Watch Your Back

Lately I've been feeling less & less safe. Every time I'm out in public I'm constantly looking around & sizing up the people near me & planning my defense moves in case one tries to do something crazy. So this past Saturday, Lane & I went & bought a gun. We talked to my cousin Jason to get some tips & ended up buying a Smith & Wesson 40 caliber. For now we'll keep it at home. But hopefully sometime soon we can get our gun license so we can carry it on us. As of right now, I'm nervous around it even though it's not loaded or anything. That's why I'm excited to take it to the shooting range & get comfortable with it. Who knows, maybe eventually I'll buy one of those gun vests that I make fun of my dad for wearing.

we THINK it's a girl

I finally had my doctor's appointment today & we found out we're having a girl! When I first found out I was pregnant, I was dead sure it would be a girl, right up til the last month. Then I started to get the feeling it was a boy. My friends even told me they had the same feeling...eerie. So I started to get all excited about a boy. I was so sure that I even registered for some boy things. So when my doctor looks at us & says she thinks it's a girl, we were totally taken by surprise. Lane's response was about the same as his response to me being pregnant...he really needs to work on that. I had to overcompensate for him so the doctor wouldn't think we were unloving parents! We're both really excited. It'll just take some time for us to really believe it. The baby was all rolled up like a roly poly & would not budge the entire time, so that made it a little more difficult to see. I have another appointment in 3 weeks to check the heart, lungs, etc so I figure I'll get more of a confirmation at that time.

Not What I Want To Hear

So of all days, I'm running a bit late to my appointment & then I hit crazy traffic. The office is located right in the middle of the medical district. So I do some Fast & Furious moves & manage to get to a different street that was a little better. 25 minutes later I arrive. Once I check in, I'm informed that my doctor just got called out to deliver a baby & I will have to reschedule. What?! After all that?! I mean, I understand. She's going to probably have to do that for most of her patients, so I didn't get too mad. But this was the 1 & only appointment that I actually cared about. This was the day I was supposed to find out if I'm going to have a cheerleader or a baseball player! Oh well. I sweet talked my way into getting an appointment for tomorrow at 11:45. All the other patients that I was listening to had to reschedule for the end of the month or even mid April, so I lucked out. Another day of suspense ahead!

Disappearing Act

So you could see my baby bump pretty well tonight, so I thought I'd document it. It was mostly in part that I just got back from eating Chili's, but also due to the fact that it really shows up at night. But don't count on it being there tomorrow morning. My kid is a regular Houdini. Just when I think I'm starting to show, it disappears! I hear that's very normal & I must admit that I'd rather it not be around for a while. Eventually it will be huge, so I can wait a little longer.

On a side note, today is Lane & my 2 year anniversary! We didn't do anything other than go out to eat to celebrate. Oh & we did take a nap. Our main celebration was Vegas, so it was ok. I have to say each year gets better. Can't wait til next year rolls around!

Birthdays, Wedding & Experiment

This weekend we went to Arlington & were busy the entire time. I have 3 nieces & all of them have March birthdays. This year they decided to have a "Fancy Nancy" party & everything was decorated to the nines.

Here's Imogen (6) and Lorelai (4).

And this little munchkin is Matilda (2). This was the best shot I could get. She's always on the go.

Lorelai was constantly dancing, so Lane got out there & showed her some moves.

I was lucky enough to be in town for Kelly's 1st birthday! Regina did a great job of decorating with all the little extras. I'm sure Kelly will appreciate it when he's older!

Lane's step-brother, Mike got married to Eryn this weekend. The wedding was so pretty but freezing cold! It was in the Japanese Gardens. The poor bridesmaids were shivering the entire time. But the reception was inside, so that was a plus. Eryn looked beautiful & it was great to see Mike so happy.

So this will sound a bit strange. My sister-in-law, Jaymie told my mom about a way you can find out if you're having a boy or girl. Of course we had to try. Plus I figure I'll know for sure on Wednesday so I won't be in suspense for too long. Here's how it works...it's pretty gross...put 2 tbs of Crystal Draino into a glass jar. Then add 2-3 oz of urine. If it turns brown, it's a boy. If it doesn't change, it's a girl. My sister & I are both pregnant, so we tried it out. She had more pee than I did, but they both turned brown, which means we're having boys! I'll tell you for sure on Wednesday.

Surprise

Last Tuesday afternoon, I surprised Lane with a quick trip to Vegas. He was on Spring Break & our anniversary is coming up on St. Patrick's Day, so this was our celebration. We got there around 5pm, got settled, ate dinner & went to see Cirque de Solei, Mystere. It was awesome! The next day we spent our time probably walking about 10 miles up & down the strip checking out all of the hotels. Check out the slide show below.

Las Vegas

Rodeo 09

This is our 2nd year to go to the rodeo here in Houston. We parked really far away, & hopped on the trolley along with the rest of the world. We figured we'd be dropped off right in front of the gates. So you can imagine everyone's surprise when we get dumped at the other end of the parking lot only to stand in another trolley line! It was the strangest thing. I think it would have been faster to walk.

My favorite thing about the rodeo is the livestock. I think the animals are so cute & it makes me wish I had some land to raise animals on. This rabbit had the longest ears I have ever seen! I think it's called the Lop Rabbit.

For Christmas, Lane got me tickets to Country Giant, Alan Jackson. He is one of my all time favorite singers. I was teary eyed the entire concert because I love him so much! He has the best songs & has stayed true to his country roots.

The concert did not disappoint! Hats off to you Alan.

What To Do

Lane & I have had this same conversation over & over & obviously have gotten no where with it. I need to find a hobby or something to keep me from watching tv all day long! Right now, I usually get home from work between 3 and 4. So I watch What I Like About You x 2, Gilmore Girls, Reba x 2, Still Standing x 2 & then my normal prime time picks. Pathetic I know. The thing is I would rather NOT watch all that tv from 3-7, but don't know what else to do. Yes I could work out & I'm trying to pump myself up for that, but what else? I was trying to think what I did before I got married, but I realized I used to go to school, then straight to work until 11pm, so I never had time for anything else. I need some ideas people!

Farewell Frosty

Last night I was craving a frosty, so off we went at 9:30pm to fulfill my wishes. I was surprised and confused to find out that a small frosty now costs $1.50 (including tax). What the crap? What happened to it being on the value menu? I was hoping it was just that particular Wendy's we went to, but I looked it up online & it is no longer there. How is it that a double stack burger can cost only $1 & a tiny frosty is more? So farewell to you my frosty friend. I will no longer be buying you (never say never). It's a much better deal to buy a small chocolate milkshake from Whataburger for $1.37 (not exact). And it's huge! You've made a BIG mistake Wendy's!

Webber Prize Winner

Back in the summer when Lane was doing research, he entered a competition based on his findings & won! They FINALLY got around to giving him his prize money & award. I'm so proud of him! Here's a little clip from the story:

"Alan Blankenship bested the largest-ever number of competitors at the annual Summer Research Program Forum and Webber Prize Competition Oct. 23. The Webber Prize for Student Research is awarded for outstanding student research and was established in memory of Dr. C. Frank Webber, former dean of the medical school."

13 weeks

I had my 13 week check up today. I was really glad they took another sonogram because I especially wanted to make sure everything is going ok. I mean, otherwise I don't even know it's in there! She said that sometimes she can tell if it's a boy or a girl, but I told her if she wasn't 100% sure to keep it to herself. I don't want to get my hopes up one way or another. Because as soon as I find out, I'll be out shopping for clothes & things for the room, etc. It had a good heart beat. This was the best picture we got. The head is in the bottom center & the body is swaying up to the left. I was surprised at how clearly I could see the spinal cord & rib cage. I can even start to see the profile of the baby's face. Pretty cool. The baby wasn't in the best position to be able to tell. She said she could do a vaginal sonogram to get a better look, but I was too lazy for that. I figured it's early anyway. I can wait 1 more month. That's really all.

Museum of Natural Science

Today Lane & I went to the Museum of Natural Science. I've been wanting to go here ever since we've moved to Houston. My favorite part was the dinosaur bones. Probably because they're so huge! The rest of the museum was just so so. I have to say that I only lasted about 30 minutes. Mainly because I hadn't eaten all day & was out of energy. I like the ideas of museums, but am not one to sit in front of 1 thing for 5 minutes reading stuff. I'd rather just walk through & look. I can be done with one in 5 minutes. Lane on the other hand is the opposite.

Skittles

The other day I saw someone with a bag of skittles, caught the fruity aroma & just had to have some. So I went to the store & bought a bag. Not a fun size bag, not a personal size bag, but a family size bag! I will say that they didn't have a smaller size. So for 2 days straight I popped skittles into my mouth. They were so tasty, but I did start to get a little sick of them towards the end. And that's when it happened...I immediately notice that something is different about my tooth. I feel around back there with my tongue & discover that those darn skittles removed one of my fillings! I started to freak out. I have a giant hole in my tooth & I can't stop messing with it. So this morning I called my dentist & am going to get it fixed on Tuesday. I was hoping I could get in today, but no such luck. No more skittles for me. In fact I don't want to eat anything until it's fixed because I'm paranoid that food will get stuck in there. Gross!

Lazy Day

Since we already celebrated earlier this week, we had a very laid back Valentine's Day. I slept in while Lane worked out & awoke to some pretty flowers & a card. Later that day we drove about 30minutes to get to the nearest Spring Creek BBQ (my favorite) & it did not disappoint! Later I spent the afternoon reading my US Weekly, while Lane got some study time in. For dinner we went to La Madeleine & I got their amazing tomato basil soup! Lane claimed he wasn't hungry because he ate too much earlier, so he just stared at me stuffing my face. To end the day, we watched one of the "Blue Collar Comedy" shows that I recorded earlier & ate chocolate covered strawberries. We were in bed by 9:30. Aren't we exciting?