Frontier City and Miguel

Saturday my sister Amber's fiance, Miguel turned 24!!! To celebrate we went (with free tickets courtesy of Wendy) to Frontier City. It was Miguel's first time to an amusement park. He had never been on a roller coaster before or experienced all the craziness of lines and heat and annoying kids and fun. We were super excited to take him (although I admit to some jealousy since I LOVE roller coasters and couldn't go on much there). Here are some pics:

We start out in the car. Where are we going Miguel??? Surprise!!
The first ride...Diamondback. Yes he was scared and maybe we are jerks for making that his first roller coaster ever...
Crappy picture taken by park employee. You'd think basic camera skills would be part of the training.
Amber, leave that poor fake bison alone!
Quick Draw. You sit in a car and shot at things. Nate was ridiculously good at this, usually getting double what everyone else got. I did get to go on this ride.
The Carousel! Mighty spry for a 7 1/2 month pregnant woman!
Next, the log ride. I went on this too.
Surprisingly I felt fine on this spinney ride. Amber, however, almost vomited. Miguel spent a lot of time laughing (and probably a lot of time praying she didn't vomit straight on his shirt).
Bumper cars were next. Amber and I sat out- me, because of Peanut and her, because she was still feeling sick. But the boys had fun!
Somewhere around here we went out of the park and ate the sandwiches, pasta salad and fruit we brought. Nate made Miguel a dump cake with fresh peaches and blackberries- it was amazing!

Then there were some big rides I didn't go on and I begin to remember I was really pregnant and starting to get hot and sick and uncomfortable. I sat out for a bit.

Then we went on Renegade Rapids. It's a big tube, 8-seater ride through the water. We got soaked. Also we had a broken raft that didn't drain properly. This was gross for everyone else but allowed me to have my feet, up to my ankles, in cold water for several minutes. It totally revived me!

Somewhere around here I also got to the only employee that wouldn't let me on a ride. He never actually said no he just stammered and stuttered and looked so uncomfortable I felt sorry for him and left. It was the ride where you sit in an old car and drive around a track- ooooh the danger to my fetus!

Then Wendy showed up. She went with the boys on another spinney ride while Amber and I sat out. Amber couldn't even watch, it made her so nauseous.
Standing in line to go on the Rapids ride again. Wendy and Amber decided to make a happy face on my belly (it looks a little sinister)...
What happens when you've been standing in line too long and Amber has the camera:
Around here we went on the Pirate ship ride. Peanut was moving a lot as it got going. Then it got to the 'lifting your stomach into your chest' part and he stopped moving completely. As soon as it ended he went crazy! I'm not sure if he loved it or hated it but he definitely noticed!

Eruption for those not pregnant or too big...
Dinner at Red Robin completed the night. Happy Birthday Miguel!!!

I am not insinuating anything here...

this just cracked me up!

Gestational Diabetes - the controversy, the torture...

(this post is for Laura D)

OK so maybe that title's a little extreme but after getting to a point in my pregnancy where pretty much everyone is nice to me the gestational diabetes test was like getting yelled at by the camp counselor I thought liked me best.
The reason for the test is to see if you have (a little obvious here) gestational diabetes. This is important because gestational diabetes causes really big babies (there can be other issues but this is the main one). The problem is that there are almost no symptoms of gestational diabetes until you try to birth a huge baby. Most women do not get an ultrasound every visit (most insurance companies in OK will only pay for 2 unless there is significant need), so the size of the baby is known in a round-about way but not specifically. So...the need to test for gestational diabetes with an actual blood test and then adjust your habits if you have it.
Onto the tests. The first test is the One Hour Test. This test requires you to fast for 12 hours. This may not seem like a big deal but at this point in pregnancy I was still vomiting if I got too hungry. Super enjoyable. So you fast for 12 hours and then wake up early (if you've been smart and got the first appt. of the day) and drink a bottle of a sugar syrup that would be too sweet for most 6 year olds. It's like a whole packet of orange kool-aid with twice the sugar in 6 oz. of water. Remember again, the nausea. You may not throw this up!!! So you drink this, on an empty stomach (within an hour) and then rush to your doctors because at exactly 1 hour after finished it you have to have the blood work done. They draw blood and you pray with all your heart that you will pass with flying colors. Because if you fail you get the Four Hour Test.
Now the problem with the words pass and fail being used to describe the One Hour Test is that it's as if you were taking a course and the professor decided that he really wanted everyone to understand the material so instead of A-D meaning pass and F meaning fail anyone who gets below an 85% will automatically be 'failed' so he can retest most accurately. Only 1/3 of women who 'fail' the One Hour Test actually have gestational diabetes. The rest of us are caught having gotten an 80% on the test but are forced to now take a Four Hour Comprehensive final to be sure we weren't really deserving an F.
I assume most doctor's offices call to let you know the news that you have failed the test. I got "that nurse". I love my doctor and the nurse I normally work with and the lady I pay stuff to but there is one nurse at that office I don't like, and she is the one to call me. She does not sound sympathetic or reassuring. She is dry and provides very little info. She sets up the appointment with the hospital as if she is doing me some huge favor. Even though I KNOW all about the test and how I'm probably still fine there is a feeling of failure. Something is going to be wrong with my baby. I am scared and upset. I call Nate and cry. A few less-emotional days later I am calmer.
Onto the Four Hour Test...

You again fast for 12 hours. You then show up to the doctor''s office (or hospital outpatient area). You wait. They take your blood (#1). You go back and sit down. An old lady in a wheelchair stares blankly through you. You wait 30 minutes, they rip of the tape they put over the cotton ball on your arm. You are allergic to it and already have a rash. They take your blood again (#2). They then give you the dreaded syrup to drink. This time it tasted like boiled-down, flat coke. You are not allowed to vomit. You must drink the whole thing in 5 minutes. You go back to the lady at the desk, she writes down your time. You go back to a different seat because old people have stolen yours. You wait 30 minutes. They take your blood (#3). They almost forget to use the wrap instead of the tape and you have to physically assault the nurse to stop her. You fear for your next blood draw. You go to the lobby and are forced to listen to some sort of Good Morning America Show. You wait 30 minutes. They take your blood (#4). The nurse remembers the wrap but is possibly using a dirty needle to get back at you. You wonder if you can catch 'old person'. You will now wait an hour. You decide this is a good time to try and sleep in your car. You wake up sweaty and with your hair plastered to the side of your head- you no longer care. They take your blood (#5). By this time even I, who have the veins of a champion am getting uncomfortable. When she pulls out the butterfly needle which I have NEVER had to use before so she can get some tiny vein on the outside of my elbow, I put my foot down and make her move to the other arm. This time hurts. You're not sure if it's on purpose or not. Now you wait another hour. Your fetus starts kicking you emphatically as if to remind you he hasn't eaten. You wonder if you really want kids. You promise to force your husband to fast for 48 hours and then drink straight snow cone syrup while you punch him in the gut so he has some inkling of how you feel. They take your blood (#6). The nurse does not help you pick up your bag and you wonder if she will call for help if you pass out. They let you go home.
I went straight to Qdoba, never mind that I was late for work already. Remember it's been months since I've gone more than 6-8 hours without food. I go to work, try to drink lots of water and wait for my results.
The results come in. I passed.

Strangely, I am not elated. I still feel sick, I have wasted a half day of leave time and I now have had my first real, non-imagined proof that something could be wrong with my baby at this stage in pregnancy. This is the torture of the Gestational Diabetes test.
PS I have heard some places allow the eating of a large candy bar in place of the dreaded syrup. I refuse to believe this could be allowed when I was given liquid pixie sticks- I will ignore all lies about this.

Already this morning I have used 2 "fresh" (meaning unused since custodial cleaning) toilets. This means either:

a. regular people don't pay attention to the 'freshness' of the toilet they're using- possibly I am a freak.

b. i pee way too much. seriously...2 uses before the majority of the office has even made it in there once???

The Story That Caused A Thousand Nightmares

Around the time I was 15 I was telling my Dad of how I was afraid of the Mad Hatter and Tom Petty, and how they were somehow linked in my mind. I thought this was just some weird quirk caused by my history of very vivid, crazy dreams. I learned otherwise- Tom Petty has a music video in which he plays the Mad Hatter, who cuts up Alice and eats her like a cake. Hence, my being traumatized for years.

Tom Petty - Don't Come Around Here No More
Uploaded by PigLips - Watch more music videos, in HD!

In the cartoon Disney version of Alice in Wonderland the Mad Hatter is a bit of a freak but nothing too alarming. However Disney has decided to remake this into a live action/computer animated movie where the Mad Hatter is every bit as freaky as I always feared (and played by Johnny Depp).

Why oh why are they doing this to me and millions of children around the world??? We were happy with our white-washed Mad Hatter who was amusing not therapy-inducing.

Beware...

if the mention of Harry Potter makes you sick you may skip this post.
First let me say this past week/weekend Nate and I rewatched all the old Harry Potter movies. I enjoyed it and yet it reminded me why after loving the books, it took me years to watch any of the movies. I just struggle with book to movie adaptations. However it was fun to rewatch them all quickly in a row (I always reread a book series right before the next book comes out).
On to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince... I liked it. It is maybe my least favorite of the books but was probably my favorite of the movies (my favorite book is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- which is by far my least favorite movie). It was dark, but so is the book. I think they kept reasonably close to the book and the acting has definately improved (which you expect of actors starting young in a series). Without getting spoiler-ish I can just say overall I was very pleased.
Now I talked about it with my friend Bryan at lunch and he was not a fan. It was his least favorite of the movies. Here's the difference- he hadn't read the books. He is judging solely on the movies.
So my question is whether you've read the books or not and then, what your feelings on the latest movie are. I wonder if opinions will be similarly devided based on familiarity of the books themselves...

Dear World,

Please do not contact us this weekend. We are cleaning our house and watching back Harry Potter movies so we can be prepared to watch the new one next week.

Love,
Ox, L and Peanut

PS We prefer clear, warm (not hot) weather.

Sweet Song for a Happy Mood

I've been listening to this song a lot again lately. I'd never seen the video before but I love it!!!

Ingrid Michaelson - The Way I Am

Missing Grandpa

My Aunt Jo put up on facebook a picture of my family from way back in 1996. It's from not long before my grandpa died. We've been talking about it on there since and it has made me miss him even more.

Why this is the best pregnancy ever!!!

1. I am not a teenager, in high school or living with my parents.

2. I am not single.

3. This pregnancy was planned and I am excited to have a baby.

4. I have a husband who is supportive and as excited as I am about the whole thing.

5. Even though it is over 105 degrees outside today I am working in an air conditioned office, actually a little chilly. I get to sit most of the day but can walk around if I need to.

6. I have no other children, meaning I have no one else to worry about, or carry around, or have to comfort when they're crying etc.

7. I have supportive family both on my husbands side and on my side.

8. I am able to get the food I need when I need it. This does not involve digging in a trash can.

9. I do not have gestational diabetes (ps remind me to post on how the gestational diabetes test should be labeled as torture and outlawed).

10. I am not: on bed rest, deathly ill, completely swollen, really old, really young.

11. I get to feel my baby move regularly. Last night I could feel an appendage through my belly button.

12. I have a home, a comfortable bed and an AC unit in the bedroom.

13. My baby is healthy and seemingly comfortable in his 5 star accommodations.

I don't know what to say about this...

I had a much more lighthearted post planned but I heard about this video yesterday and saw it today and couldn't ignore it.

The Killers - Goodnight, Travel Well


For more info you can check out:
Adland
ecorazzi
unicef

It's amazing to me that something like this, that is such a reality for children and young women (and young men) all over the world is so far removed from my life.

A letter...

Dear Gluteus Maximus,

We have had a good life together. You have provided a place for me to sit and I have tried not to embarrass you with daisy duke shorts. However, you have never been a part of my body I have had a desire to draw attention to. You are mostly flat and not shaped like J. Lo's bottom half in any way. This is ok. I have more than enough breast area to make up for this. But things have changed between us... I feel like we don't have much in common anymore and we are possibly moving in different directions, responding to different goals. I don't really understand you now...
First off, I have a serious question. What do you want to be called? I have not felt comfortable with a name for you since I was 5. I feel like we're missing out on part of our relationship because you don't have an appropriate nickname. 'A$$' seems a little vulgar for everyday use, 'butt' sounds stupid, 'bottom' reminds me of 3 year olds, 'back' is only used by rappers, 'tush' is an old lady word...what do you want????? I am open to suggestions.
Now onto our real issue. You are changing. I realize I am too. I now seem to have a basketball under my shirt and the extra weight has led me to waddling, which must be different and slightly uncomfortable for you. I can't do anything about this- Peanut needs room to grow. But other than that, I haven't changed much. I always had big boobs so even if they are getting bigger that seems like a small issue. My question is why are YOU getting bigger?
What has led you to growing in seemingly all directions? Why are you now farther out from my body and higher on my back? I have a short area between hips and boobs- if you continue to move up at the current pace I can only imagine you will reach my bra line in a matter of months. Is this necessary? Belly must grow to accommodate Peanut, boobs must grow to feed him (although I fully believe they were plenty large enough before and are just showing off now), hips must spread to eventually let him through, I even understand feet getting a little bigger to support his extra weight, but again I ask- why are YOU growing?
I don't need you to be big. In fact I was comfortable with our previous low-stress relationship. Nate was happy with you because he didn't know any better. You have raised his expectations and it's frustrating me.
Also I'm not sure what you are filling up all that space with. Amber smacked you the other day and nearly broke her hand- you are hard as steel. Why?
Please remember I still love you and want you around I just feel that not all change is good. Let's go back to how it used to be between us, with a minimum of fuss and tightening of pants.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
L

PS A video just for you (note: please don't forget how questionable this song is- not G rated!)

Sir mix a lot-baby got back
by ZICARLOS

Bored with Backgrounds...

As you can tell I get bored with my background pretty quickly. If some of you are the same way I thought I'd provide a list of the free template sites I've used or seen my friends use and liked. Hope this helps!

Aqua Poppy Designs
Delightful Dots
Leelou Blogs
The Cutest Blog on the Block
Shabby Blogs