They all have names

The husband and I were discussing past relationships the other day, and I realized that I never refer to them by name.  I gave nicknames to all the guys I dated in the past and they have stuck.  I also gave nicknames to the women of his past.  I am not sure I know one of them by their actual name.  I wondered if that is something that just I do, or if others do it as well.  I can remember when I first started dating my husband, co-workers nicknamed him Army Boy or Soldier Boy (he was in the Army at the time).  He didn't get a first name at work until we were serious.  I guess it can be a defense mechanism in case things fall apart early.  A few of the better nicknames are Crazy Boy, Hairless Cat Boy, and Crazy Iowa Chick.  Does anyone else give nicknames to past flings?  If so, do you have any good ones?

Fitting In

I feel like I don't quite fit in here.  It seems like everyone has a good, close friend they can hang out with and have the girly day with except for me.  I am sure it isn't true, but when I hear stories of people hanging out I feel bummed.  I am invited to do things around our complex, but it is with Hannah so their kids can play with her.  With only having one car, it makes it difficult to attend a lot of functions, but I go when I can so at least I am making the effort to meet people.  There are cliques for sure.  I feel like a kid again trying to fit in with all the cool kids.  I guess I will keep trying and hope I find a few that I really click with so I don't feel so alone.  This is when I miss home the most.  I miss my friends.  I hate being far away from them.

Push Presents

I recently stumbled upon this term.  I wasn't sure the meaning behind until I Googled for more information.  Apparently, it is a growing trend in the U.S., and it is already popular in England and India.  It is a gift for a new mom given by the dad of the baby.  More moms in the U.S. are pushing their husbands/boyfriends/father of baby to give them a present for having his child.  Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this concept.  It just seems a bit odd and almost greedy to me.  I know it is definitely not easy being pregnant, but it is what you have to do if you want to have a kid.  (Okay, I know it is not the only way, but it is the most popular way.)  For me, I really don't need jewelry I will hardly wear or for my husband to spend a lot of money on me as a thank you for pushing his kid out.  It is my kid too.  I agreed to get pregnant.  It is nice to be acknowledged about how difficult pregnancy can be, but pricey gifts seem to be over the top.  I would be happy if my husband helped out around the house a bit more so I am not so sore at the end of the day.  He has been doing that...at least he is taking over more Hannah responsibility while he can.  I guess I am baffled by this concept.  Of course Valentine's Day also baffles me.  Maybe I am not sentimental enough to understand the reasoning behind it.  Maybe I am cheap.  Or maybe I think the baby is the gift.

When I was 17...

I decided to join in on the fun for this week.  17 was such a fun age, but I am glad I am older now.

1. When you were 17, tell us what kind of car you drove, where you worked, and what you were usually up to on the weekends.  I drove a 1982 Mercury Lynx that was nicknamed Papa Smurf.  The defrost didn't work so I had to use old rags to wipe the condensation off my car during the winter or drive with the windows slightly rolled down.  I didn't complain too much since it was free.  I did not work at that age.  I was lucky my parents provided all I needed during that time.  I was playing softball year round, and since my grades were good, my parents said I could wait until  I graduated to work.  I would occasionally work for my mom in her office for extra cash.  If I wasn't playing softball, the weekends were spent at a friend's house watching 80s movies or listening to music, or spent at the mall where we would eat dinner and then go to a movie.  We were a pretty close bunch, and we usually had fun just hanging out at someone's house.

2. Show us a picture of you at 17  I had to search Facebook to find this picture.  I am the one on the top right with the incredibly long and out of control hair.  These were all the seniors on the softball team that year.  I went to a pretty small high school.

3. What did you want to be when you grew up?  I had no clue what I wanted to be at that age.  I kept changing my mind. One day it was psychology, the next it was biology.  I am a science geek, and I eventually settled on biology.  

4. When you were 17, tell us the kind of boys that you dated. Did you have a type? Do you have a relationship you remember well? Do tell.  I dated a guy on and off my junior and senior year and he definitely wasn't a tough guy by any means.  Some people thought he was gay, but turns out he wasn't.  He ended up crushing me, and it took a few years to really enter another relationship.  He taught me a lot about myself, and I am grateful that through his hurtful ways, I realized I needed to take the time in college to focus on me and have fun.  I think I enjoyed college more by not worrying about guys or think about who I should date.  

5. When you were 17, tell us where you pictured your life 10 years from then. Did it turn out the way you expected it to?  5 years ago I was 27, and my life definitely wasn't what I pictured it would be.  I was living in a small, central Kansas town living with my boyfriend who didn't seem all that keen on ever getting married.  Actually he was getting ready to deploy and was gone for 18 months.  I was working in a pathology lab, but it definitely wasn't my dream job.  I figured by 27 I would have found the guy, had the kids, and I would be working at the best lab research job I could find.  Definitely didn't happen.

Dads can nest too!

So, I think my husband is nesting.  He is starting to clean out the car more, he is trying to stay a bit more organized, wants to make freezer meals now, and he wants to build stuff.  Remember how I showed a picture of the nursery and its sad state?  This is what we were using for storage:

Plastic drawers

Neither one us really liked it, but it is what we had so we decided to live with it.  Then my husband got the nesting bug.  He went out and bought materials to make a cabinet for her.  In one weekend he built this huge cabinet that holds all her stuff.  I had other stuff crammed under the crib, futon, and still more shoved in the linen closet.  This cabinet holds all of it!  I have nothing stored under the crib anymore.  The finished product:

He even picked the color for the doors.  Hannah helped him paint.

I added some cute baskets for helpful storage inside.

The plastic storage is now holding toys in our dining room/playroom downstairs.  It may not be the prettiest or fanciest piece of furniture around, but it hides all the stuff and should work long term.  I was pretty impressed with the final product especially since this was his first time building something like this.  Now he wants to build a new bed frame for us.  I told him that would have to wait until we had a house with a garage so he didn't leave saw dust all over my house.

Worst. Wife. Ever.

Today is my wedding anniversary.  We were married 3 years ago in Las Vegas.

So young

For the third straight year I forgot about it as the day approached.  I feel bad.  The husband is med down due to an upper respiratory infection, but they still have him working duty since he can't fly.  He told me last night that he is working tonight.  I told him of course he is working at night because it is harder on me when he is gone at night instead of the morning.  It didn't even occur to me that he would be working on the night of our anniversary, and I think I hurt his feelings.  He mentioned later in the evening he was bummed we couldn't go out for dinner, and then it clicked.  I felt like such an ass.  I think we are going to try for an anniversary lunch today before he heads to work.  If anything we can celebrate Saturday night.  It is the Navy Ball which means good food (hopefully), and a free babysitter.  Hopefully next year I will remember.

A-OK

I want to thank every one for the kind words yesterday.  As far as the tech could tell, everything seems to be okay.  She didn't think it looked like my body has started labor, but I will get confirmation at my next appointment.  She did take some pictures of the baby for me.  She said Meeghan was very photogenic and cooperative so she took quite a few.  I have never had an ultrasound this late in a pregnancy so it was neat to see a baby so big.  She is definitely a girl which is nice to know since we did have a bit of a doubt.  She is just over 4 pounds which seems so big at this stage.  Hannah was barely 7 pounds and  I could hardly push her out.  I am hoping this one isn't any bigger otherwise I am afraid to know how long it will take to push.  She is also head down.  I was pretty sure she was head down, but it is nice to know for sure.  Hopefully she stays that way for these last 8 weeks.  So now, I am trying to hydrate like crazy and rest as much as possible to keep as comfortable as I can.

32 weeks is too early

I had my 31 weeks 6 days (or we'll just say 32 weeks) appointment today.  I had asked about Braxton Hicks since I am having a ton of them, and I don't remember it being like this with Hannah.  He decided I need an ultrasound to rule out pre-term labor.  It was a bit scary to hear him say that since I really didn't think it was that serious, but I guess he wants to be cautious.  There is always a small chance that my body has started labor early, but I certainly hope not.  I am uncomfortable, but I can hold out until she is old enough to deliver.  I really hope it is just I am not drinking enough water, or my very stubborn daughter is causing me to be a bit more stressed this pregnancy.  I am chugging away with the water, and trying to find every quiet game I can to make sure that I don't send myself into premature labor.  We will see what they say.  The ultrasound is scheduled for tomorrow morning.