shankopatumus

there are a million random things on my mind i want to write about, but i can't pick just one so this entry is likely to be a scatterbrained mix of all. maybe a list will help it be a little more organized...

1. no signs of labor. i felt more contractions yesterday before the doctor's appointment than i have since. oh well.

2. the doctor wants to induce next thursday because "health risks increase when the baby is more than 10 days overdue." i have precisely 8 days to get labor to start naturally or else the inevitable will likely happen.

3. looks like i'll be doing lots of walking and having sex this week (i say having sex instead of making love because let's face it--my primary motivation for the act is to induce labor).

4. i'm losing confidence that having sex does anything to induce labor even though everyone swears by it (and there is scientific evidence that certain chemicals thin the cervix, blah blah). we had sex 5 times last week and it did nothing. maybe other people have crazier orgasms or something.

5. i think it's interesting how some bloggers are so guarded/proper and always avoid talking about things like sex, weight, home-based businesses, welfare, etc. and others share more information than they probably should. i'm not sure where i fall on the continuum--probably share more information than i should, but that's me.

6. speaking of topics i probably shouldn't write about i.e. annoyances with friends, "friend a" left me a chipper message this morning (when she knew i was at work) asking me if i could please give her a call at my earliest convenience like my lunch break or before 5 or 6 at the latest. seriously? you'd think she was the one about to go into labor! maybe if friend a read my blog (i know i've sent her the link at least twice), she might ask me about my life for once instead of trying to sell me mary kay.

7. i am psyching myself up for our conversation after work (i called her over my lunch break to be nice and luckily she was in a meeting with another girl). i need to just nicely tell her i do not want anything to do with mary kay before i become even more riled up and go off.

8. i love my husband, a lot. it's nice to have someone i can share everything with and always have him on my side (well maybe 95% of the time).

9. we have a fire radio in our house in case james is dispatched to any emergencies in bentonville. during the evenings we turn it on "all stations" to listen and learn about the variety of happenings in town, but always put it on "emergency only" when we are sleeping.

10. last night the emergency sound went off at 3am and nearly scared both of us to death. it was the loudest noise EVER and i thought our house was on fire. james got up, brushed his teeth and prepared to jump in his car to help when the firemen came over the speaker and said the lady who called was crazy. there was neither an explosion nor any sign of fire.

11. we now have a front license plate on the pathfinder that says "bentonville fire and rescue." somehow my husband convinced me that firemen "cannot drive corollas," so we are trading cars and he gets the pathfinder. i don't really care, though, because making a marriage work is all about learning which battles to fight.

12. i asked my mom if she read one of my entries the other day and she said she skimmed it and looked at the pictures. sad day when you realize your posts are too long and boring for even your mom to read them :).

13. i really love the name sophia, even though it will likely breed a pretentious, snobby little girl. the origin of the word is greek meaning "wisdom," and i'm sure this will go to her head. you can't say sophia without sticking your nose up in the last syllable, but it is beautiful none the less. i love that it has the versatility of changing to the more casual "sophie" when desired, making it the perfect name choice.

14. come out baby!!! that's all. love.

40 weeks

166.5lb
2 cm dilated!
80% effaced!
-1 station!

making progress! the doctor stripped my membranes today (for sure) and said there is a 60% chance i will go into labor in the next 24-72 hours. i am so so excited to meet our little one (and know the gender!!). i can't believe it should all be happening so soon, and it just hit me that there's a good chance our baby will come out with dark hair and dark skin (like james). i've always imagined myself delivering a little pale baby with blonde hair and blue eyes looking like me and that's probably not going to happen. as long as it doesn't get my pale skin and james' dark hair, we'll be okay. as long as it comes out alive and healthy, we will be overjoyed. so close!!...love!

more march madness

EDIT: what a sad day. i am officially depressed :(.

let's go jayhawks! 36-29 at half, not bad.

i am ashamed to say that i cheered for missouri last night (and when they hit the half court shot at halftime even screamed for them). in arkansas mizzou is not quite the devil they are in lawrence. actually quite the opposite since mu coach mike anderson used to be the assistant at arkansas and everyone loves his "give them 40 minutes of hell" agressive playing style. it definitely worked last night v. memphis, but i still think they are a dirty team (see taking tiller out at the end of the marquette game because of an "injury," having another player shoot his free throws, and his miraculous healing that allowed him sub back in on the next play).

all i can think of when i see mike anderson is forest whitaker in the shield. since i don't like his character on the show (kavanaugh), it is only natural not to like mike anderson. james thinks i am crazy for making the comparison, but i'll let you make your own decision:

no news on the baby homefront, other than i have been feeling more and more like i do not want to induce. i am a firm believer that a majority of the time a baby comes naturally when it is ready. reasons like convenience (for parents, doctors, family, etc), baby's estimated large size (especially if the mom does not have gest. diabetes), the uncomfortableness of being pregnant, etc. cannot compare to the benefits of naturally going into labor IMHO. hold me to this in two weeks when our baby is still not here :). LOVE!!

still kickin'

no sign of the baby yet, although my lower back has been hurting/cramping the past two evenings. the doctor says early labor starts with pain in your lower back and abdomen, so i'm kinda freaking myself out by thinking that this might be the beginning of labor, but it's probably just premature pain that i need to suck up.

in other news, my bracket weathered the weekend madness pretty well and is still in the 99.9 percentile, but everything depends on ku's next few games. we're having a basketball watch party at our house the next two nights, good times! breastfeeding class somehow moved to the backburner and is now scheduled for monday.

most exciting of all, though--i present to you my gorgeous husband! if you happen to have any fire emergencies in the bentonville area (emily ;)), this just might be what shows up on your door:

love yall!!

39 weeks

166.5 lbs (+1.5lb this week)
1 cm. dilated
50% effaced
-2 station

dear baby kehrli,

i guess you listened to me when i asked you to stay in there a while longer since all of your measurements show that you are farther away from labor than you were last week! oh man. i even walked 2-3 miles every day this week and had more sex, to no avail. the doc. asked today if we've thought about an induction date if you don't come in the next two weeks. i really would like to go into labor naturally, but if is safer to induce the week of april 6th (after 41 weeks), i'll do what the doctor recommends. daddy still would like you to try really hard to arrive on his birthday, april 2, so please keep that in mind.

we still haven't finalized your name, but we're leaning towards sophia rose kehrli if you are a girl. kansas was fun for a while, but dad and i are kind of sick of it unless ku wins the national championship, in which case you will be kansas for sure! parker james kehrli is still winning on the boy side, although blaze is still my fav., but i've given up hope of convincing dad.

i am happy you are going to be a spring baby. the extra sunlight and warmth lifts my spirits so much. you will be one of the youngest kids in your class, but i am selfishly glad that we will be able to go outside every day in the coming months. during the pregnancy, it was a blessing to experience elevated body temperature in the coldest months of the year, which was one of the main reasons i did not have much swelling. i can't imagine how uncomfortable being 9 months pregnant in august would be. hopefully all of your brothers and sisters will be spring babies as well.

dad and i had a relaxing weekend together and watched way too much college basketball. we did wash and vacuum the cars, install the car seats, and set the crib up in your room, so that counts for something. also our pantry now looks like y2k is happening again, but hopefully the abundance of food will make life easier after you arrive. love you tons!!

~momma

perfect day

*hoku's "perfect day" track from legally blonde playing in the background*

if i could craft an ideal day, it would look much like yesterday. sunshine, 2 hour nap, lovely baby shower, 2 hours at the gym (including a walk around the village on the creeks lake with my husband), and hours of exciting college basketball! it helped that miraculously 15 of my 16 day 2 tourney picks squeezed out victories! the only error on my bracket yesterday was wake forest, which isn't lamentable because a good upset beats a correct bracket pick any day.

currently i have 290 points on espn and am ranked 540 in the nation (in the 99.9 percentile, which is essentially tied for third as the leader has 310 points and there are a mess of people at 300). sooooo exciting! i'd like to think my extensive knowledge of college basketball had something to do with it, but that is a total lie. i did, however, make a few educated guesses knowing 12 seeds often upset 5s and the fact that the big 12 (who is 6-0 right now) is underrated and would hopefully win all of its first round games. plus i just have to gloat a little before my pretty green bracket is destroyed today in the second round.

man last night was so fun. i screamed when hughes drove the ball down the lane and banked a layup to put wisconsin ahead with 2 seconds left in OT. *switch coverage* (thank you cbs for being awesome) sienna nails a 3 pointer with 3.9 seconds left to send the game into double OT and i scream again and continue to feel the adrenaline rush as sienna goes on to win the game. if you do not like college basketball, you are missing out on a big part of life.

btw, my husband's rank on espn? 3,694,988 in the nation (210 points). ha! :) love you baby.

perhaps my favorite part of the day, though, was as we were cuddling in bed last night, james looked at me and said, "i am so glad that you are my wife because i really love hanging out with you." i hope and pray that in 50 years we can still say the same thing, and i have confidence we will. people often ask what first attracted us to each other, and our honest answer (albeit not super romantic) was that we simply enjoyed spending time together. there isn't anyone i'd rather hangout with on a friday night, and for this i am thankful.

(i tried to find a pic of us a ku basketball game, but there are too many pics on my computer so instead here is one that makes me excited for spring/summer. i am so looking forward to playing golf again after my baby bump magically disappears and i can swing a club normally again)

happy saturday! love!

ahh friday

it's friday, thank goodness. i wanted to write a post, "attack of the home based business," but that will have to wait until next week. somehow it doesn't seem right to share anything too thick or slightly negative on friday, especially in the bliss of march madness.

go jayhawks.

14 out of 16 day 1 picks correct .

cheered so hard for VCU last night. sad day. at least western kent. won.

james is officially on spring break--no class, basketball or plans for the next week!

last baby shower today (i made it!)

haircut/highlight tomorrow *baby please stay in there at least one more day.*

breastfeeding class next thursday. not getting my hopes up.

for the first time in my life, my boobs actually look small in a picture (don't be fooled--they're ridiculously ready for breastfeeding. ee, what?).

ahhhh friday. love!

on guns

we had a wonderful time with the gowans last week. laura posted pictures on her site, but this one is especially interesting (apparently i was at work when this picture was taken):


let it be known that I HATE GUNS. i am not comfortable at all with this picture or the fact that my husband owns 3 guns that are not locked up in a safe (yet) in our house. the worst part--my father gave james all of these guns for christmas. i think the one in this pic is a semi auto 12 gauge (whatever the heck that is). we also have a "quigley rifle" (like from quigley down under). if you or anyone you know would like the 12 gauge or 45-70, i would be more than happy to give them to you if you come over to our house and pick them up so i do not have to touch them. love.

38 weeks

165 lbs (eek! +3lb this week, +37lb total. apparently week 36 was not my peak)
1 cm. dilated
70% effaced
0 station (baby's head is fully locked in!)

dear baby kehrli,

hello! you are growing bigger and bigger. dr. hannah said you are already well over 7 lbs. hopefully you will stay under 10 lbs (hannah said most babies that size are a result of gestational diabetes, and thankfully mom does not have that). i also hope that you stay in my tummy at least 2 more weeks because hannah will be on vacation next week and daddy is trying to get all of his ER clinical hours in before you arrive. aunt abbey works many nights next week as well, so let's work together and cook a lil' longer, deal?

man i have no idea how much life is going to change when you arrive. i'm sure the first few weeks are going to be crazy, but we are so looking forward to them. dad and i are both taking 3 months off of work to hangout with you and support each other. you have an awesome dad in case no one has told you yet. we plan to take walks every day (i am sooo happy the weather is warming up!) and go to the neighborhood pool as much as possible.

you are going to have many visitors when you arrive. april weekends are already filling up and i hope we have plenty of time to bond with you by ourselves for a little while, too. setting up your bookshelf made me so excited to read you stories every day. i am praying that breastfeeding goes as smoothly as possible because i am going to do everything in my power to make it work. ahhh you will be here so soon! time to do a little laundry before you arrive.

love you!!!!
~momma

thanks to many awesome relatives, your bookshelf is ready to go...
your closet might have more clothes than mine!
mom's favorite outfit:
dad's fav:can't wait to meet you!!

on pregnancy food

this list is by no means exclusive, but these are some of the treats i've greatly enjoyed during pregnancy...

1. flintstones complete vitamins. i tried a couple of prenatal vitamins and usually felt sick after taking them (maybe too much iron?), so flintstones have been the vitamin of choice for the latter half of the pregnancy. They taste delicious and are v. comparable in nutritional value (the gummi ones are not as good for you, so stick with complete!). Highly recommend these!

2. water. enough said.

3. super pretzels (buy them in the frozen section at Wal-Mart and cook them in the microwave for 30 seconds! so delicious and easy!). definitely my biggest comfort food that i eat at least every other day.

4. dr. pepper. i tried to give it up during the first trimester, but then justified one a day by telling myself that i could be doing much worse things to the baby like drugs or alcohol or drugs, and i don't drink coffee, so the little caffeine in dr. pepper really isn't that harmful.

5. fried eggs. during the first trimester, these were one of the only foods i could eat, especially in ecuador. yay for protein.

6. welch's 100% juice (white grape cherry is my fav). actually i was a huge ocean spray lover for the first 2/3 of the pregnancy, but i've recently converted to welch's because 100% juice really is healthier and it is on rollback at wal-mart, ha.

7. subway. $5 footlongs (even chicken bacon ranch!). love quiznos, too, but subway locations are usually more convenient.

8. bananas. i'm convinced that eating one a day helps keep me regular because i never have trouble pooping like other pregnant friends.

9. chicken noodle soup. ate a can a day during the first trimester.

10. extra crunchy jif peanut butter. for many years, i've loved 1/2 of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast. this also makes the perfect midnight snack (right up there with super pretzels) to put me back to sleep if i wake up hungry.

shower fun

a few pics from sunday...

my friend noemi made these little egg nests with chocolate, peanut butter and sour jelly beans on top. they were delicious and so cute for a shower!


ultimate vanilla layer cake with raspberry buttercream frosting, as featured in this month's southern living. BEST CAKE EVER!!


the camp war eagle wives. love these ladies.

i bought these headbands for hostess gifts. how ADORABLE is baby rachel?? you can't really see it, but there are huge rhinestones in the middle of the daisies. i saved one for myself just in case we have a girl (for the first time i got really excited about having a girl just so i can put ridiculous looking headbands on her).

the new car seat! the actual color is even prettier than the internet picture on the graco website. so excited to use it!

that's enough for now. we have visitors coming tonight for the rest of the week so i probably should clean the house. love yall!

37 weeks

162 lbs (-1 this week, just like my pregnancy book predicted)
1.5cm dilated
50% effaced
-1 station (although the doctor said he could feel the baby's head much more this week, so i'm not sure why the number is still the same)

congrats baby!! you are now officially full term! mom is v. excited about this. you should be able to completely function on your own (bearing no major complications) if you are born any day now! if you go the full 40+ weeks, i am sure you will be huge (8 or 9 lbs), but please stay in my tummy until you are ready. you need the extra fat that is accumulating under your skin, and mom still has many things she wants to finish before you come into this world.

i think my doctor might have stripped my membranes yesterday. my internal check last week did not hurt nearly as bad as i expected. it was so bearable and short that i told james he didn't have to take off work and come this week. however, this week's check was super painful! at one point the doctor said, "here i'll help you out a little bit" and even deeper pain ensued. i asked him what he meant by help me out and he said he was stretching my cervix (maybe it will help later but at the time it did not feel like any sort of help). i wonder if he stripped my membranes and stretched the cervix, but who knows. he said i probably will be experiencing more contractions because of what he did (i am feeling bh contractions!). he should know that i really would not mind being pregnant 3 more weeks. if i start to get anxious, i'd rather have more sex or use blue cohash or something rather than have the doctor inflict pain. oh well.

thank you all for your comments and thoughts on the last post! i have decided to go ahead and get the mirena iud, and i feel much more peace about it now. the crux of the moral debate seems to be whether life starts at fertilization or implementation. if you believe life begins when the egg implants in the uterus, end of discussion--most birth control methods are fine. however, if you believe that life begins when the egg is fertilized, then most common forms of birth control could (very small chance) cause an "abortion" (the pill, iud, etc.). the same people who are anti-iud's are usually anti-pills and often are anti permanent procedures to prevent pregnancy (claiming that you are playing God).

personally, i'm not 100% sure when i believe life starts (from my limited research there doesn't seem to be conclusive scientific evidence either way and to an extent i think that is part of the mystery of life), so the following factors influenced my decision:

1. i really would like to plan when i have my next child. as much fun as it was to be surprised with baby kehrli, taking care of one child will be more than enough responsibility right now.
2. i love that the mirena iud lasts for 5 years. (obviously i am not good at taking pills, and it just stressed me out whenever i missed a day--albeit for good reason :).). we'll probably have another baby in about 2 years, but i'm not going to think about that for right now.
3. the chance of an egg being fertilized with mirena is very low. not only does the iud thin the uterus, but it releases a chemical that damages sperm and thickens mucus to prevent sperm from ever meeting the egg.
4. mirena is much cheaper than pills over the long run (at least with my insurance).
5. breastfeeding does provide a sort of birth control (although i would not solely rely on it alone). this makes the chance of an egg fertilizing even lower.
6. i talked to my doctor and although he didn't give me a blanket answer to whether or not iud's are abortion, he highly recommended it as the best form of birth control for me.
7. i have heard many good things about nuvaring. the convenience of the iud makes it a little more attractive to me right now, but i think this would be my 2nd choice.

all of this talk about birth control makes me realize how crazy it is that we got pregnant. if the pill really did thin the lining my uterus, it must've been really strong to begin with because the egg still implanted (i even took the pill for 2 weeks after conception because i had no clue we were pregnant). i am still not sure exactly what day we conceived, but i'm guessing it was the 2 days in july that i did not take the pill and tripled up (that does not work and cannot be good for the baby). i also had 2-3 drinks (which is a lot for me) one of those nights when we were staying the embassy suites. i'm dead sure i got a nasty bug in ecuador in august and the baby somehow survived my malnutrition and dehydration. all that to say--baby, you are a fighter! i cannot wait for you to come into this world.

love yall and happy tuesdays!

on birth control

i've been planning on getting an IUD after we have the baby (thank you no more birth control pills). i told someone this today and their immediate reaction was, "you know that's abortion, right?" honestly i hadn't really researched it or thought much about it (guess i should).

so...question of the day: do you think IUDs are abortion and would you ever use them?

i would love to hear all opinions as i am still forming my own. if you don't feel comfortable commenting, you can email me at perkinss@jbu.edu. love yall!

p.s. i've heard many birth control pills are not compatible with breastfeeding because of high doses of estrogen. what do you think is the most common or highly favored birth control method for breastfeeding mothers?

childbirth class

after 14 hours of learning about labor, we can finally relax. james cheated and literally fell asleep in class. i'm going to hold this over his head forever, mwhahahaha.

i have a new appreciation for labor and am really looking forward to it. (ha what am i thinking?) mercy's holistic approach to labor is so positive and inspirational, and i appreciate that. even though the plan is still to use an epidural, i now see the beauty in the labor experience. if nothing else, my attitude toward labor changed this weekend from a necessary evil to a very intimate event between a couple and their new baby. that alone made the class worth it.

our childbirth instructor clearly defined the dad's role as "coach." although james was prepared to be super encouraging in labor, he is now equipped with practical tools to help the process. we learned 8 different labor positions (i think i'm going to buy a birthing ball) that are especially helpful when enduring early contractions at home, and james learned many pain-relieving techniques like counter pressure, the knee press, pressure point massage, etc. the course instructor taught three main lamaze breathing patterns that will hopefully come in handy as well. we probably spent 4 hours of the class practicing positions with our husbands massaging our bodies, and i loved every second of that.

the 8 other couples in our class were interesting. actually not really interesting at all. my friend molly told me about the diversity of her class, and ours was nothing of that nature. i'm pretty sure we were the youngest parents by at least 5 years, and we're 25! one mom said they'd been waiting 12 years to get pregnant, man. we all tried to make small talk over the weekend, but it felt like forced "mom's club" conversation. james did meet a paramedic that he's going to be doing ambulance ride alongs with, so that was the only social highlight.

speaking of james--he had a physical last week for 3 1/2 hours! 3 1/2 hours!! poor thing. apparently they took 5 viles of blood, xrays, tested his hearing & lung capacity, made him drop his pants, etc. when he came home i noticed 6 bald patches in his chest hair where they shaved him! (i guess for the ekg machine). since when is all of this testing required for a physical? my goodness. time for bed. love yall.

on interest rates & refinancing

james and i refinanced our house today (technically we just signed all of the papers to lock in our interest rate and activate the float down until april 11). we never really thought much about refinancing since we just bought the house in december and don't really qualify for any of the special packages obama is offering. however, james' boss just refinanced his house at 5% and is saving thousands of dollars with the lower interest rate, so we decided to make an appointment with our loan officer at arvest and see if refinancing would be beneficial.

what do you know, refinancing will save us thousands as well! even though our interest rate was not bad, we locked into a 4.5% rate today! (15 year fixed with no origination fee). my advice for all homebuyers is to look into refinancing because it could save a lot of money in the long run. if you do not currently own a home, now is prime time! home prices are great, interest rates are at all time lows, and the $8000 first time home buyer credit is a huge plus! now i sound like an annoying sales person, but i promise i have no ulterior motives.

time to hangout with the basketball wives club. i have not forgotten to write about james' and my big news, but it got a little more complicated (in a good way) today with another offer. until all decisions and dates are finalized, i cannot say anything, but i am really excited. love yall!

Morning Routine Survey :)

Katie made a Morning Routine Survey of all of her Fav Beauty Products and I am passing it on...

1. What shampoo do you use? Aveda Rosemary Mint. When I lived in Denver, I got a massage at the Aveda school downtown and it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I have been hooked on the calming smell of Rosemary Mint since. After I get my hair highlighted, though, I usually use TIGI BedHead Dumb Blonde shampoo for a couple of weeks to help out the color.
2. Conditioner? again, Aveda Rosemary Mint. love it.
3. Body Wash? Usually Midnight Pomegranate or Aromatherapy Sensuality (Jasmine Vanilla) from B&B Works. If James is out of town I occasionally use his Old Spice body wash to remind me of him. In our guest bathroom, we have all B&B Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief products (Eucalyptus Mint). It is really important to me that guests at our home are relaxed and enjoy using our shower.
4. Face Wash? Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser, but only because someone accidentally left it at my house months ago and I can't figure out whose it is.
5. Lotion? Right now, any kind of body butter that helps prevent stretch marks. I am determined not to get them with the baby so I apply cocoa body butter almost every day.
6. Face lotion? Clean & Clear Duel Action Moisturizer (the purple lid). This is my favorite product of all time! (like 7 years). I've tried tons of other moisturizers and none of them work with my face like this gift from above.
7. Styling Products? Um, none. I gave all of my styling products to my husband because he uses them more than me. If I even blow dry my hair it's a big day (literally, I can count on one hand the number of times I've used a blow dryer in our 10 months of marriage. I do use my Chi almost every day, though, so I guess that makes up for it).
8. Make-up? Bare Esentuals from Sephora. I am not a big make up person, so most days I just use these minerals and a little mascara and lipgloss (I LOVE LIPGLOSS). If I'm trying really hard, I'll put on eyeliner and eyeshadow, but that happens less than once a week.
9. Perfume? (less than once a month) Juicy by Jessica Simpson or Very Sexy by VS.
10. Jewelry? Most days just my engagement and wedding ring (they're soddered together). If I remember to put on earrings, I'll throw on something big and blingy (thank you Lisa).

My husband told me that I'm becoming less girly over the years, but really I just think he and others had a misconception that I am super girly/high maitenance because of who I hung out with in college. While I do think it's important to look professional at work, I am completely content with not wearing any makeup or doing my hair most days. A majority of women look better without much makeup anyway, and if you go workout right after work, there's not much point in spending tons of time trying to make yourself up in the morning.

Time to address and send "We've Moved" postcards. Checking more things off the to do list! love yall.

36 weeks

163 lbs (35 total gained, 0 this week)
1 cm. dilated!!!
50% effaced
-1 station (baby's head)

the appointment yesterday went as smoothly as possible. i am pretty excited about the 1 cm. dilation, although i know it means the baby could still be 4-5 weeks away. i'm also pretty excited about the other two measurements if for no other reason than they mean that my body is preparing for labor. doctor hannah told me not to be shocked if i go into labor any day, but to not expect anything for a few weeks. i am in no rush to deliver the baby. even though i am dying to hold and see it, i know that time will come soon and it is much easier to take care of the baby in my womb than in real life *drinks more skim milk.*

success #2 of the week: jayhawk victory! back in the top 10!!

semi-success #3: molly kind of won. i actually didn't get to see the 'after the rose' ceremony, but i read all about it. james had a basketball game at 8:30 last night, so we recorded the actual bachelor finale and did not see that the after the rose ceremony came on right afterwards. at 10:30pm when we finished the recording, we sat in silence for about 20 seconds after realized we missed the 2nd part. james was so shocked and disappointed that you would've thought the packers just threw an interception to lose the superbowl, but no, we merely forgot to record the show. i love that james was more upset about missing it than me. he's never watched a season of the bachelor before this one, but now he secretly loves it and texts all of his married guy friends each monday night to make bets about who will get kicked off that week. (that is what you get for hacking into my blog, baby :). oh yea, happy 10 month wedding anniversary, too).

ahh. tonight: watching part 2 of 'after the rose' and biggest loser with lisa and reading babyville by jane green. book review soon to follow... love yall.

the baby is still in my tummy.

EDIT: my dear husband broke into my blog. thank you james for crying wolf. i am not in labor or close to being in labor. i will write more later after i punish james...

on friendship

if you know me very well, you know that i love meeting new people and hanging out with friends. james and i often talk about what we want our home to look and feel like. more than anything, we desire for our home to be a comfortable place where everyone always feels welcome to hangout. i'm sure we can all think back to our childhood and remember that one friend whose house you always loved hanging out at, and james and i want our home to be that place. part of the reason we purchased the house we did was because living room, dining room, and kitchen are so open. who knows how long we will live here, but i hope our kids love inviting their friends to our home, and i'm going to try my best to always have good snacks and food in the fridge :).

anyway, i met some new friends a couple of weeks ago--austin and hailey. we were all introduced at the gym by my friend from work, avery, and it is crazy how much i've seen them since that initial meeting. not only do james and i see them virtually every day at the gym, but last week i also saw them at james at the mill for the fast 15, the summit lunch at pinnacle church, at the 9:30 service at fellowship today. that's like 8 times of seeing new friends in one week--creepy! (although i guess this is nwa and it's not really as big as i think it is). today i also received facebook friend requests from them and i'm sure soon we'll all actually plan to get together sometime in the near future. in the mean time, i love thinking about how and why we become friends with certain people.

as we get older and friends change based on location, stages of life, and personalities, it is nice to have friends we can always count on while meeting new people who enrich our life in the here and now. some other people i've really enjoyed this semester are the women in our small group. all of them are older than me (brandi actually went to jbu, but graduated before i got there), and james and i purposely chose the group because we wanted to learn from others' experiences, especially with parenting. a few of the lovely ladies in the group actually surprised me with baby gifts today, which made our day even sweeter.

kaye, the girl on the far left, wrote us a sweet card that says, "james and silvy, we are very excited for you guys! your kid is for sure going to have the "cool parents!" we have really enjoyed getting to know you guys over the past few months. we really hope that God continues to bless you & guide you through being new parents. we like you guys a lot and are blessed that we get to know you! congrats!" ~ryan and kaye.

i don't know if we'll be the "cool parents" or "fun parents" (actually sometimes i really despise these labels), but i do know that we are both very laid back people and i hope that our friends and children's friends always enjoying coming to our house. i'm sure our house will be a mad house at times, but i know it will also be a home of deep love. i'm getting pretty excited about this whole parenting thing...