Twenty thangs.

So, you guys know about that new Facebook thing, right? You get assigned a number, and you have to write that many facts about yourself in a status update.

Well.

Silly me liked my sister's status when she did that, and she gave me the number TWENTY. As in, 2-0. Of course she would be the one to do that.

-________-

Instead of writing all 20 things in this long Facebook status that would make half of you hide me from your feed [if you haven't already], I decided just to write a blog post. That way, you can read all of this if you want...or leave now, and not be bored.


My Long-Ass List, Thanks to Alicia Jackson
1. I shop on Amazon way too much. Like, WAY too much. And I haven't even hit Black Friday yet, which is when I do most of my damage on that site.

2. I grew up loving the color blue but became a huge orange fan after going to OSU and discovering that I actually look decent in orange. :P

3. I love heart charms. I have a heart charm bracelet, heart charm necklaces and a heart charm ring. I love the hearts.

4. I would eat Starburst every day if I could get away with it and not make myself sick.

5. Gilmore Girls is my all-time favorite show. I cried watching the last episode. I still miss that show, and it's been off the air for years now.

6. My poor parents had such a hard time managing my hair when I was younger that there are quite a few pictures of me with ridiculously-looking hair. I feel bad for them and how they had to deal with TWO of us with crazy hair; I'm glad the hair products have gotten better and better as we've gotten older.

7. I am absolutely afraid that I am a horrible mother. That was my biggest fear while pregnant with JJ, and I still have that fear - and the kid is almost 5 now.

8. I rode a horse once when I was in like, 6th grade [remember Mrs. Belinski, Alicia?!], and I loved it. I really want to ride a horse again someday.

9.  I do NOT like the song "Ebony and Ivory". My name isn't even spelled with a freaking -y at the end. We used to sing that blasted song all the time in elementary school, and I always got made fun of because of it. Lame.

10. I really am not a confident person. My self-confidence has gotten better as I've gotten older, but I doubt myself way more than I let on.

11. It doesn't take much for me to cry. I cry when I'm pissed off, I cry during random commercials, I cry watching military homecoming reunions, I cry when my son cries...it's bad. I've always been this emotional.

12. I was hella dramatic in high school. Good gracious. I still have my dramatic moments, but luckily, my overly dramatic side has calmed down.

13. I'm not a big fan of odd numbers; they bug me. [and yes, i realize it's a little ironic that i wrote this one on an odd number]

14. I seriously suck at surprises. I'm that person that wants to tell you what I got you for Christmas the second I buy it. I think it drives my family nuts.

15. I love making lists. I make lists for everything. I currently have lists made for JJ's birthday party, my will-be-packed-soon hospital bag, potential meal ideas and packing that needs to be done for the Christmas holiday [even though that's like, a month away].

16. I hate mayonnaise. Like, hate it. If I can even see a tiny bit of it on a burger, or if I can taste even a tiny bit of it in a sandwich or something, I won't eat it. I'll throw it away. Blech.

17. I love getting my nails done, but I honestly don't have time to get them filled every two weeks - so I quit doing it. I think my nails thank me for it, though, because they're so healthy now. [my pocketbook thanks me, too]

18. My mom and I are more alike than I'm willing to admit. I used to deny it, but as I've gotten older and become a mother, it's completely obvious that I'm a lot like my mom. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; my mom is awesome. But the realization that you are exactly like your mother is a little terrifying when you totally think you're your own person.

19. I really admire my sister for everything she has done. She used to be so introverted in high school [which I know is really, really hard to believe]...and she's blossomed since college. I'm so proud of her.

20. I will only eat Chips Ahoy cookies if they're warmed up in the microwave. That is the ONLY way to eat those cookies.


OK. There ya go. Twenty things. Thanks a lot, sis. :) And now, because I can, I'm posting a random picture from a shoot JJ did this past weekend with our favorite photographer, Averi. His pictures came out SO AWESOME.

Keep growing, Baby Sweet Pea. [an update]

While I don't particularly like the reason why I'm considered high risk this pregnancy, I do like that I get to see Baby Sweet Pea more often via ultrasound than I saw my boys. Today was another one of those ultrasound days - a day I've been anxiously awaiting for more than two months [which is when my last ultrasound was].

Even though I really shouldn't have been nervous - Sweet Pea had been a VERY active little bean for most of the day - I was totally nervous when I walked into my MFM's office. My awesome mom made the trip up from our hometown to attend the scan with me, so that helped calm my nerves a little bit. My blood pressure was still higher than normal, though, something I'm chalking up to the nerves [but my blood pressure is starting to rise, so gotta keep an eye on that]. The nerves went away as soon as I got first glance at Sweet Pea, though.

The first thing I thought was, "Man. She's so big!" My last scan was 10 weeks ago, and she has definitely grown a lot since then. Measurements put her four days ahead of my due date [but I'm not changing my EDD] and weighing about 2lbs12oz. She had a bright spot on her heart at her anatomy scan, but that seemed to have disappeared - woo! Everything with her looks great and is developing on track, and she even yawned a few times. The tech even put the 4D on so I could see her that way - so.flipping.awesome. She gave us a wave and yawned again, and I really got to see her little face and hands. It looks like she has my nose. :) It was such a relief to get a great report and to know that she is developing as she should.

At this point, I'm 28 weeks and almost in the home stretch. I start non-stress tests in three weeks, go back in four for another ultrasound, then I schedule my hospital tour and go to my refresher baby course. The closer we get to January, the more excited I get. I think I'm finally starting to feel like she could come home with us. I'm not as stressed out as I was with my last pregnancy, I've really been watching what I do and try not to overdo it, and I just feel better about things. I've started buying clothes for her, got her car seat, and I'm about to buy her stroller. Eek!

I really haven't stopped smiling since I left the scan - and it was so neat to share that experience with my mom, who hasn't been to an ultrasound since JJ's 20-week scan [which was more than five years ago, holy crap]. I think she thinks that we pregnant women are spoiled today; technology has advanced so much since my sister and I were born. She couldn't believe the detail we could see with the 4D - and neither could I!

I hope that I can continue to be excited about Baby Sweet Pea's arrival. Apprehension starts to creep in as I think about how close I am to my loss milestone, but I'm trying to stay positive and believe that she will come home with us. Keep growing, Baby Sweet Pea. I absolutely can't wait to meet you.

She cooperated and gave us an awesome profile shot today. :)

She's got the beginnings of my nose. I love that face.

As a side note, thank you all SO much for reading my post on my sweet Devon. It meant the world that so many of you took the time to read my post and leave sweet comments about how beautiful he was. It took a lot for me to share that picture, and I was really anxious about how things would go down after I posted. I'm so grateful to have awesome people in my life. Thank you.