Thursday Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down

I'm squeezing this one in today... but I am bringing back the Thumbs Up/ Thumbs Down Thursdays! Here's my list for the day.


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One) Most of all.... my number one Thumbs Up goes to Peapod today and her baby kicks! In the last week + I've been feeling her more and more and I absolutely love it! Even at 3am when I'm up for my nightly potty break and she decides to wake up too. Can't describe exactly how cool the feeling is, but it is. (Note: when I google imaged "baby kicks" this is the pic that came up. Its not- I repeat NOT- me. And frankly, it sortof creeps me out and I have no idea if its real, but I needed a picture).



(Another side note: I hadn't realized how used to her movements I've become until yesterday when I was asked if she was moving. It dawned on me she hadn't moved all day that I could feel. Got a little nervous after the night before I'd pulled a little jump move that apparently pulled a groined area muscle - but all's fine per Dr. T- so I didn't worry too much But putting two and two together in the midst of a small silent panic attack- slight exaggeration. Tried all night last night to feel her. Still nothing. I decided to go to bed and if I didn't feel anything by today, I'd go buy one of those prenatal heart monitors for my peace of mind. Woke up at 3am as mentioned above, went to the bathroom, said a little prayer and asked God to please make her move just so I could go back to sleep and breathe a little easier. Got back in bed and I promise within two minutes, I felt two very definite baby kicks. One right after another. Then nothing. It was like God gave me just exactly the sign I needed that she was fine and I fell right to sleep. Well, right after I shook the Giant and said "Babe, she just kicked me, she's fine!!!" to which I got a groan, a thumbs up over the shoulder...and that was it. Back to sleep I went).


Numero dos) Second thumbs up goes to... Jergen's Natural Glow self tanner. Love love love this stuff for people who *like me* one- don't have the time to lay out and get that beautiful early summer glow, two- have fair skin and take a few times to actually look like anything other than a ghost, or three- are preggo and can't fake and bake like they normally would... Through the years, I have used every product under the sun as sunless moisturizer, and this is by far my fav! Insert my official endorsement here.

And my third and final thumbs up for the day goes to chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Well, really it should be directed at my big sis Dr. T and her wise words to eat this little bit of heaven. :) Wouldn't it be great if a certain unnamed husband that is rather large and ridiculously good-looking... ahem... read this and had a bowl of it ready for me by the time I got home from my long, hard day at work?!!! What do you think the odds are? A girl can dream... with cherries on top.

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I only have one...shocker I know.... but seriously.... this ones a doosie.

A BIG THUMBS DOWN to my belly button without my belly button ring in it! :( The belly button piercing I've had since I was 18 years old and have never gone more than 24 hours without a ring in!! I kept it in as long as I could! However, Giant blunt husband commented the other day that I looked like I had an outtie belly button because it was poking through my top. Which got me thinking... its time. However, I HAVE found pregnancy belly button rings online today! So, I may or may not be ordering one tonight and having it shipped as quickly as possible. My money's on the may be- but I'm just sayin'. this one absolutely DOES NOT need a picture... I'll spare you this time.

Have a great rest of your Thursday. Was yours as cloudy and windy as mine? Come one tomorrow and your 90 degree weather! HURRY UP!!!

A true survivor

To all who know about my 7 year old niece Winter and her ongoing battle with leukemia- Thank you for your continued prayers, support, and endless love. It's been a long 9 months (hard to believe its been that long). This weekend was a special weekend for our Winter. She was asked to participate in the Relay for Life SURVIVOR's walk! Even though she is absolutely still battling her leukemia, she is considered a survivor because she has NO more cancer cells! WOOHOO! You that know me know how important she is to me and my entire family. (A little background: my older brother Jacob who is now 29 years old, suffered and battled through the same leukemia that Winter has "ALL". He was diagnosed at 17, I was 12. I'm not sure if either of us remember much outside the hospital during those intense chemo-filled 8 months). I feel a little like a pro at this... When Winter first became sick, the whole family bunkered down and I think we all just knew. It was all too familiar. She was diagnosed almost exactly ten years since Jake was diagnosed. De ja vu? Oh yeah. Petrified? Beyond belief. Banded together? Absolutely. Thank the Lord for my amazing family and the strength that each person has. God absolutely designed my family with the characters it needed to make it through. I see that more and more as I grow up. And, now my family has two AMAZING cancer SURVIVORS! Two heroes. Two of my best friends :).

Back to my story about Winter's weekend.

She walked in a very symbolic and emotional walk that I hated to miss. Thankfully, other members of my fam were there to take pictures. I'm just so proud of her. Thought I'd share these ones with you! Thank you my dear bloggie friends for the support.

This one is very important to see because each bag was lit in memory of a child lost to cancer at CHKD.







This is Winter's nurse and son- and Winter's big brother on the end

I will leave you with this. In the oh-so-wise words of Destiny's Child ;) hehe it fits:

I'm a survivor
I'm not gonna give up
I'm not gon' stop
I'm gonna work harder
I'm a survivor
I'm gonna make it
I will survive
Keep on survivin'

And We're Back

We're back from the Giant's surprise birthday weekend getaway to Myrtle Beach. We had a blast! Lots of eating, walking, shopping, sunbathing, fishing, and just plain relaxing. It was a wonderful weekend just him and I. Thought I'd share some pictures from the weekend.

Starting at our surprise trip- he has no idea where he's driving!

Don't think I made him do this- this was all him. Getting in touch with his feminine side for tiny dancer.



She needs this, yes?

Hmm, where could our dozen have gone?

His mecca. We drove by the HOT sign 3 times before I agreed.






Can you see little blue fish? Squint- he's there.

Too much ice cream?!!

Week 20 baby bump

Why is it my luck that the only thing I ever crave right now is ice cream? Not just once in a while- but all the time. I mean- seriously- my luck that the lactose intolerant girl craves ice cream?! Plain vanilla. Vanilla with caramel syrup. Strawberry. Rocky road (which I've never liked in my whole life-by the way!). Oh I miss cookie dough (on my list of things not to eat :( ). The list goes on.



Thank the good Lord for my lactaid pills. Or, well maybe I'd be better off without them because then I wouldn't give in so much to the tempest that is ice cream. I am combating it with lots of fruit - and no not just as a topping... but not exactly as replacement either. More like, "Well I ate an apple, a banana, and grapes today- so ice cream time- with cherries!"



I mean-can you really have too much ice cream? Yeah I should probably watch that one...



This was taken right before I went to work this morning, so forgive the tired look. I'll try and take better ones later. I'll have some good ones after this weekend I'm sure. But, I can't tell you why because its a secret...shhh! Big Giant is getting a surprise birthday weekend, and since I know his curious eyes will be reading this, I'll leave the juicy details out til when we get back! :)

Giant of a Birthday Weekend!

We had a great weekend here this weekend. It was a "Giant" of a birthday weekend- for the Giant. He turned the big 2-5, a quarter of a century old. Old man. Wait, does that make me older woman? Hmm I take back that old man comment now.

Saturday, while I let him sleep in and have a long workout like he wanted, I helped at the yard sale for Winter. Raised a lot of money in comparison to the smaller crowds this time (last neighborhood yard sale was in October-and it was PACKED). Some friends donated items to sell which helped out a lot. Winter manned a table of her own where she sold handmade (by her) pins"crosses for cancer" and CHKD tshirts with proceeds going back to CHKD. Even though she wasn't feeling well all day, she hung in there and sold like a true saleswoman. Must be that Bailey gene. Those are the pictures below.

Peapod really needed the strawberry shortcake popsicle!

Afternoon, Hubs came and we went out for a while to celebrate his birthday just him and I. Gave us a few hours to ourselves to do a little bit of stuff just for him. We went on a shopping spree at Bass Pro Shop, which he loved, of course! Marked quite a few things off his wish list! Most of his birthday present is coming next weekend, so he knew it would be a little present day yesterday. After our shopping spree, we headed back over to Heather's for a birthday cookout with my family. We had such a great night- birthday boy included!




This morning, we woke up to some ridiculously beautiful sunshine!! Can't waste a day like today! So, we made it a beach day. We met big brother Giant at Chix Beach and enjoyed the afternoon laying out. Yes, I wore my new black mom-to-be bathing suit (my little bikinis seem to have gone into hiding because they are no where to be found) but I rebelled and beared the belly anyways. Needed the extra Vitamin D on the extra body mass. I may have pushed it out a little extra at times so I definitely looked more pregs than just chubs....and gave a few extra belly rubs. Oh the woes of the in-between preggers.

All 'round good weekend, good birthday, good sun, good company- just plain good! Now back to reality tomorrow. Fair warning to all I come in contact with tomorrow. Its end of month. And its not a clean ending to end of month. Meaning- extra work and a long night at work. Hope I can hold onto this good weekend feeling to pull me through!! Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts...