seductive silent wine...

The new baby is a GIRL!!!!!!! They even sent us home with the money shot to prove it, lol!

Still due around September 25- but the measurements are saying that I will go into labor closer to September 30 (right before my mom's birthday)... so we'll see! She looks healthy, no physical deformities, and all 4 chambers of her heart are functioning normally. YAY!

Now I can start setting up her nursery and getting things done! J wants to buy all new bedding for her, so I'm going to have fun looking at all the little girlie pink bedding :)

Why can't money grow on trees? Seriously? I hate being broke. And I don't like being kicked in the cervix, either. Just in case any of you were wondering... or planning on doing it.

J told me this morning that a person that we both knew from high school passed away last week. Apparently, it was a suicide (though that isn't 100% confirmed). J knew him throughout high school as they played football together, but I hadn't talked to him since probably junior high- we played basketball in the same league from grades 5-8, I think. It's so sad to hear that he is gone- he was married with stepchildren, all of whom I'm sure are devastated by this event. RIP Kessler.

I had a migraine today, the first since I have been pregnant. While pregnant, the ONLY pain reliever you can take is Tylenol. I have had a pretty solid headache for a couple days now, but I woke up this morning feeling like someone was ramming an ice pick through my left temple. I took my Tylenol and it did NOTHING. Kaitlyn wouldn't settle for a nap after lunch, and I ended up sitting in her bedroom sobbing after 2 hours of her getting out of bed and playing instead of napping. I decided that we should play a fun game- I got out our flashlights and I sat in the semi-darkness with Kait, playing with the flashlights and doing shadow puppets, until J got home an hour later. The light from the windows was bothering me, to the point where I was wearing my sunglasses in the house. Kaitlyn's room is the darkest in the house, since we put a blanket up over her window, so it was nice to sit in there and play in the dark with her. She was so excited that the mag-lite's beam can be changed from small to big and she loved the bunny shadow puppet I made. She was quiet and it was dark, which made the ice pick relent a little. When J got home, he took her off my hands and I actually laid down in bed with my sleep mask on and slept for about 30 minutes. Now I just feel like I have a bad headache. Gaah, I have some migraine medicine in my cabinet, I wish I could have taken it today! J wanted to take me to urgent care, but I said no as there was absolutely nothing they could give me. They would tell me to go home and sit in the dark and rest... it would be a waste of time. I have never had a single migraine until December, and then I had several in the following weeks. I haven't had one in a while, but I'm wondering why I have started getting them out of the blue? Oh well.

Tomorrow will be better- J and I are going on a date! We are going to lay Kait down for bed and J's friend will stay here at the house in case she wakes up (which she won't, she sleeps like a rock in her new bed)... we are going to do out for dinner and then watch Angels and Demons! The Da Vinci Code was well done, so I'm really excited for this prequel. The books are phenomenal, so I'm even more excited. I haven't been out alone with Josh since our anniversary, so it'll be really nice, I think.

My gender ultrasound is in 6 days! The best part is that it might be a 3D ultrasound, unless it is in use for an emergency. I'm CRAZY excited about that- I'll be able to see what Riley looks like, whose features s/he favors... it's going to be so neat to see what s/he looks like before they get here!

Enough rambling. I need a hot shower and to lie in bed, feeling Riley swim around and kick the holy moly out of me.

Coldplay is allowing people to download their album "Left Right Left Right" FOR FREE!!! I'm so stoked. It's for today only though, so check it out ASAP. Thought everyone might want to know!!

http://lrlrl.coldplay.com/leftright.html

I don't think I can explain how much I am loving New York so far. I can imagine us living here after J gets out of the Army. Liz and Kim won't be living in YV after they graduate (and if they do, I'll tease them endlessly) and my parents plan on traveling once Kim is done with college. It would be nice to be in California again, but I don't think that is where we'll end up. It would be nice to be near family, but California just isn't where we want to be, I think. I really like snow (even after 3 years in Alaska, I still got excited for every major snowfall), and I really like warm weather in the spring and summer. NY seems to fit the bill (ESPECIALLY since it doesn't get dark here like it did in Alaska!).... it has history, it has major cities, it has farmland (so cheap and delicious produce).... I really am loving it. I am excited to be here. J has noticed a big difference in me- I want to be here, and I truly am happy here so far. I can't wait for my family to come out and visit so they can see how great it is, too.

Having finally gotten that out of my system, I just want to say that I am confident that after the baby is born I will be able to wean off of my medication!! R will be born in September, so my doctor will probably want me to stay on it through the winter just in case, but after that... I really feel 100% better. I'm fairly sure the anxiety will never go away (as I have always been a worrier and anxious to the point of nausea before a big event) but as far as the postpartum depression goes.... I think I'm finally done with it. 18 long months after my baby girl was born.

She is getting too big. We transitioned her to a twin-sized bed and she has done beautifully. R will be using her crib, so we wanted to transition her BEFORE R gets here so she doesn't feel like R is pushing her out of HER crib, if that makes sense. It's going to take a lot of adjusting having a new baby around, and I want to make it as smooth as possible. I'm really hoping to get her potty trained before R gets here, as well... for my sake ;) I took K to the park today and she sat on the big girl swing... it was too cute. Gaah I love her. Anyway.

I had the biggest craving for corn on the cob today. So I ended up boiling/steaming some in a big pot of salt water. MMMM it was fantastic. I ate three whole ears of corn with butter... you could taste the saltiness, but it wasn't overwhelming. *drool*.... I'm still wanting more.

I had a prenatal appointment today and we got to hear the heartbeat over the Doppler. That isn't too exciting, except for the fact that K got to hear it, too. As soon as we could hear it, the nurse turned to K and said "Do you hear that? Do you hear the baby?" and Kaitlyn got this giant grin on her face and said "BAYYYBEEEEEEE!!"... she had absolutely no idea what was going on, but she sure heard the heartbeat and it made her smile :) It made me smile too- it was strong and very clear sounding. I haven't listened to a heartbeat through a stethoscope in eons, but from what I could hear on the Doppler, there was no murmur or arrythmia! Good news :)

Anyone watch The Tudors? I'm in love with that show. Why did they have to make Anne Boleyn look like a pig though? You can see straight up into her brain via her giant nostrils.

Better run and check on K so I can take a shower and fall into bed from exhaustion.