Monday, November 26, 2007

Does this sound familiar? And some other stuff too.

Ok so I just had the conversation with my husband, Eric. As you know he's been down and out for the last few days because on Thanksgiving his back went out. He goes back to work tomorrow. Hes also been on meds for inflammation, pain and muscle spasms. In short he spends most of the day and all of the night sleeping, he gets very loopy and has funny dreams. These meds really affect him, but he needs them to heal.

So tonight he's talking about the long drive he has to make to Tacoma. I say to him, "since you are going out first thing in the morning I think you should only take one of your pain relievers."

He says, "yeah but I want to be able to sleep". Mind you this was at 10PM, only 9 hours before he has to be on the frosty roads, driving for the first time after his back went out several days ago. I was concerned!

I say, "I know you want to be able to sleep and I understand, but I also don't think you should take the maximum dose only 9 hours before you have to drive". And on and on our conversation went. I was getting irritated at his insistence that he would be fine and have no affect of the meds on his driving or staying awake.

He can be so stubborn. About an hour later he tells me he's getting into bed. Before he kisses me goodnight he tells me, "by the way I only took one pain reliever". And smiles at me. I love that man. LOL he's the best.

This is usually how our disagreements work. We rarely have a loud argument and we don't usually get very angry at one anther. With few exceptions we keep our arguments on topic and they get resolved fairly quickly. I had to learn to let things go sometimes, I tend to want something solved right NOW! and do not really give people space naturally. But this strategy works for us. He will do the same thing for me, he says what needs to be said and he leaves it at that....later we usually talk about it. Most of our really complex arguments took place the first three years we were together. I'm sure things will get more complex again as our child and family grows bigger.

One thing I really appreciate about Eric is that he is very stable in his temperament. I'm so glad he is because I've had so many unstable people in my life, especially growing up. Eric has taught me so much about relationships, he's the first person I've ever felt that truly loves me unconditionally. I now know what that feels like and I thank God for it. In turn my learning with Eric has made me a better person, with his love I was able to find out what true forgiveness feels like to give. I could not have done that without a lot of help from God and the influence that Eric has had in my life.

On another topic...

Hannah has found a new favorite place to kick me!! Oh goody, yeah she's kicking me in the hip socket. I actually don't know if that's exactly what's happening. But darn it, does it feel strange and I don't like it! She only does it to one side and only when I'm sitting with my feet up and leaning on the arm of the couch or 0n Eric. Tonight she did it and I cannot begin to say how weird it feels, not exactly painful, but you just don't expect to feel your joints touched from the inside.

Her movements have changed in that she kicks but it's more complex than just a kick. I can feel her whole body involved in the movements. She will now kick and punch at the same time, she also rolls while running some unknown appendage over the inside of my uterus. It's so cool that I can almost picture exactly what she is doing in there at times. She really responds to my position: if I'm in bed on my left side she will kick where my belly meets the bed and at the same time stretch out her arms and move them all over. If I'm sitting proper she will start kicking or punching right under my ribs or directly under my sternum. It's almost like she has a routine she has worked out depending on what I'm doing.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Thanksgiving Memories

I can say with certainty that this Thanksgiving will always be remembered as "unique". You know, unique not as in "wow that's really cool" no. Unique as in "I can't think of another word that would not sound too negative. LOL.

In reality I did have a good time after arriving at my In-Laws home. The food was great, we had a good time visiting with one another and we watched the movie "Hair Spray" which, for a musical was really good. But before dinner was a whole other story. About an hour before Eric and I were to leave with the food and go have dinner with the IL's he was bending over to grab his sweater off the love seat. When out of the blue his back when totally out. He let out a little yelp and I came to see what was wrong. He said his back went out and tried to walk, but he ended up just a couple feet away on his hands and knees. I was worried, knowing Eric is pretty stoic about things like this. I told him to lie on the floor and I would put some Icy-Hot on his lower back to see if that would help. He tried to get up and move to the sofa, but he was in so much pain he could barely walk. The effort of if made him shake all over--I just wanted to cry.

So on the floor he stayed for about 45 minutes while I packed the car and tried to stay optimistic that he could still make it to dinner. Yeah Right!! Ha! I finally came out of La-la land and called my Father in Law and told him I was going to be late and what happened. I helped him to the couch, gave Eric plenty of knee support and also gave him some Hydrococone Acet plus a Flexaril (sp?). Within just about 20 mins he could not keep his eyes open and he drifted off to a painless sleep. Thank God we kept his meds from the last time he hurt his back!!

So off to Thanksgiving Dinner I went without my husband. It was fun and I really enjoyed dinner. The turkey was moist and very delicious, as were all the side dishes equally good. I was stuffed and satisfied. I called Eric frequently and even went back to the house to get something I forgot and heated him ups some dinner: chilli and a jello fruit cup plus a glass of milk. I was not turkey and stuffing and I felt so bad having to give him chilli. :sigh: Oh well it was the best I could do at the time.

My MIL gave us a generous amount of leftovers and that night I heated Eric up a proper Thanksgiving feast and enjoyed watching him savor it. By that time his back had gotten slightly better and he was able to go to the bathroom unassisted. :)

Today we spent most of the day at the ER because he needed more meds. Not to mention that his boss was a total jerk and didn't believe Eric that he was hurt. I will say no more about this as my blood boils every time I think of his snide comments!! :( Eric is doing better still and he won't go back to work until Monday. I get him to myself this weekend. Goody :)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Tomorrow is Turkey day!! Happy Thanksgiving to all out there. :)

Well today was a good day overall. The only thing wrong with it is Eric is still not home as of now (11PM). He has a new store manager who does not know very much about the Automotive Department (where Eric is the manager) and so he lumps Eric in with all the other Dept. Managers. This new guy also has not been keeping Eric in the loop with relevant things so Eric gets to hear things thru the 'grape vine' that should come directly from the new GM. So right now Eric has been at work for almost 12 hours were most of the other managers have only been there for 7. No wonder Eric can't wait for Hannah to be born so we are not so desperate for the Medical insurance and he can start looking for another job. I will be happy to see him start something new as well.

My very good friend, Julie, and also Feonix's breeder had a nice surprise for me today. She's done with putting Foenix on her website. Foenix will be her next breeding dog for her new females, but only after we get a title on him and his hips and elbows come back from OFA normal. The page looks really, really good and I am very proud of my boy!! You can check out Julie's website and stud dog page here: http://www.vombanachk9.homestead.com/stud_dogs.html

You can also check out the training I'm doing with Foenix. As I've said before it's called French Ring Sport and it involves Agility, Protection (bite work) and high-level obedience. Check out the North American Ring Association here: http://www.ringsport.org/index.html

I've finally finished with my mini cheesecakes that I'm bringing for dessert tomorrow at my Mom and Dad-in-laws house. I like how the new recipes turned out, I just love to cook. The only thing is that I wish that the White Chocolate Ganache had turned out a bit stiffer, because now I'm going to call it a White Chocolate Glaze, LOL!! So I have a batch of Raspberry White Chocolate and a batch of Peaches and Cream cheesecakes. They look very pretty and I tasted both so and they taste as good as they look. Tomorrow I will make my Green Bean Casserole and my Cesar Salad. I can't wait for a big plate of Thanksgiving Dinner.

Hannah has been kicking more today. I will say that I didn't think I was worried that she was not as active, but when I realized I was so happy to feel her being more vigorous I decided that I was concerned about it. In fact, her ears must be burning because she's moving around right now. :D I love her!

Hmmm...notice I said "her" right there? Well that's because that's what she looked like on the ultrasound but really she might still be a "he". Crazier things have happened. If she is a he, his name will be Luke Paul. I've always loved the name Luke and Eric's middle name is Paul so I can't beat that. So Hannah or Paul if you ever read this you will know that either way we were prepared for whoever you turn out to be. And Mommy nor Daddy was disappointed to meet you whether your are a boy or girl. But just for the record...we think you are a girl.

We have much to do with the babies room yet. Eric is going to have to make another phone line going to the guest room because it will have to house the computer and all. It will be a big move to get the now 'computer room' moved over and turn the guest room into the 'guest/media room'. We are also going to paint the room in vertical stripes of butter yellow and china blue. I love that color combo and it goes with the crib set we registered for at Babies-R-Us. :) The room will be the prettiest one in the house!!

That's all for now...I must go clean the kitchen and get ready for Eric to get home. Yay!! My hubby will be home soon. Bye for now.....

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Wow! I'm already doing my second post. :)

First order of business...some dog stuff. Today I took my GSD baby, Foenix, to the Vet to get some films of his elbow and hip joints. This is important to check them to make sure they are healthy and normal because of all the hard work I am asking him to do in French Ring. They have a lot of agility and fast bite work they have to perform in order to obtain a title. I was worried that Foenix was not going to keep training because with the German Shepherd breed there is a high incidence of Hip and Elbow Displaysia.

But really good news!! :D His films look very good and I can rest assured that he is healthy and normal for training. I was so excited that I wanted to jump up and down and kiss the Vet-- Eric very nicely told me he's glad I did not act on that impulse, LOL. Foenix's breeder, Julie Marlow of Vom Banach K9, wants to use him in her breeding program when he gets his first titles. So in order to keep her bloodlines as free of displasia as possible we will be doing more films when Feonix turns 24 months old (he's 12 now) and sending them in to OFA or Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. They will certify his hips and elbows with a rating of Excellent, Good, or Fair. I'm hoping for a good solid Good Rating, and think he will get it.

I went shopping for my share of the Thanksgiving Feast Potluck at my In-Laws house today. I am making a Cesar Salad, Green Bean Casserole, and two kinds of individual cheese cakes: White Chocolate Raspberry and Peaches and Cream. They will be small and in cupcake papers and are so pretty for a desert buffet table. Yummy!!

Now for some pregnancy stuff...

Hannah has been less active the last few days. I am not worried though cause she still wiggles, rolls, kicks, and punches her way thru the day. It's just not been the marathon style that she was doing for about a week. I can say it's nice to have a break from that. L :) She now kicks with such force that she will shake my whole belly, not just the area she kicked. As of now it is not painful except when she aims for a couple of places. Those places shall remain nameless, LOL. For the most part I do love to feel her moving, but it started to keep me from falling asleep at times. Oh boy and I have eight more weeks to go. Lucky me. LOL!

I love the fact that I look pregnant. Most women would probably feel differently. I have to say that I'd much rather look pregnant than just plain old fat!! I was overweight prior to learning I was preggers, but was working on loosing the weight. Had joined Curves and was eating very healthy. But I still prefer the pregnant look to being merely fat. But what happens after Hannah is born? I don't quite know yet. I'm hoping breast feeding will slim me down some, that is if I keep eating properly.

As a matter of fact I have a very healthy and balanced base diet. I do not eat fast food, except for very rarely (rarely= once a month). My problem is SUGAR! I feel entitled to deserts and have a hard time saying "no" to them. I can see where my flaws lie. That's a start at least. :shrug:

Another thing is that my boobs are different. My husband can even see the difference, which, is a means they've changed a lot. Here's how I know: Eric didn't notice that I've gained weight until I was a full 25 lbs heavier than when we met!! So in the event he notices something like this it is very noticeable. I have not had any experience in any 'leakage' (eww gross thought) and I'm glad. I hope to just cross that bridge later...much later. I know breast feeding is very normal and all, but I feel a little squeamish about the whole idea. I'm sure I'll get over it, hopefully before Hannah is weaned, hahaha. But in the end my body is changing and for once I have no control over it. Kind of a strange realization....

Well I'm off to bed soon before today turn into tomorrow.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Ok so not a Mom Yet...but only 2 1/2 months to go.

I guess I'll introduce myself and my life. My name is Jamie, I am married to Eric, we have been married for (almost) 5 years (in March). We are a Christian family. I am a dog trainer, have my own business and we own our home on 2.5 acres in Western Washington State.

Several months ago I found out I was pregnant. The shock was to be when I did my ultrasound I was not 2 months along, or even three months along...I was a full 18 weeks or 4 1/2 months pregnant! Awww yes, ignorance is bliss! A little side note here: I was always one of these women who thought other women who did not know RIGHT AWAY that they were pregnant were either really dumb or really clueless. OK, so I am neither and will never judge other women this way again. Funny how God has a way of letting you know you are too judgemental. Ha! :)

This was a 'surprise' pregnancy to us. I was on the pill, though not great about taking them due to some acid reflux problems. Which, as it turns out, acid reflux can cover up 'morning sickness' really, really well. I chalked it all up to reflux. What about all the other pregnancy symptoms? Tiredness: yup!, Cranky: yup!, Missed periods: only for month three and four. So maybe I had some good excuses for not knowing.

Eric and I have wanted kids since before we met. Within a few weeks of dating we had already talked about marriage and kids. We met in the winter of 2002 and started dating in Mid February. Within two weeks of dating we both knew we were going to be married, though we did not want to pressure the other so we took another two weeks to discuss that. In short we did everything pretty quickly: met, fell deeply in love, deeply in friendship, and were engaged six months into our relationship. We were married seven months later.

I wanted kids right away to an extent. Eric did not. Bummer for me, right? No, not really. After a couple years and starting our dog training business I realized I did not really want kids that soon--I wanted something to do, aka: a Project. I'm glad we waited.

How ironic that only one month before we found out we were expecting Eric and I were talking and we had decided that it was time to plan a family. We were going to go to Mexico for our Honey Moon that we never got and there we were going to start. Ha ha, the joke was on us, as I was already well into my first trimester. :D

Now I'm seven months along as of tomorrow.

We have three dogs. An 18 1/2 year old Rat Terrier X Basenji, Buddy. A 6 year old Papillon, Zeke, and a 12 month old Working Line German Shepherd, Foenix. Zeke is my Obedience demo dog, Foenix is too as well as being my French Ringsport prospect. We've been training in French Ring for a few months. More on this later.

My dog training business revolves around pet training with an emphasis on behavior. I work with many dogs with behavior issues from aggression and fear to no manners. More on this later too.