Everything I've always dreamed...

It's no secret that I want to be a mom. 


 It's all I've EVER talked about.  


EVER. 


 When I was a preschooler and my parent's asked me what I wanted to be, my response was,"the first person pregnant in high school."  Really it's all I've ever dreamed about.  


Every part of it.  From conception until my wonderful children gather around my coffin to say goodbye.  I have always dreamed of the day I would tell my husband that our lives would forever be changed and we are going to be parents!  I thought it would go something like this:

Anyone else a Lucy fan and remember this episode?  Lucy tried and tried to tell Ricky that she was pregnant but Ricky was too busy so she went to his club to surprise him.  What really surprises me is that he didn't know she was pregnant because it's not like maternity wear was all that discrete in the 50's!    

  My husband works for the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) and we were trying for parenthood in the most stressful month for a District Scout Executive.  The month of September is when they have School Night for Scouting and recruit kids by the hundreds to join the awesomeness that is BSA!  In fact, my husband was opposed to the idea to try in the month of September because he was so busy.  That was until I pointed out the fact that I only needed him a few times for like 5 minutes and if we indeed were to get pregnant the baby would be due in June, which is his slowest month, where I would need him for days!  Well much to my shock, we had in fact achieved the almost impossible.  (If you want to check out my journey to get pregnant click the link).  When I couldn't get a hold of my busy husband I opted for a modern day Lucy style telling.

I texted him!

Here is the transcript:

(Shortly after I had privately taken a digital test at work)

9/22 8:02AM ME:  Today is my early day.  Wanna have lunch?

9/22 8:35AM HUSBAND: Sure

9/22 8:58AM ME:  Cool.  I get off at 1.  Where do you want to go?

9/22 9:19 AM HUSBAND:  Can we go about 1:30  I have a boy talk that starts at 1:15

9/22 9:47AM ME: Cool.  Where?

9/22 9:49 AM HUSBAND: Cotton Patch?

9/22 10:08 AM ME:  Sounds good.  I have a gift card.

9/22 10:57 AM HUSBAND: Hey can't go to lunch have a united way lunch that I have to go to

9/22 10:58 AM ME: :(  Will I see you at all tonight?

9/22 10:59 AM  HUSBAND:  Don't know

9/22 11:50 AM ME: Well I have something to tell you...do you want me to text you?

9/22 11:51 AM  HUSBAND:  Yes in a meeting.

9/22 11:54 AM ME: 

9/22 12:02 PM ME: Your boys work. (In case he didn't get the picture)

9/22 12:27 PM  ME:  Are you at Home Depot yet?  (sorry, inside joke)

9/22 12:29 HUSBAND: No I am at franks wishing I could pound beers.

9/22 12:35 PM  ME:  Are you freaked out!  I wanted to tell you over lunch or tonight!

9/22 12:35 PM ME: ?

9/22 12:38 PM HUSBAND: I am trying to block it out by listening about the texas state budget

9/22 2:11 PM  ME:  Are you running away?

And that is how I told Carl we were expecting.  For the record.  He didn't run away.  Very much the opposite.  He has stuck by me more than ever before and I am so excited to see what kind of dad he is going to be!  I would just like to point out that I asked him if he was running away at 2:00 PM because you would think that as soon as the meeting was over that he would have called me!!!!!  Nope.  Not Carl, my mild mannered husband, went about his day like normal.  In fact the next time I saw/talked to him was later in the evening!  

So now I blog.  I am going to try and back it up and do a week by week sort of a journal for my own personal records.  If you know me, you know I am kinda blunt and I don't hold back.  I apologize in advance if some posts are too graphic.  There are things about pregnancy that NO BOOK will ever tell you!  I promise I will give fair warning to the posts about poop.  Yes, there is a poop post in the works!  Carl and I appreciate any prayers or good thoughts you may have for our family and I hope you join us on our newest journey!

Goals for 2009:It's Not Easy Being Green

Baby steps.  

All I can say is we have taken baby steps in our 2009 goal to go green. Surprisingly Carl is actually game with the changes so far.  Going green is a fairly new passion of mine.  While I grew up in a house that recycled I was known to still throw cans in the trash out of total laziness.  My mom was "Green" before it was so popular!  We grew up using vinegar and water as our cleaning supplies.    That being said it was only when my friend Kelly went through her pregnancy that I discovered the cloth diaper comeback.  It made me curious about what I could do to help the Earth before I have children.

Green before 2009

Carl and I were doing things that are considered "green" before we had a conscious effort in our "green" pursuit.

1.  Use dishes instead of paper plates

2.  Use fans before the AC.  Blankets before the Heat.

3.  Use our dishwasher (people are surprised to learn that it's more green than hand washing)

4.  Buy Organic (unfortunately we don't buy as much as we would like)

5.  Pack our Lunches (this is really more because of lack of cash)

6.  Wash a full load of laundry with cold water and clean out the lint trap after each wash.

7.  Buy less STUFF (again lack of extra money helps)

8.  Recycle cans

9.  Use Water Filter pitcher. (we have only bought one pack of bottled water in our marriage and it was to prepare for Hurricane Ike.  Even then I recycled our milk jugs for non drinking water.)

2009 

Carl and I have achieved quite a few of these goals.  Some are yet to be!  

1.  Cloth no more paper towels.

2.  Buy local produce

3.  Replace lights with CFL lighting

4.  Put certain outlets on a timer (to slay Vampire energy)

5.  Start buying organic and making organic cleaners for the house

6.  Replace our doors

7.  Join a CSA

8.  Buy Cage Free Eggs

9.  Use glass instead of plastic food storage.

10.  Buy Bamboo linens

11.  Have a garage sale!

12.  Hang laundry

The Future Still

There are TONS more that Carl and I want to do in our future but here are the top 5 for years to come.  

1.  Cloth diapers....I know right!  Have your negative remarks!  I am going to do it.  (Carl's apprehensive about it but I asked him if he was REALLY even going to change disposable!)

2.  Homemade Baby Food.  Yep.  That too!  I have a huge desire to do these things for our babies who are merely "twinkles in our eyes" right now!  

3.   Buy Hybrid (this is a while into the future....like babies will probably come first)

4.  Build a "Green" home.

5.  Garden

It's Not Easy Being Green

There are a few things I am not ready to give up yet!  Maybe someday but for now I will try and use restraint!

1.  Decorative napkins (I have an obsession with cute napkins)

2.  Ziploc (sometimes easy wins)

3.  Buy New.  (There are just somethings I cannot buy as a hand me down)

4.  Disposable Tampons (come on now!  Did you think I was THAT crunchy)

5.  Holiday paper plates (it's a weakness)

6.  Using the dryer as a fluffer.  (OOPS.  I can't help it.)

7.  I know there are more and I put them here just in case someone catches me being not so earth friendly!

Interested?

Check out The Little Green Book: 365 Ways to Love the Planet by Joseph R. Provey and Owen Lockwood.  Better yet, check it out of the Library!  It's better for the Earth!

 

Bites Heal

Andrew screamed through the Super Bowl last night. It may be an ear infection. I felt so bad for him AND his parents. I got to leave. They didn't.


I can wait a little longer before having a kid of my own.


Thank you Andrew for reminding me!





SIDE NOTE: Andrew was asleep when I left....I just hope he stayed that way!

Bit by the Baby Bug

This is not new! I've been bitten before. (Say that three times fast!) Like when I was 4! I've wanted babies as long as I can remember. I was the child still playing with dolls long after all my friends had discovered the telephone. I know this is what I am supposed to do. God created me to be a mom.

That being said...Carl and I are not ready to be parents!

I know right now my baby bites are just a desire for the future. I want to be pregnant when I can fully enjoy every moment without worrying that we can't afford the health care. I want to act like we can't afford to give our child whatever he or she wants but I don't want to actually not be able to afford whatever my child wants. I want to be able to raise my child in an environmentally friendly home (WE ARE NOT READY FOR THIS ONE BUT WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS THIS). I want my husband to be able to be a "real life" adult for a while without having to be a daddy! I want to announce to my husband that we are having a baby "I Love Lucy" style not waving the pee stick in front of his face yelling "Now what in the hell are we going to do!?!?!?"

It must sound like the baby bug hasn't bitten me at all! But it has. I really want to get my body ready so that when my husband and I decide that the timing is as right for us as it's ever going to be I will be as healthy as I can be for a growing baby. We are also taking measures now to prepare our home to be more green for our offspring. I dream about what our babies will look like. I dream about the new traditions we will start as a family. I even dream about how I will discipline our children! All in due time. All in due time.

In the mean time....

I have Andrew!

And I can't get enough!