Happy Thanksgiving!

I have been really slacking on my blogging. I am now 32 weeks pregnant. I am ready to meet little man. I am now becoming a pro at giving myself shots and checking my blood sugar. It is funny how sometimes you feel so sorry for yourself and start asking "why me?" and then things turn out fine. And you look at the big picture and realize that things can be so much worse. I was devastated when I found out about the diabetes and I was in the hospital for three days. I cried constantly thinking about the fact that I would have to live with this until Jan. and face my fears of needles head on. Now I am thankful that there have not been any other issues and that I can now stick myself with no anxiety. It has been pretty hard staying away from my favorite foods and snacks. I give in sometimes but overall I am doing pretty well. I go back to the maternal-fetal specialist next week and I get another 3D sonogram. I am looking forward to it.

The past few days have been pretty great! I love being off of work for the holidays. I am so lucky to have a job that gives me weeks off at a time. Last weekend we went to Georgia for a wedding. My friend Jodi, who I met in Florida, was getting married. We stayed in the BEST hotel! They had a welcome party at a little cabin. The weather was cool, we had smores, and they had a cute little slide show she made. I really enjoyed getting to hang out with another friend, Theresa. It is amazing to me how after not seeing each other in so long we can pick right up where we left off. The next day Nick and I scheduled last minute massages at this great salon in town. It was so relaxing. I only wish they had a table with a big hole in it because I really wanted to lay on my stomach for a change. That night we went to the reception. I got to see a lot of people that I used to work with. They will all hold a special place in my heart. I miss St. Augustine sometimes and they brought me back there in my mind. On Sunday morning we went for breakfast at Jodi's mom's house. It was so good and I am glad we got to say good-bye. The drive home was long... we had to keep stopping every two hours for me to use the bathroom but we made it home.

Jenn, Michael, and Eli came down on Wednesday night. Thanksgiving was amazing this year. By far the best two meals I think I have had (with Nicks family and mine). Thursday night Jenn suckered me in to going "black Friday" shopping with her. I knew this was a bad idea all along but I agreed to go with her just to shut her up. :) First we attempted to go to Toys R Us. Oh my gosh!!!! Never in my life have I ever seen such madness. There was a line of people a half mile long and there were about three parking lots full of people. PEOPLE ARE CRAZY! I would rather spend hundreds of dollars more just to not deal with that crap. We decided that we would be insane to wait in that line and decided to move on. So here I am, 32 weeks pregnant, exhausted and at the place I hate the most in the world... Walmart. This was also insanity but not on the same level. Jenn was so excited. We walked around and scoped out what we wanted. I could not believe that people would go so out of their way to save a few dollars and here I am. These women mean business! The rule was that you were not supposed to put any items in the buggies until 12:00. They had people telling other people to take stuff out of their buggies. They had women flocking around towels with their hands on them so that they could get first dibs. Then all hell broke loose. People stopped following the rules and started throwing things in their baskets. Jenn said "oh, no.... if they are doing it so am I". Jamie and I wanted new towels but these women were grabbing them by the by the tens. Jenn pushed her way to the box and practically dove in to grab towels. It was the funniest thing I have ever witnessed Jenn doing. She meant business! There was a poor little older man standing there. He worked for the store and was supposed to be enforcing the rules. He just sat there and looked scared. So we proceed to throw stuff in our basket. Then, I got yelled at by a lady that worked there. "put it back on the pallet." "But, everyone else has stuff in their basket." "PUT IT BACK ON THE PALLET" "but thats not really fair, look around lady!" "PUT IT ON THE PALLET" um, ok. Psycho! ANyways, I was supposed to be tagging along with Jenn so she could get her shopping done. I ended up buying about 5 times the amount of things she bought. I am Steve Crosbie's daughter and when I see a sale sign I can't resist. I DID get a lot of Christmas shopping done which was great. I must say it was somewhat fun when it was all said and done but I will NEVER do this again.

Today I went and bought myself a fabulous camera. It is one of the big professional kinds. I played with it all day. It is almost too fancy. I feel like I need to take a photography class to learn how to use it properly. I can't wait to take pictures of Grant with it!

I am so glad Jenn will be home for a few more days. Today we all went to Chuck E Cheese. I actually had a great time and so did the kids. It was good spending so much time with some of my favorite babies! Tomorrow dad comes back home from Florida and I think we will be going shopping for Christmas trees. I am excited! And... Grant will be here before we know it. So much to look forward to and so much to be thankful for this year. Sitting here with my hubby watching tv, the fire going and the dogs sleeping....I am loving life. I honestly could not ask for anything more.

My top 10 things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

10. My job because I know I am lucky to have one these days.
9. My Volvo that I LOVE... I never thought I would buy a brand new car.
8. My house that is filled with memories and precious things to me.
7. My friends who are there for me.
6. My nieces and nephews whom I love dearly and couldn't live without.
5. My sisters who are constantly there to listen and support me. They love me even though I am the troublemaker!
4. My parents who are always so giving and who taught me to be who I am.
3. My loving husband. Giong on nine years together and he is still my best friend.
2. Grant... I can't wait to meet him. I am already in love with this little person we made.
1. My health because you don't appreciate it until you think something could be really wrong.


Hope everyone had a great one this year!

For Jennifer :)

It has been so long since I have posted anything! My sister asked me to put up links to all of the baby stuff I have been getting for the nursery so that is what this blog will be dedicated to. If you have any suggestions of things that would go with what I already have I would appreciate it. I have been second-guessing myself every step of the way through this. Nick says obsessing. I just want it to be perfect. I know I am crazy. I will be happy when his room is DONE!

I found a few things from The Land of Nod:

This is a link to the nightstand I got to go next to the glider.
http://www.landofnod.com/family.aspx?c=10063&f=5285

2 long honey colored shelves:
http://www.landofnod.com/family.aspx?c=10508&f=3569

And a honey colored book bin for the wall:
http://www.landofnod.com/family.aspx?c=89&f=236

Here is a link to the bedding: http://polkatotdesigns.com/images/Adam.JPG

I bought a navy rug to match the top part of the curtains.

I can't wait to post pictures when it is finally finished!

wonderful weekend minus the ant attack

What a fantabulous weekend! Nick was away for the weekend playing golf and I stayed home. Friday night I went with my friend Micah to Carraba's and we went to the funny bone. We had a really good time! Saturday I took Kali and Sara with me to school to help with my classroom. The kids played "school" and it was hilarious. Kali was the teacher and Sara was "Katelyn". Sara kept "backtalking" the mean teacher and Kali kept moving her clip. Then, I heard Kali say "well, Katelyn now I am moving your clip for walking sassy!" Sara was prancing around. It was hilarious!

Saturday night Kali was sleeping over. Jamie brought the Sara and Alissa over to see Kali because she was missing her little sisters. When they were leaving poor Sara got eaten by fire ants. She had about 50 bites on her back. :(

Sunday Kali and I went to Mellow mushroom, got pedicures, and went shopping all day. Later we went to New Orleans to pick up mom and dad from the airport. On the way home dad flipped out and screamed at some idiot while I was driving and the look on Kali's face was priceless. Poor baby. I told her never to have her paw paws road rage.

Today was my first day back at school. It was a great day. We did a little too much sitting but it feels pretty good to be back and I am looking forward to starting the new year with a new group of kids. I feel energized and ready to do my best. I am very thankful for the group of teachers I get to work with this year.

I should dye my hair blonde after today!

As I was driving to my boring workshop this morning my head was in the clouds. I was listening to Kid Kraddic in the morning and they were talking about attitude. Basically saying that your attitude can shape the way you see your life. They gave the example of a flat tire. One can either say "woe is me" or "thank goodness it didn't happen on the interstate". "It was bound to happen sooner or later". Attitude is a very pwerful thing. And the best part is that we have all control over the way we react to the things that happen in our lives. You can choose to look for the positive in things. I was thinking about all of the people who always talk about how miserable thier lives are and put it all over Facebook. Every status says something about their bad day or how they have no luck. We are all guilty of this sometimes.
So this was all floating through my brain and as I was pulling down the street towards my SCHOOL I realized that I had training today. My mind immediately went into the oh crap mode. I'm going to be late! Then I reminded myself that it was ok, I need to just get there safely. Kunch time rolls around. As I am pulling onto the side of the street to park I run into a street sign in my brand new car. I made a consious effort to say to tell myself it could have been a lot worse. It sucks I scratched my car and broke my side mirror but at least I didn't dent my car right? :) Then, as I was leaving the mall I was walking around the parking lot in the rain for about ten minutes wondering who stole my car. I realized I was in the wrong parking lot on the opposite end of the mall. Instead of thinking what I typically would think "crap, my feet hurt and now I have to walk to the other end of the mall" I thought "at least my car WASN'T stollen." I just had to laugh. What a good day this has turned out to be. I am going to continue o work on this~
I called my wonderful mother to ask her to come help me learn how to cook. She came to my house and taught me how to cook steak with rice and gravy. It was really good! I am starting to think I may be able to cook! Thanks again, mom!
I also had a great time at the mall. I bought school shirts and new school shoes. I feel like a little kid. I also got to get a new purse that I LOVE. Nick said he wouldn't be mad if I get it as long as I cook for a week. :) It made me laugh out loud to myself in the mall. I am really loving life.

Alissa Ann 7 lbs 13 oz

So we have a new addition to the family. A beautiful little girl named Alissa Ann. She has long black hair! 7 lbs. 13 oz 20 inches long. My sister is a she-woman! Everything went smoothly and they are both doing well. I had the girls sleep over last night. Kali, Sara, and I were sleeping in my room and Nick slept in the guest room. I was up until about 4am and decided to switch rooms. At 7 Sara came strolling in asking where I was fully dressed with her shoes on and everything! :) That child doesn't miss a beat. I tried to talk her in to going back to sleep but that didn't work. Too bad! Granny came to save the day, though.

I have also been working on my new classroom all week. I am excited about the way everything is looking. I like the layout a lot better than last year. Hopefully, I will have it done within the next few weeks.

My precious baby book also came in. I ordered it from Ruby Love Los Angeles. I googled "modern baby book". I wish I could fill out the whole thing but I can only do a few pages.

Great weekend!

What a great weekend! 9 Weeks pregnant has been good to me. I have not been nearly as nauseated as I was the past three weeks. Nick and I went for my first ultrasound on Friday June 11th. The ultrasound teach said I am a "good incubator". :) I was very nervous at first. She put the little wand over my stomach and went silent. For some reason I thought that I would be able to hear the heartbeat but we heard nothing. I asked her if everything looked ok and when she told me everything looked great it was like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. The baby was measuring exactly how I predicted it should be. She told me I was 9 weeks and my due date is Jan. 15th. We got to see the little heart flickering really fast which was so cool. Nick just sat there completely speechless. It was a pretty cool moment. It makes all the crappy things that come along with pregnancy so sweet. The heartbeat was 165 which she told me was high and strong. After we left I was dieing for Outback so we went there and looked at the ultrasound pics over and over again.

Friday night my sister got in from Ruston with her husband and son. Eli is completely precious. He is also very smart. He can name almost all of his body parts. I love when he shows where his teeth are because he starts clicking his teeth together. It is so funny.

Saturday was my sister's baby shower. It didn't start out so well. I went to pick up the cake. The original name my sister had picked out was Alissa Grace. So one the cake they put AGD. Well my sister looked at it and told me that she named the middle name to Ann. So I had the initials wrong. After about 5 attempts at fixing it We finally made it look good. Then the chocolate fountain had a small malfunction. Luckily, my mother came to the rescue and fixed it. Anyways, everything ended up coming together just in time. Everything was beautiful and everyone had a good time. I think Jamie had a good time and got some nice baby gifts also.

Today we all went to the little splash park in Plaquemine with the kiddos. Kudos to the city of Plaquemine for such an excellent job on this. There were plenty of children there and they all seemed to be having a great time. What a great way to improve the park! We all went to mom and dad's house afterward and mom bar-b-qued. It was so much fun.

Overall, a great weekend. I love getting to spend so much time with my family. Hope everyone had a great weekend as well!

Wal-Mart rant

I went off on a little tangent earlier after I left Wal-Mart. People just get on my nerves so bad. Normally, I am good at brushing things off but today it was one thing after another. I was walking through the isles and saw a basket full of kids eating grapes while they were shopping. The first thought that popped into my head was -Gross! Those have not been cleaned! Then I thought about the fact that they also had not been paid for. These people are probably getting free food anyway and then they are stealing it on top of that. Then I was in the produce section and I noticed two other people just eating grapes from the bags off of the shelf. How disgusting. People just amaze me. I go to check out and there are like 3 lanes open. I get behind this obese woman and her obese daughter. I am not using the word obese lightly either. There cart is overflowing with ice cream, frozen pizzas, about 20 candy bars, debbie cakes, you name it and they had it. Junk! Not one green thing in their basket. Not to mention the woman was cursing like a sailor to someone on her cell phone so loud I think everyone in her vicinity could hear exactly what she was saying. Then she pulls out her food stamp card. My next thought was that they are probably on Medicaid so I am not only paying for her fattening foods but also for her health care bills for her and her daughter. Great! I look at the next isle and there is another person whipping out their food stamp card. Then there was a women behind me with five kids and a basket overflowing with shit with her food stamp card ready. All I could think was "Am I the only person in this store who actually pays for my groceries?" Then her son was taking all of the gift cards off of the shelf, scratching off the part that you scratch off when you buy one and throwing them on the floor while his mother saw him and said nothing. I typically get very defensive when I hear people talk negatively about people who receive government assistance. As I do feel it is necessary for some. I am usually very empathetic but not today. I was disgusted. Why do people think that the world owes them something and they do not have to go out and earn a living? I think that there should be tougher restrictions when it comes to things like this. People are obviously milking the system for all its worth. I promise I will stop with all of this negative talk. I just had to put it out there. Ok, I am done with my rant!

On a happier note, yesterday I found the most beautiful curtains for my dining room. I will post a pic when I upload them. I am so excited to see my sister and her family tomorrow and to go to my doctor apt. I am nervous thinking about all of the things that can go wrong but find comfort in knowing that everything happens for a reason so I will have to accept whatever comes our way. My sister's shower is also this weekend. I think I have got everything so far- I am ready to get it over with! Hope you all had a better Thursday than I did. :) will update tomorrow.