I KNOW--it's been forever

I'm sorry!!! I have been busy and when I haven't been busy I haven't felt up to writing a blog. I'm usually doing what pregnant women do best--lay around and obsess about the nursery. Okay well, I've done more than that. I obsess about the baby too :-P.
My life is going well. I'm feeling so good that I delayed my leave start date until December 4th instead of Thanksgiving. I have had no pain, no swelling, no bad symptoms (except bruised ribs). Okay, well, I get out of breath extremely easily, but that isn't a problem because I sit down most of the time anyway at work because I only groom small dogs. I went to the Marine Corps Ball with Sean in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, and that was fun.
I had my baby shower and it was awesome--now I have everything besides some small stuff (baby wipes, baby wash and stuff) and the nursery is all set up. I washed all his clothes, organized them and put them away. I haven't packed my hospital bag yet but that can wait. I really don't think he is coming any time soon-I know that because I am an impatient person I am going to have to wait. Trying to think of other stuff...hmm. Well my best friend Jana and her two daughters are moving in next door, and that is going to be awesome. Her and I are the same sort of people where we both value personal space and time so we won't be bugging eatch other to hang out all the time, and she has had kids and totally understands that most of my spare (ok probably all of my spare) time I am going to want to spend with Matt. Sean is thinking about quitting his job in March or April and just watching Matt and going to school full-time. He would have classes two days a week on my days off, and have his other class online. He gets the GI bill and goes to drill so he would still have an income, and my new much-increased income will easily make up for his lost job income. He doesn't make much now as it is, and there isn't much profit margin now at his job because he spends a lot of money on gas because he is a pizza delivery driver. And by him taking time out from the job world to take care of his son, it's not like it'll hurt his career. In 2008 when he finishes school he is going to be able to get a good job (and if he can't find one, ITT Tech will place him in one). From what he tells me, professionally trained cookie-cutter ITT Tech graduates are sought after. He is still going to go to school, but by then Matt will be old enough to get something out of daycare like socialization and playing and learning with kids his own age. And I won't feel as guilty about leaving him there as I would if he were an infant. Anyway the way I worked it, it would not only be cost-effective for Sean to quit working and watch Matt (no paying for daycare), it would also be very good for Matt's well-being. Hopefully :-P.
Anyway, I am done training to be a groomer. I finished a couple weeks ago and am now just waiting for my certificate. I signed up for health benefits for next year with my work so I don't have to have MediCal, and everything is going well. I'm thinking maybe when Sean starts work again maybe I could cut down my work time and go to school. I can't and don't want to be a groomer forever!!! Maybe on the side. It is a lucrative career, but not one that I really want to do for my life. I would still absolutely love to be an english teacher. We'll see. I'll go to college for something exciting. I was going to go much sooner but having a kid sort of puts things at a standstill. At least one of us is going! Actually, if Sean makes enough money him and I could trade places-he could work and I could go to college. We'll see. Anyway I am super excited about the future and can't wait until Matt can be a part of our lives!!! Sean and I are estatic. Ahh...and I'll never have to feel another nasty rib kick from him again. Hopefully.
Okay well if I think of anything else I will post more, and I promise I'll try to post more often! No worries though, I will certainly be posting a bunch after December 4th!!!

birthday

It's my mom's birthday today! Happy birthday Mom!

the things they don't tell you

So I had to call in sick today because no one told me that upping my iron intake three-fold would make me have diarrhea...(insert angry face here). I never get it so when I got it I knew something was up and it finally clicked. Then I started thinking about how much iron things like, say, prunes have...or Metamucil...so I have to go in tomorrow no matter what but hopefully my system will regulate itself quickly. I have only gotten it a few times in my life because my internal workings can pretty much put up with anything. The only time I got it for real was when I ate an entire huge Costco container of dried prunes, blissfully unaware of the consequences. Anyway, on a good note, at least I can get some chores done today! Okay, post you later!

blood!

So I went to my OB/GYN this morning, and everything is going well with Matt. He is very healthy and growing well. Unfortunatly, I'm not! She asked me if I'm tired and I replied: "Oh yeah, all the time!" She said she wanted to check if I was anemic but I denied that I was saying that no, I just work a lot and at a physically demanding job and I am already taking extra iron, etc. etc. Well she wanted to test it anyway and I am super anemic! So now I have to take the extra iron (on top of my iron-filled pre-natals), 3 times a day! At my job, I'm only grooming small dogs and I get to sit down and rest frequently as well as taking as many breaks as I want, but I thought that still, maybe that's why I'm tired. Seriously, it doesn't matter how much sleep I get, I am ALWAYS ready for a nap! I could sleep right now, and I went to bed at 9 last night and woke up at 8:20! I'm kind of relieved to find out that the reason is distinctly iron-related and taking more iron will solve the problem. Obviously I need more sleep anyway because I am pregnant, but being THIS tired is ridiculous. So that's good and bad. On a good note though, I mentioned to the doctor that I needed a note for my upcoming drill stating that I needed sleep because this drill is the airshow and that means 20 hour days for everyone because we're military police! Even though I wouldn't be assigned to a physically demanding position, I would still have to go to their 4 am formation and stay up and active until we get released at 12 am that night. I needed a note clarifying that not only can I not do physical labor I also need to be excused from formations so I can sleep. She said "oh no, you can't do that, you're going to pass out! Howabout if I just say you can't participate at all?" So now I am not going to drill, which is good, because I really hate being singled out and trying to explain why anything they are going to have me do is probably too much to handle. Especially being a female Marine which already carries with it a bad reputation of being weak and incapable--to many stupid male Marines even though I am pregnant I would just be confirming that sterotype and I hate that. Anyway, I should go because I still have some errands to run for the suprise party.

long time, no blog!

Well, I have a very large, contented and sleeping tabby cat on my right arm, so since it's rather frustrating hunting and pecking with my left hand this will probably be pretty short. Everything is going well, I've gotten a bunch of wonderful gifts from my Mom and my Aunt Hillary that I am incredibly grateful for. (yay, adorable tabby shifted position!). Of course, now he is sleeping on my mouse--oh well. Matthew is doing good; we have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Based off of my last visit I should be 28-29 weeks along, so just entering my 7th month. He is incredibly active! My belly is HUGE! And it's a big food magnet. I should wear a bib! I have been practicing with baby slings/carriers that my Aunt sent me, and I think I've pretty much gotten it down. I need more practice with the carrier because I am using Fampty, my teddy bear, as a surrogate baby, and he is rather light and I tend to toss him around dangerously while adjusting or taking off the carrier. I wonder if they sell neck braces in "just born" sizes...
Work is going along well, I am getting a lot of practice being a groomer and it looks like I should be 100% done with my field training before I have to go on maternity leave. Working is still no problem for me because I can sit down and rest whenever I want, and I am only grooming small dogs.
I'll post more tomorrow after my OB/GYN appointment to let everyone know what is going on, and I am really sorry about the lack of posting that has been going on! I've been pretty busy at work and when I come home, all I want to do is eat and sleep. And watch TIVO'd episodes of Birth Day. There was an episode on recently about a baby born at 28 weeks, which is what I am now. With respitory assistance, she was breathing on her own within a day, and she was doing very well. It's really encouraging to know that from now on, if he is born he will most likely live a perfectly healthy life and be normal.
Tomorrow, after my doctor appointment, I have to go pick up a birthday cake and go to the next town over to meet my friend at a park near her house to help set up a suprise party for her oldest daughter who just turned 7. She doesn't think she is getting a party, so this will be nice. I figure I better get out all my girly girl urges before my little boy is born! If he does end up having girly-girl tendancies I probably won't know for about 13 years or so anyway so it's still over a decade of Power Rangers, GI Joes and Cops and Robbers. Much more fun than princesses and fake tea. (gag). But there's still an urge to do girly things so luckily for me my best friend has two girls. Yay! Well, nothing else new is going on, so I'll post again tomorrow! Goodnight!

summer days

Almost over! Thankfully--I can honestly say that summer is my most hated season. If I lived in New Hampshire I wouldn't mind it too much, but here where everything is burned to death and it's dry and lifeless, it's awful! Anyway, it looks like rain today! I love rain. I like walking in the rain, driving in the rain (during the day), and just sitting on my patio and watching the rain. And yes, I like singing in the rain too. :-P
Yesterday I finally got the courage to bite the bullet and spend yet another chunk of my disappearing money and buy insurance for both cars. Sean wanted to do it monthly, but I told him the last thing I wanted was another bill to have to worry about paying. When I did have monthly insurance, it was such a hassle to replace the insurance cards every month and worry about keeping up with it. For the past 6 months we've had insurance we paid in full for 6 months and it's been so much better. Plus then I can use scotch tape and fake laminate the cards so they're all pretty. :-) Now we are totally living paycheck to paycheck this month, but I worked it out and by next month we should be on our feet again. Of course, car registration is due next month on the Kia...but I can't think of too many wierd expenses. This month/last month have just been awful and filled with disasterous money expenses, but we can make it. It makes me happy, because I know a lot of unexpected expenses will come up with Matt, and knowing that we can financially survive is comforting. I need some advise in money management though--because I don't have life insurance I can pull money out of in extreme emergencies, or a 401k (which actually I have no idea what that is but I know rich people have them), or even a savings account that generates interest. Plus next time I go looking for savings accounts it will be one for Matt. I'm thinking about, if possible, one that deposits a dollar into his savings every time I use my debit card. It will come out of my account into his, but it'll be really convienant and seeing as I know I use it hundreds of times a year, by the time he is 18 he'll have a pretty hefty savings built up. If I have another kid it'll split the dollar between them. But that sort of thing probably doesn't exist. And I'd rather have that then a set amount transferred every month because some months I may not be able to afford that. When I first had my Washington Mutual accounts, they set it up for an automatic transfer, but I was so poor I would just pull it out of savings as soon as it got there. I'm not at that point anymore, but one can never tell in the future! As long as Matt never goes hungry, then anything is okay as long as he is. But, ideally, I'd love to be rich. :-)
So today is my last day until my long working streak. I'm not used to having two days off IN A ROW! Being full-time rocks. Plus I got paid time and a half for working monday. AND I have vacation time! Yay! And I get a raise!
So Joey and I want to go do something today, even though we don't have a lot of money. But what to do? Everything is so expensive! We'll figure it out. We may go see Snakes on a Plane tonight. It doesn't look that great to me, but I've been outvoted by Joey and Sean. Okay, well it's raining now! So I am going to go..walk thew dogs.

LAME

I tried to update my profile, and they cut out TONS of my favorite books!!! GRRR...I guess I read too much. I should use the whole entire profile space for the books I love, I could care less about movies!!! Stupid, stupid Blogger. Well...LAME!!!! Sorry, it irks me, they could have cut out ANYTHING else!!! Anyway, my day is just getting started, I'll post more later. I had my breakfast of champions-diet pepsi and cranberry sauce. Yumm...

brush off the ol' blog...

Jeez, it's been a while since I posted something! I guess because everything is so busy. I moved, completed grooming school and got a car all within a month! Yikes! We couldn't really afford a car, but my mother in law was taking my brother-in-law's truck back because he was too stupid to cash the loan check we gave him and now wants us to pay the amount--OVER A YEAR SINCE WE HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE!!! People amaze me sometimes about how selfish they can be--especially people who supposedly want to help you out. Anyway the amount she was going to make us pay for the horrible, constantly broken truck was about the rate we'd pay for a new or new-ish car so we gave it back. We had to demolish the rest of our savings and take out another loan >:-( but we got a 2002 Kia Rio. Well, I guess it's good in the long run, because we weren't going to keep the truck for much longer anyway. It's awful on gas, something is always wrong with it, and it's not safe for the baby. We would've just rather done it on our own time and had the option to shop around. Oh well. So, I graduated grooming school today! Nothing special, we went to a chinese buffet and ate until we were at bursting point. (Of course I was STARVING 2 hours later, go figure). Sean, my teacher, said I wasn't going to have a problem because I just jump in and do it and figure things out myself, and I only ask for help when I'm finished or I REALLY need it. There are some students who need thier hands held through everything. I don't know if that's because they haven't been in grooming that long or if that's just the way they are, but fortunately I've been around grooming for a while so I had a pretty good idea of how to do things. I get this weekend off, then go back to work at my regular salon full-time until I do my 100 dogs and can start commission. Just hourly alone will bring me over $300/week before taxes. (laugh away, but it's a heck of a lot better than $150 per week!!!) Then commission.... That's like $700/week!!! Hopefully I can recover my savings enough so I can afford to take my 6 weeks leave after I give birth. If not...oh well! I heal fast and I'm sure I will after delivery too, if everything goes well. Some women go back after a week! I have my friend living here who has tons of experience with babies, so I won't have to worry about daycare. Anyway, hopefully it won't come to that and I can stay for the whole 6 weeks, and use my other 6 weeks (maybe 5 weeks if I take time off the last week of my pregnancy) to have shortened work days for the first month or two after going back to work. Anyway, everything will work out. I'm not worried. :-) Oh yeah, did I mention I have to buy insurance for both cars this month too?
REALLY cool--my Aunt Hillary got me a whole bunch of totally awesome stuff for Matt!!! She got a BUNCH of clothes, a walker (I KNOW they've been recalled because of stair injuries but I don't have any stairs!), a doorway jumper, a play mat with cool mobiles above it, a wheelie thing for him to push when he can stand and walk with support, baby carriers, blankets, toys and bottles!!! Oh yeah and a side sleeper. ^_^ I swear, without all the help I'm getting, poor Matt would be sleeping with Sean and I until he graduated high school and his favorite toy would be a bottle cap. :-)
Okay well I've rambled on...and on...enough for one night. I am officialy in my 6th month, I'm HUGE, and he is kicking like mad! My next doctor's appointment is on the 5th, and they'll do the usual (protien test, weight, listen to heartbeat), and go over in detail the amniocentesis results. Make sure he's REALLY a boy..well..genetically. He definatly has something between his legs and all the doctors in the room confirmed it was a boy...heck I saw it myself. Apparantly ultrasounds excite him. Anyway, going to browse obsessively through AmericanBaby.com now!

mostly done

Okay, so we're moved and pretty much settled in the new apartment. It rocks! It's so nice having, like, space! And the bills are going to be cheaper because it's much cooler and we won't have to use the a/c. I guess being in the top apartment really does make a difference because of the sun beating directly on the roof. It's also a lot easier on my knees (and Joey's because his are pretty much broken). So there's not too much more to unpack. I was delaying unpaking some because we needed a dresser, but now we have one and I had to unpack more. Plus the laundry is to the roof because the washer hose burst and flooded the laundry room soaking all the clothing. And we have yet another box full of books, and I've used up three bookcases so far with my books. . Typical Ally house! When everything is finally done it'll be really nice.
So, I noticed that Ebony, my older dog, was having trouble holding her bladder, but I didn't think anything of it. And I brought her to work a few days ago, and she peed on the floor, then went a few feet and peed blood. So, I was freaking out and one of the other grooming students suggested that it could be a UTI (urinary tract infection). So I scheduled the appointment with the vet, and she warned me that if Ebony pees blood that I need to take her to the emergency vet, but I don't have that kind of money so I just prayed she'd be ok until the appointment. I don't know how long that peeing blood thing has been going on because she has been going outside in the grass, and it's only because she did it on a white tile floor that I noticed it. It made sense, though, that she had an infection. After I began to watch her closely on walks I noticed she would squat for a long time before she peed, then she would lick herself down there (which I thought previously was just her being a gross dog, not thinking it could be becase she hurt.) And I noticed her peeing blood, then, the day before the vet visit she was also peeing pus. So they took a urine sample and instead of sending it to the lab, which would have been extremely expensive, my vet actually is a microbiologist and said she'd do it herself so I could get quicker results and it would be a lot cheaper. Apparantly the lab charges per organisam they find, even though most of them are junk that just needs to be sorted through. She said judging by what I told her and what she could feel of Ebony's bladder that it was most likely a UTI, bladder stones, or cancer (because of her age, which is about 10). I went back today because my kitten, Isis, had to get her shots, and I asked about Ebony's results. Luckily, it's not cancer, but it's something that may wind up costing more...because if she had cancer I would probably let her live out her days and give her lots of pain medication because I can't afford chemotherapy treatments that probably wouldn't work anyway. No, it's a staph infection, so the antibiotics they sent home should treat it, but they need to ultrasound her to see if there are bladder stones because usually staph infections are because of bladder stones. :-(. I told them I'd have to call back because I need to save up money for that, but it'll be ok. I love her so much and I think she has a long life ahead of her and I'm so, so happy it's not cancer. I'll be getting paid more because I'm full time now and getting a raise, plus I just found out I'm getting paid for my mileage so I'll be getting a nice 200-300 dollar check on top of my regular pay. Plus I'm getting about 1370 back on the old apartment, so I can build up my savings for when I take my maternity leave. I bought some Ensure Plus shakes meant to make you gain weight because I STILL haven't gained weight and by now I'm supposed to have gained about 13-14 lbs. And I'm getting skinnier in my arms and legs and I really have no fat stores left so I am going to start drinking one shake a day in addition to dinner. And of course I'll still eat my other meals.
Well, that's about it I guess, just been super busy with moving and grooming school and animals and all that. I'll post later!

In The Airport

In the airport, waiting for the first flight on the way back to california! I can't wait! Turns out the new apartment is getting new carpet so we don't have to move until the 11th, which is good because I don't have to worry about helping tomorrow when I get back from grooming school and am extremely tired. Shawn the grooming school instructor wasn't there today so I am just going to show up at 7:00am tomorrow when grooming opens and wait around. So...I will land at 10:30pm, be done with airport stuff hopefully by 11:00, go get Brenda's car and be back at her apartment and my car by 11:45, and be home HOPEFULLY by 1:00, then wake up at 5:00 or 5:30 and leave at 6 to be at grooming school by 7. ugh. no sleep. Anyway, I am going to go, and I'll post again when I am not a zombie from time zone travel and busy schedules and pregnancy.

In New Hamphire!

I'm in new hampshire now, luckily, Brenda brought her laptop and we're currently staying in Boson with my aunt Hillary. Everyone on the Holloway side of the family thinks I look a lot like her and really act like her and have her mannarisims. Those people include Brenda, my uncle Bruce and my aunt Nancy. Well, I really didn't remember her at all even though I know I've met her. Now that I am an adult, I do see some resembalance. In the face, I do look like her a bit, but definatly in the mannarisims and humor. I feel like she could be an older version of me, living a much cooler life I could have lived. It's strange to me, because I didn't have a blood brother or sister to grow up with, and I really am not like my male cousins on the Schafer side. I never see any of my family besides my parents and it's interesting to know that I managed to grow up and still 100% fit in with both of my families. Wierd that I look and act like my aunt Hillary, and have the infamous Holloway humor. Also wierd how I discovered I have the same exact eyes as my mom, (because now I can see younger pictures of her and look at myself since I'm an adult and full-grown now). Strange how I know I talk like Grammy Schafer in that I use many wierd descriptions of things if I can't think of the word. And that my Uncle Den really loves animals like I do, but I get my strange obsession with taking in random strays and caring for creatures from the Holloway side. It's really odd! I mean, I always knew I was like my parents, but to find out I am also like other members of my family is strange! Well, I am going to try to raise Matt so he knows his family more, or try to give him a brother or sister at least. Not like my parents didn't try! It just didn't...work out. I'll post more details about my trip when I get back. I have to get ready to go on the Freedom Trail of Boston. And yes, it's apartment F171.

Healthiness!!!

He's perfect and healthy! Really quick post because I have to get going but thought it was worth posting. No genetic disorders!!! Yay!!! Now, off to New Hampshire!

tomorrow!

Tomorrow I have my doctor's appointment, find out the test results for sure and fly to New Hampshire!!! I am super excited! I am all packed and ready to go! I hope I can sleep tonight. I was extremely tired after work (I didn't get much sleep last night due to packing) and I slept from 5:30 to 8:45!!! I wish Sean hadn't let me sleep that long because now I am super awake. I ate some salty edamame, and Matt is kicking as usual. He was kicking me this morning too when I was talking to him/myself about what I'm going to do for daycare. I think he likes the idea of me putting him in one by my work so he only has to be there for the minimum amount of time. (He kicked me really hard when I suggested it). I don't know how people can get abortions this late as birth control! It makes me sad. By now he already has his own sleep cycle and style and everything. He sucks his thumb and hiccupps. Oh well, at least I couldn't do it. The only way would be if he had a condition that would pretty much guarantee he would die within a year of birth. And that's maybe. Anyway! I am going to try to read and settle down and hopefully sleep! Luckily I have to wake up kind of early so I don't have to worry about inability to sleep in the morning, I can just get up! Oh, by the way, I am going to grooming school instead in Chula Vista, and it starts on the 14th. (yay, lots of time to move!). They are going to put me up in a motel room so I don't have to drive a long long way every day. (from Chula Vista to home would be at least a 3 hour drive one way with good traffic, it's pretty much on the border of Mexico).
Okay, I'll update again tomorrow when I know the amnio results and to say how my doctor's visit went.

Procrastinating

As usual...I should be packing right now but here I am, delaying it as usual. I guess I had bad learning experiences in that aspect because I'd always wait until the last minute to do stuff and school and I'd always get a really excellent grade. It's just so wierd that I'm moving!!! I think it's all good to go, but I need to make sure. If it is, it'll be the same address, just apartment F 171. But we'll see. I still have to call Adelphia and SoCal Edison and switch things over. I'm lame, I don't want to use my minutes! Oh well, looks like I'll have a lot to do monday. I will be packed by then though. I feel bad because I won't be helping in the move at all, so I'm going to try to pack and unpack as much as possible. I just feel really lucky that Joey is friends with our neighbor who works for a moving company, and he's going to move us for free. Oooh and I walked by the apartment and saw the current residents leave and get into their car which is parked right in front! Finally!!! I am so sick of having to lug groceries across half the complex just to get to where I live. And forget cleaning out my car or anything like that, it's way too much walking with the stairs and everything. It's going to be so nice with Matt and all the baby stuff to be really close to the apartment. Oh, and I think I can already tell who he is going to take after, behavior-wise. Sean was the most perfect baby; rarely cried, slept through the night, was very happy, etc. I was satan child. And already he is taking after me. I can be lazy all day and he won't move, but it gets to be nighttime and he is kicking and flipping and punching his heart out. I really haven't seen any other correlation besides this, becuase it doesn't matter if I eat or not. The only thing that really gets him kicking besides me trying to rest is when I eat salty foods. He loooves the salt! Or something. I had homemade fries last night and I was really craving salt, so I put a bunch on and he started kicking. (amidst Joey telling me that I'm going to dry up the placenta and get a heart attack, etc, etc). Oh well, I hardly get fries and don't douse pretty much any other food in it.
Except for the food I ate tonight. Edamame, or, soybeans in the pod. They are SO GOOD with salt! And there he went again, right on cue, kicking up a storm. Yay, I might have someone else who will enjoy salty movie theatre popcorn and carry on the family tradition that my grandma and my mom so kindly passed on to me. :-)
Anyway, work was good, pretty typical day. I had a really sweet Saint Bernard named Nana. She was a year old and smooth-coated so she didn't have the problem most Saint Bernards have with smelling like drool all the time. She was a sweetie and brightened my day. Also made me happy to discover McDonalds had a good-sized salad for a dollar so I don't have to keep spending $3 on thier stupid fruit and walnut salad, especially since I don't eat the gross candied walnut or "yogurt".
I was talking to a new girl at Petsmart, and she used to work at McDonalds and she was a shift leader or something. One day she heard a scream from one of the male employees, and he showed her that a rat had gotten into the chicken nugget deep-fryer oil and died. So he took it out and she got her manager to let her know she was going to change the oil and disinfect the container, and her manager said to leave the dirty, rat soaked oil in there and continue using it because it was rush time and they didn't have time to change it. That is so gross and I am sure if someone went out there and explained that there was a problem with the fryer and it would be about 10 minutes it would be a lot better than eating chicken McRatguts. Sick!
Anyway, Matt's kicking furiously, trying to make me get my lazy butt up and get packing! I'll at least make a list.

typical day...

Went to work today, had a short shift; 7-1. Lame! I really need more hours, but at least starting August 10th until maternity leave, I'll be full time and working 8 1/2 hour shifts 5x a week. Super excited about the trip to NH! Maple candy, here I come! Had some odd customers today--one was a lady with a 7 month old Lhasa Apso, and since last time it came it bit for certain things, this time she brought a big nasty looking shock collar and a muzzle and told us (in a sweet soft special-ed school teacher voice), that if he's a bad boy we can just shock him a bit and give him a good whack and that will make him settle down. "he's just dominant, and needs to be put in his place. Don't you my widdle-piddle cutie pie?" It took a lot of composure to tell her that corporate probably wouldn't approve of us using shock therapy and physical abuse to tame her dog. Well, not in those exact words. She just kept going on about ways we could hit him and say "NO!" really loudly to make him settle. Then cooing at him and hugging him. Quite odd. If you don't know already, we work behind big glass windows with a mirror behind us. And we're not supposed to be mean at all--the most we can do is use a muzzle. Guess what? The dog was fine. Dogs don't make dogs neroutic, people make dogs neroutic. I felt sorry for him.
We went and rented Final Destination 3 (not by my choice--it's a horrible movie) and the new version of The Producers. I'm going to watch that tonight, I'm excited to see if it's as wonderful as the original. I finished Darwin's Children today. I enjoyed it, it was a good book. Now I have to find another one to read. I wonder if I can take Dramamine? That would make the plane ride so much nicer. :-)
Okay, I'm totally rambling, product of my special boredom. I was bad today. I had a can of baked beans, 2 boiled eggs...then 2 bags of kettle corn!!! I was having such a bad craving!!! Mmm...the Act II kettle corn is the best.

oh, power

So the power kept fading in and out yesterday, so I didn't get to finish my blog! Anyway, yesterday Sean and I went to the beach in Oceanside. It was really fun! We went boogie-boarding. Well, Sean went boogie boarding. I stood there in the ocean with my boogie board trying to figure out how to use it without putting pressure on my tummy. Eventually I turned it sideways. I consider this a big development, I was able to stand in the ocean with waves coming and crashing onto me with only one freak-out episode. (2 waves crashed on me in sucession and I was paddling furiously after and screaming for Sean to come get me and it turned out the water was only 4 feet deep. Smart.) It was really fun to glide over the waves that didn't have the foam on them. The ones that did, I just turned my back to. I got really burned though because we forgot sunscreen and we didn't have a beach umbrella or anything. It was super fun anyway. Then we went to In and Out where I got my grilled cheese and I made Sean order a Flying Dutchman because I wanted to know what it was. It turned out to be two small beef patties with cheese in the middle and on top. Not very ship-like. Apparantly they have this whole "hidden menu" you get get off the internet. My friend told me to order the Flying Dutchman but wouldn't tell me what it was. So of course I was dying to find out what it was! Not that fabulous. Also today I got WIC, and they gave me a ton of checks for milk, cheese, cereal, eggs, and peanut butter. That's really going to come in handy money-wise. Other than that it's been a really boring day. Matt's bored too. I hate not working because of AT, it's really aggravating. It sucks being home all day.
Anyway, yesterday I was going to say in my blog, (before power outages deleted it 3 times), that I talked to my grooming school instructor and he is going to work it so I can start on the 10th and not the normal starting date of the 7th, so I don't have to cut my vacation short and pay a huge fee to exchange my ticket! Yay! And he is a REALLY good instructor. The last 2 girls who went to grooming school didn't cut hardly any hair and didn't learn much, and upon their return, had to do all their learning on the job. But Heidi, who went to grooming school taught by Shawn (my instructor), came back knowing what she was doing and was able to do 4-5 dogs a day. The normal is 1-2 dogs a day for a newly graduated grooming academy student. That makes me happy! That way I'll be able to get my 100 dogs done sooner, my portfolio done sooner, and start making commission sooner, all before Matthew arrives! Then, when I return, I won't have any more training to do, won't get paid crappy hourly anymore, and it'll be great! Everything is working out great. Finally! Now I just need those results from the amnio to come back negative for Down Syndrome and we'll be set! But even if they are positive, hopefully by the time he is 2, when he is going to need to start special therapy, Sean will have a well-paying job too so we can afford anything he needs.
Well anyway, I am going to sign off now, I'll post tomorrow after work.

arrgh!

Okay, so this is the THIRD time I have tried to post this blog. The first time, I had a lot done, like a page's worth, and the power went out and I lost it all. Oh well, stuff happens. Then the power came back on, I logged back in, typed about half a page, and the power went out AGAIN! So, when it came back on again, the internet was seriously messed up, and has been out until now. It was a rain and thunder storm then, so since it's nice out now (relatively), this one should be ok. So, I don't really remember what I was going to say, because my husband looked over and just -now- realized I have a blog. sigh. Anyway, I know I was saying something about how it's strange that my knee is hurting a lot now, especially since I've lost weight. But Matthew is ok! He weighs in at a perfect 6 oz right now. I'm eating and doing everything right, I guess I'm just not one of those people that eats and immediatly gains weight. I'm sure that'll change after I give birth and my metobalism slows.

Oh Boy!

Yep, it's a boy!!! For SURE! He, um, let everyone know! I am so happy! He has 2 arms, 2 legs, 10 fingers and 10 toes! He's so perfect! We got a picture of him sucking his thumb, laying down, and kicking me. He was also doing the "hang loose" surfer sign (seriously), but didn't get a picture of that. He looks perfect! It turns out my dates WERE off, actually to the point where the blood recults would be normal and not indicative of Down Syndrome, but I gave my consent for them to go ahead and do the amniocentesis because that's the only way to know for sure. The way the lady put it was I could go back and do another blood test using my correct dates, and it would probably be normal, but that still is only a 65% chance it's right. So either way the only way to know is to test his genetic layout.l He looked perfect on the ultrasound, he has ALL his organs, all his bones, a perfect spine, etc. But they said Down Syndrome babies usually look normal in the ultrasound. I didn't know that! But it was still a wonderful experience. The amnio was HORRIBLE awful pain, because they had to do it twice and keep moving the needle around. I'm guessing a perfect amnio only takes like 5 minutes and mine took at least 10. They couldn't get a good spot, they had to get a bigger needle, etc. I didn't look. I was crying and screaming in pain but it is worth it. I don't have any side effects like severe cramping, bleeding, etc. I'd rather them have to re-poke me (like they did) and make sure they do it right then do a rush job. Everyone said I was really brave...yeah right! Oh well, it's over now, and I'll know for SURE, 100%, by next week hopefully. Either way, I'm having a really perfect little boy. I'm super happy. Anyway, time for bed, just wanted to give a quick update! Oh, by the way, his name is Matthew.

back so soon?

Well, as my most vigilant readers I'm SURE will realize, I am back much sooner than expected. Sooner than now, actually. I got back prematurely from Marine Corps Annual Training because I got a scary call from my doctor saying my blood test came back as having a high risk for having a baby with Down Syndrome. After a freak out fest I calmed down and listened to him and it turns out any little thing can tweak the test results, such as being even a little off on my conception date, or if I'm having twins (which I'm not), or sometimes the hormone levels are off for no reason. The book I got when I got the test said most of the positives are false, and the follow-up results will indicate a healthy baby. It says, over and over, in BIG BOLD LETTERS that the majority of women who indicate positive on the test will go on to have perfectly normal pregnancies and babies. I was less freaked when I realized they didn't even test my DNA, just an amount of a chemical in my blood, not even in the baby's blood, just mine. Plus I looked online and DNA-wise, any parent that carries the gene has a pretty good risk of passing it on, and an even better risk if the partner also has a complimentary gene. (even recessive genes). Therefore, if I had the gene for it, it would only go to show logically that it would have shown up somewhere in my family tree. It hasn't. Then the chances for random Down Syndrome are pretty low for me because I concieved when I was 20. Combined with the fact I never had any official pregnancy dating done besides a pee test (which aren't very precise) and the feeling of my uterus and I don't honestly remember the last day of my last period, my dates are probably off from what I told the doctor they are which would make the test results worthless. Anyway, long story short, logically and statistically, my baby is probably fine.
So I go in for the follow-up this wednesday the 19th, and they're going to do a detailed ultrasound to date the pregnancy and look for telltale skeletal defects that indicate DS. If their results are inconclusive, I get to have an amniocentesis. Grreat... One good thing though, I am feeling tons of movement so I am probably close to how far along I need to be to determine the sex of the baby, especially with this super ultrasound, and hopefully I get to find out in 4 days whether this little athlete inside is a girl or a boy!
Oh, and just as a side note, if the kid DOES have DS, I am NOT getting an abortion, Sean and I both agreed that we will of course have the kid and raise it well and make sure it has the best life and the most loving parents possible.
So, onto a happier subject! I did all the laundry today! To normal people this isn't a big deal, but you have to understand that our laundry pile was more of a mountian, and we had stopped using the A/C and just enjoyed the cool glacial breeze coming from the top. I found fossils in the carpet. I'm not sure if they're from small dogs or prehistoric rodents. I had no time to discover which because my aspiring archeologist Mai took the bones under my bed for closer examination. Joey and I were bored so we drove up to Idyllwild, which is on top of the (now) nearest mountian, about an hour away, and ate at a place called the Bread Basket. It's a little over 5,000 ft elevation and was a nice pine-y change from the 115 degree heat where we live. It was also entertaining playing on his fear of heights and accidentally driving a little TOO close to the edge at times. Well, a married pregnant woman has to get her kicks somehow! But I didn't really, really freak him out because that would have left both of us in tears. Well, yes, mine would be tears of laughter, but he IS my friend and I GUESS I wouldn't like it if someone did it to me with like, water or cottonballs. I'm really trying to get the motivation to clean some more today, because so much needs to be done. Really, I am trying. Maybe it would be good motivation if I stopped typing so much and looking at Babyzone (because I am pathetically obsessed with pregnancy, go figure). And a Creamsicle wouldn't hurt. Neither would watching JUST ONE episode of Law and Order CI while eating said Creamsicle. Actually, said Creamsicle and Creamsicle's brother. Or sister. Or both.
Okay, I'll keep everyone updated on what I'm sure will be a wonderfully successful housecleaning night. Tomorrow will be awesome though, I'm going to see Othello with Brenda!!!

Leaving

Okay, it's time...(certain doom-type music playing)...to go to AT! :'-(. So I won't be posting until at least the 23rd. Bought a ton of food so I won't starve, and lots of entertainment because half the time I'm going to be sitting on the sidelines. I got a SuDoku game, so at least I can excerise my brain because I feel like every time I go to Marine Corps training my IQ drops a few points. Good news--I am definately going to grooming school in August so I can look foward to making buku bucks by the time I have to take my maternity leave. That really gives me some relief. Okay, have to go, I already packed now it's time to relax.