certified.
Athens:
Quite a few of their people had been there for 20+ years.
They were very efficient.
My doctor that was assigned to me called me personally with lab results.
I'm not really sure what they're not able to do in office. (Besides major surgeries and such.)
Women's:
They come into your exam room to take your blood, weight, vitals.
The doctors carry their laptops with them so that all records are digital and within reach for any questions.
The doctors are on the younger side.
They seem to be very up-to-date on all the latest information and practices.

*Nexium makes Tums totally unnecessary. Thank you Dr. Leach, you are my hero. In the past 2 1/2 weeks I've only had 2 Tums. And that was only because I didn't bother to call in for a refill because I was going in the next day.

*Just because a hospital looks dreary and blah on the outside and the ER is crap doesn't mean that the L&D section is the same way. I honestly believe that ARMC's baby floor may be better than Schumpert. Sure, the walls were a little on the mustardy-yellow side. But you can tell they just dropped a ton of money into updating everything. I'm a huge fan of the hardwood floors everywhere and the bathtubs/showers in the L&D rooms. Even the nursery looked much nicer than the typical sanitary hospital setting.

*First names are so much easier to agree on than a middle name. This is crazy.

*Not enough stores have pregnant parking. I don't like using them. But it's nice to know they're there. Not gaining lots of weight and getting big, everything is all cramped inside and makes it very hard to breathe sometimes. And when it's cold or rainy and I have Audrey AND I'm having issues breathing, those are lifesavers. But even if I have no plans on parking in one, I have no shame in telling the men that park there (all by themselves!) exactly what I think about that. Just ask the guy that did that the other day at the grocery store that I lit into. People ended up laughing at him and he actually moved his car...

*I really haven't had to deal with any "must have now" cravings. Again. This is kind of nice. Sure, every now and then I'll want a cheeseburger. But that's always a weakness of mine and I get over it. Or I just go eat a mushroom and mozzarella Boca burger and go on with life...

*Pregnancy is so much easier to deal with when you're with the right person. Jason has really made this much more enjoyable. I've had the issues (sciatica, indigestion/heartburn/acid reflux, kidney infections, migraines, trouble breathing, and all the usual stuff), but I haven't been just miserable. And it's nice to see that he's made such a huge effort to be there for everything. (I think he's missed 1 appointment only because he couldn't get his schedule worked out.)

*I've noticed a difference in how prepared I feel without having all the classes I had with Audrey. I'm pretty nervous about everything even though I've been through this before. At least ARMC offers a refresher class. Yea! Still not my 6 months of once a week classes, but hopefully it'll all come back to me.

*Who knew I would have to convince the 3 year old that she's not getting a pet rat because she's getting a little sister. And I'm not putting Audrey, the baby, 7 (?) goldfish, AND a rat in that room. The goldfish and the kids can stay. I'm just mentally not prepared to add a rat to the mix.

*I am so excited to be having 2 girls. Think of the Easter pictures, the Christmas cards, the clothes. But then again... Prom, weddings, boyfriends... UGH!!! But I seriously can't wait for the first set of family pictures! Now to just convince Jason that matching/coordinating outfits are okay in moderation. In my mind it's all SO FREAKIN' CUTE!!!

*That orange Glucola is still gross and disgusting and vile. Even if it's been refrigerated for 2 days. The cold doesn't make it any better.
(I had a picture but it's not wanting to post.)

To the people who feel the need to criticize and play "holier than thou"...

Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect and I don't live to be, but before you start pointing fingers make sure your hands are clean. (Bob Marley)


Lonely is a man without love.


There are three types of women:
1. The ones that go unnoticed.
2. The ones that catch the eye but are soon forgotten.
3. The ones that you notice, but you don't know why, almost mysterious in a way, and those are the ones you never forget, never.
(Now this one may not make sense unless you know our story. And then, it's perfectly clear. I am the #3.)

For the record

My blog is used for updating family and friends who are even remotely interested in the everyday going-ons of our lives.

I have friends and family I don't get to see on a regular basis. They know they can come here to check up on us.

Some days we lead boring lives. Some days we have more excitement than I want to deal with. It is what it is.

If you don't like what I write, here's the easiest solution I know. DON'T READ IT!

I don't openly bash people. I keep this as G (or PG) rated as possible.

If you have nothing nice to say to me, email me. Don't make an idiot of yourself on here to where other people will feel the need to back me. (Or point out your ignorance.)

There shouldn't be a way to post anonymously anymore. I think I've edited that out.

And the only place my blog address has ever been posted is on my Facebook. So if you're not my friend or someone who has been specifically given this address, I have a question. Why are you wasting everyone's time by stalking me? All you're doing is drawing attention to my blog (a good thing), giving people a laugh (good thing), and making people realize that some decisions were a really good idea (a good thing).


AND...

If you have any rude comments to direct towards Jason or questions/comments about any of his decisions (which some people still don't understand years later), man up and talk to him yourself.


:takes a bow and points finger and laughs:

Posting: FAIL

Well, this one didn't work out like I was hoping it would. BOOOO!!!

Really cute thing about how the baby's about the size of a papaya and all that...

Now. If only this baby could be "officially" named...

Audrey's latests

I was sitting there the other day digging through some papers and she walks up to me with, "I know how to spell your name." I'm sure she's seen it written but we haven't focused on it. She'll need to know it eventually but I haven't seen it as an important thing to work on just yet. "Okay, how do you spell my name?" "M-E-L-I-S-S-A." Really? She just did that? "You are SO smart. How did you know that?" Half the time I don't really want to know where she gets the stuff she gets but this interested me. "I read it. It's on your paper. Your name starts with M." All my work is starting to pay off!

We set her up her own computer the other night so she can play Starfall. How exciting! Complete with pink earbuds so we don't have to hear it all the time. She has her own little "desk" set up in the living room. Now I just need to find other little programs she can use.

She's learned the first paragraph or so of the Gettysburg Address. Let's face it. Far more than most adults know. Now to work on the Constitution. I figure even if she only knows the first little bits, she'll be ahead. And if we can teach her what it all means, who wrote it, why it was written, all that good stuff, she'll be even better off in the end.

We've been coloring a good bit lately. And we're even doing much better on that. She's already realizing that she needs to try to color inside the lines. She's only 3 and it's acceptable to color outside the lines. But the fact that she makes a conscious effort to try to stay inside thrills me. And it's not even something I've talked to her about. She just seems to know.

She always asks to help do the dishes and the laundry. Absolutely! She gets to help sort the clothes and carry them to the washer. Then she'll put the in the dryer. (Of course I pull them out of the washer.) She helps to fold them and then carry them to the correct room. Yea!! The dishes are a little harder for her to do. She'll tell me where in the dishwasher something goes. Then she gets to help put the pots and pans up.

We're trying to get her into school. I don't want her in daycare. I'd so much rather put her into a preschool. But they all want to put her in with the 2 year olds due to her birthday. No. Not happening. I have a 3 year old who is smarter than some kindergarteners and can carry on an adult conversation and is fully potty trained? I'm not paying to dumb her down. Hello! That's why she's not in daycare! So, we'll continue the homeschooling until I find something suitable. (That's not $800 a month.)

My new phone...

Okay. So it's not really very new anymore.

We traded out my Sidekick for a BlackBerry 8330. Such a cool phone for me. And one of these days I'll be able sit down and figure out how it works.

I'm still having to try to track down all the info from my old phone that I lost. Phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, emails, dates, pictures... At least it wasn't hacked. It was deleted. And deleted. With no hard copy back-up.

And at least this one isn't being backed up by Microsoft/Danger. If BlackBerry crashes, I'm sure there will be far more than just a riot.

But this is still what I want to know. Who names a company Danger, and then fails to follow through with anything? You're already setting yourself up for disaster with just the name...

Today's AG visit

So today was Audrey's 3 year well child visit.

I love our pediatrician. It's sad that they're leaving that cute little building though. We'll miss the murals. The entire office has murals of farm animals. That alone is worth the co-pay for Audrey's sake.

She has somehow lost 2 lbs in the 2 weeks since she was last there. But no one is worried.

She is still in the 95th percentile and up on everything.

And according to her doctor "she is much smarter than any 3 year old should be."

BUT...

Thanks to her astma history, she is still having to wait on the flu shot. Or at least from her doctor. She can't have the nasal mist. So I can take her to the health department when I get my shots (flu and H1N1) and we can get matching shots or we can play the waiting game some more. Guess we'll be calling again on Monday to ACC Health Dept. to see if they have any H1N1 shots in yet. They have the nasal mist but neither of us can have that...

Hurry up and wait. Hurry up and wait.

I was so over that when I got out of the military.

And I'm supposed to keep my patience?

What a crazy few weeks. Things just keep getting crazier.

We made it through the party. While it was great to see my friends that showed up, I was highly disappointed in the masses that didn't. (Friends that didn't show ARE excused. The Clark family is excused.). Every year it has had to be a family ordeal and friends kind of get the short stick. Not anymore. If we do parties, invites will be select. I'm sure it'll piss people off. But why should I have to invite and be expected to feed 70 something people when AG, Jason, and I would be highly satisfied with a select 20 or so?

Then T-Mobile/Microsoft/Danger lost all my info. Contacts, calendar, tasks, note pad, calculator, the ability for my phone to ring, internet. Everything. After 2 weeks of "you just need to be patient," I'm back with Sprint. Same number. I didn't pay $90 a month and have a $300-something phone for THEM to lose MY info. I am still very curious how a company owned by Microsoft got themselves to a point where they were able to delete our info, delete the back-up, and not have a hard copy. Microsoft of all people should know about back-ups!

And now...

I'm just hanging on and stressing about Friday. I know I have to be happy either way. This IS what we want. But it's very hard when the 3 of us want something specific AND it's the same thing. My nerves are shot over this. Now to figure out how to announce it. Certain people will be texted immediatelym. (Simply cause they have that ability.). Everyone else? FB and MS posting? Email? Or just to hell with it and everyone can once again find out when I get around to it?

My Pure Romance Business

Due to all the issues right now, I'm not able to do the party side of the business. However, I am still selling and all that good stuff. Don't count me out! I'll probably start doing parties again in April.

If you would like to find out what I've got going on for specials and sales, let me know and I'll add you to my email list. prbymb@gmail.com or melissaberry@pureromance.com.

Or you can always shop my website: www.melissaberry.pureromance.com. It's 24 hour a day shopping. (Totally confidential as I'm the only one able to access my business account. Even Jason doesn't know my password.) And I ALWAYS send anyone who orders off my website a gift straight from me.

And as always, if you're interested in joining my team, please let me know.

My crazy life

These have been the craziest past few months. Some people know what I'm talking about, some don't. We'll let everyone else in on it October 23. But I'm still alive and kicking. When things calm down, I'll post more.

What I learned on my family vacation:

That we will not be doing that again.

I have decided:

• that I could care less if too very many people don't want anything to do with me just simply based off of my past relationship with Jason. Their loss.
• that we come first. Jason, Audrey, and I. I have to make sure we are taken care of before anything else.
• that maybe this housewife thing really isn't so bad. Sure, my kid drives me nuts sometimes. But I'm sure I drive her crazy too. I'm really kind of liking the satisfaction of having the place cleaned up, all the laundry done, the dishes done, more work done on the kitchen, errands ran, and dinner ready by the time Jason gets home from work. Who knew that I would actually like this?
  
• that moving us to Athens is probably the best decision Jason has made. Other than marrying me, of course. Even though we've kept some of the same friends, it's been a fresh start. We got to start over. I'm Jason's wife, Melissa Shelton. Not... well... some of the things I have been called. And it's helped us to cut out the people that were bringing us down and causing more problems than they were worth. No matter how they fit into our lives.
  
• that school is a necessity. Even if it's just to help fend off boredom around here some days. Who am I to push my child if I can't even push myself.
• the internet is a necessity. Cable is not.
• that I love Jason more than I realized I was capable of. I'm happy. We have our issues and live some days hour by hour. But we've made it 5 days short of a month. And that says something to me. And we're happy. And we defied the odds and people and everything else.
• that people's opinions on my relationship with Jason don't matter. He loves and adores me and Audrey. He claims Audrey as "his girl." We're both "his girls." He defends me when people start talking bad. He has stood up for me when others let me down. So anyone with a bad opinion, I don't want to hear it. This is my life. My decision.
• that I've made my mistakes. It's time to start living for now and for the future.
  

Let's give this a shot!

So honestly, I figure I'll give the blogging thing a shot for one main reason. I'm lazy on updating people. I always take all these pictures and videos and then my kid learns something great and new... And I forget to keep people up to date. Oops.

And then there was the big one. Did you guys know I got married May 8? Yep. Don't believe me? Check at the Walton Co. Courthouse. BUT we got married at GJAC. Leave it to us to make things difficult.

SO...

I have a kid who learns new tricks daily. I'm married. I'm a step-mother. We have the crazy ex-wife issues we have to deal with. Life's getting more and more interesting...